If you don’t know how to occupy your time this coming weekend, I’d like to pitch you a suggestion: make a few DIY raised garden beds and start an organic garden. I did this last weekend and discovered that it’s very therapeutic, healing and fun! It also leads to a deep sense of accomplishment and helps you disconnect from electronic devices.

For the last four years I’ve been living in a hipster warehouse without access to gardening space. It was an enjoyable existence filled with cameras, technology, computers, skateboards, and skinny jeans, but everything has it’s trade-offs. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I missed nature immensely. Last fall, my girlfriend and I moved to Washington State where she bought a house with a yard. In early March, I made up my mind and decided to start a garden. Due to the yard layout, the garden had to be small and efficient. Raised garden beds seemed like a rational choice.

I did a bit of online research and devised a construction plan. I decided to build my garden boxes from cedar wood as it is moisture and rot resistant. However, upon price checking cedar boards, I was quickly put off by their cost. At my local lumber yard, one 10-foot cedar board costs $31. This type of garden was outside my price range. Not knowing what else to do, I called up my friend Willy for advice. Willy is a fine woodworker with experience in all things related to wood. Within minutes I had a budget solution.

Willy recommended I use 2×6 boards instead of cedar for my garden beds. An eight foot 2×6 costs less than $6 in Tacoma, Washington (where I live). Willy also instructed me to buy some non-toxic boiled linseed oil and coat the 2×6’s with it. It turns out that two to three coats of boiled linseed oil protects raw wood from moisture and rot. The end result was epic! I made cheap garden beds that will last for years.

The entire build was super fun and helped me feel accomplished. It’d even say it boosted my self-esteem. My project also enabled me to separate from my phone for the entire weekend, which was really nice. Best of all, I have lots of tasty organic veggies and greens to look forward to in the future.

If you’re reading this blog post and feeling motivated to follow my lead, I have a treat for you. I made a video about the build. Feel free to borrow or steal any of my ideas.