R. Dean Decker

PROJECT: Raised bed garden

TIME: Four months

COST: Just under $2,000

HOW HE DID IT: "When we had our chain-link fence replaced with a wooden fence, I had to disassemble my garden. It consisted of four 5-foot-wide by 16-foot-long by 16-inch-high beds. Since the timbers were badly rotted, I needed to consider how I was to replace them and my garden.

"I planted 28 azaleas along the side fence, which required the construction of 50 feet of stone border to match the other borders on the property. The new garden is 16 feet wide by 24 feet long by 17 inches high with an 8-by-16-foot center area. The garden beds are 4 feet wide. I used 4-by-6-by-8-inch treated timbers and capped them with 1-by-6's. The pergola was built for another purpose and moved to this location.

"The center area is mulched and the oriental lantern is granite. The area between the back of the garden and the fence is planted with hydrangeas.

"It required 45 timbers and at least a ton of stone plus two pickup-truck loads of mulch. Some additional soil also was needed. I have lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, peppers, green onions and cantaloupe in the garden."
TELL US HOW YOU DID IT: Share your home improvement or garden project in 250 words or fewer with Julie Young, Home & Garden, I Did It Myself, P.O. Box 85333, Richmond, VA 23293, or e-mail jyoung@timesdispatch.com. Include your name, address, phone number and, if possible, high-resolution photos of yourself and your project. The project must be one you actually did yourself.

ONLINE ARCHIVE: Read about others' projects on inRich.com. Keyword: Home.