Raised Garden Beds & Planters on San Juan Island

Raised beds make sense here. The soil on a lot of the island is thin, rocky, or heavy clay, beds drain better in the wet months, they warm up earlier in spring, and they're easier on your back. And on an island with this many deer, a raised bed is easier to protect.

I build beds from untreated cedar, which holds up for years in the wet without chemicals near your food. Corners are fastened with exterior screws or brackets, long sides get a center brace so they don't bow out when they're full of wet soil, and the bottom can be lined with hardware cloth if voles or moles are a problem.

For deer, I'll build hoop covers or a fenced garden enclosure around the beds, tall enough that deer don't bother trying. For bigger areas, see deer fencing.

I also build planter boxes for decks and patios. On a deck, a heavy planter full of wet soil needs to sit on feet or a tray so water doesn't sit on the decking and rot it. That's the detail most store-bought planters get wrong.