How to Build a Pyramid Raised Garden

Raised bed gardens have more fertile and less compact soil, allowing them to be planted more intensively and creating a larger harvest. A pyramid raised bed is an attractive way to grow a variety of crops in a small space. With three different levels, gardeners can grow a large amount of food in a 4 by 4 garden plot. The initial building of the garden bed takes a bit more time than a traditional plot, but garden setup in the following years takes almost no time at all.

24 cinder blocks, each measuring 8 by 8 by 16 inches
Shovel
Rake
Topsoil
Compost

Instructions

- 1
  Choose a spot for your garden plot that gets at least six hours of sun per day. Place the plot away from overhanging trees and out of general walking paths.
- 2
  Dig out a square for your garden five and 1/2 feet on a side. Remove the grass and set it aside to compost.
- 3
  Arrange a square of cinder blocks around the perimeter of the dug-out square. There will be three blocks on each side of the square. Make sure that the blocks are pressed snugly into the freshly uncovered soil, and that they are touching each other all around. Lay all of the blocks so that the holes are facing up.
- 4
  Fill the resulting box with a mixture of 20 percent compost and 80 percent topsoil. Fill to the rim and smooth the surface with a rake.
- 5
  Arrange another square in the center of the first square, on top of the soil that you just raked. This square will be two blocks by two blocks. Fill this square with soil mix and smooth, just like the first layer.
- 6
  Make a third square in the center of the second square, using an arrangement of one cinder block on each side. Fill this final square with soil mix and smooth out.

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