How to Set Up a Soaker Side-Raised Bed

Cut 1 inch off the end of one landscape timber with a handsaw or circular saw.

Place timbers in a square or rectangle to form the raised bed. One timber will be a little short, so leave the 1-inch gap that it creates.

Drill holes 2 inches from the ends of the timbers. Make the holes about 1/2 inch wide.

Hammer metal stakes or rebar through the holes and into the ground.

Run garden hose to the planter. Lay the end between the gap that you created, placing 1 foot of hose inside the planter.

Set another layer of timbers over the first to raise the bed higher. Stagger the ends of the timbers so that they do not line up with the ones below them.

Drill a 1/4-inch hole through the top timbers near the ends.

Hammer large 6-inch nails through the holes and into the timbers below to secure them together.

Cut the 1-inch-wide piece that you removed from the end of the timber in half. Push it into the gap that is above the hose and below the top timber.

Fill the raised bed with top soil to raise it above the ground surface. Lift the hose up and fill the dirt in below it so that the end of the hose is sticking above the soil.

Mark the location of the plants with sticks or small wooden stakes.

Twist soaker hose onto the end of the garden hose. Lay the soaker hose in the planter, working it around the planter and between plants. A large circle 8 is a good pattern to use.

Put an end cap on the end of the soaker hose.

Dig a shallow trench in the soil under the hose and set the hose in it. After you plant your flowers and other plants, cover the surface, including the hose, with mulch.