When I first started building these I basically copied a design that was all over Youtube and was being used by many sellers on Facebook marketplace. The plan included building the entire box using cedar fence pickets from a box store, lots of wood glue and brad nails.

Brad nails and not screws because the pickets are only 5/8" thick and that's before you sand or plane them to get the fuzz and the grunge off. The whole time I was building them I thought they would be too flimsy to hold wet dirt but assumed it must work because everyone was doing it. I figured I was the new guy following the veterans.

Well sure enough I have already replaced 2 of them with major failure and I wonder how many failed and the buyer didn't bother reporting it to me. After the first failure I started building the frames with pressure treated lumber. I was afraid of how heavy they would be but it really wasn't that bad and well worth it to make them 10 times more sturdy. I still line them with cedar so the pressure treated wood isn't leaching into the soil you are growing vegetables in.

I'm sold out now and the season looks to be over but next year I will build super strong raised boxes.

Raised Cedar Garden Planter Boxes