THE YEOMAN
8' x 4' x 15" / Pressure Treated Wood / Heavy Duty Corner Brackets
The backyard stalwart.
Designed for the average residential lot, The Yeoman provides 32 square feet of growing space without dominating your yard. It offers enough capacity to supply a family with greens, herbs, and vegetables for the season, built with heavy-gauge materials designed for longevity.
We handle the heavy lifting. We deliver, assemble, and professionally level the frame on-site, ensuring a square and stable fit.
The Specs
Accessible Width: At four feet wide, you can reach the center from either side. This keeps the soil loose because you don't need to step inside the frame to work.
15-Inch Depth: Deep enough to handle root crops like carrots and potatoes while ensuring proper drainage.
Industrial Corners: Anchored by our custom 12-gauge steel brackets, the frame is engineered to resist bowing and racking under the load of wet soil and winter snow.
Ground Contact Rated: Framed with pressure-treated lumber selected specifically to resist rot and endure the elements.
Is pressure treated wood safe for garden beds?
Why we build with Pressure Treated Lumber.
We choose materials based on longevity. In our climate, untreated wood in direct ground contact (even cedar) will begin to rot within a few years. To build a system that lasts decades, not seasons, we use modern, construction-grade pressure treated lumber.
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Arsenic-Free: We do not use the toxic CCA lumber of the past. Modern residential pressure treated wood uses copper-based preservatives to resist rot and insects.
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The Science: Copper is a naturally occurring mineral and a necessary plant nutrient. Research indicates that while small amounts of copper may migrate into the soil right next to the wood, it does not move far or accumulate in plant tissues at toxic levels.
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Further Reading: For an independent review, we recommend the publication "Raised Bed Lumber" by the Oregon State University Extension Service. It provides a detailed, science-based analysis of modern wood preservatives and food safety.
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The Liner Option: While the science supports the safety of modern treated wood, we respect that some growers prefer an absolute barrier. If you want that extra peace of mind, we can install a heavy-duty, food-safe plastic liner to completely separate the wood from your soil (but then you've got microplastics to deal with).
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What about the soil to fill it?
How to fill your bed without breaking the bank.
A common mistake is trying to fill a large raised bed entirely with bagged potting soil. That gets expensive fast. Since this is a high-volume system, we recommend a smarter approach:
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Go with Bulk: For a bed this size, ordering a "bulk bag" or a truckload of triple-mix from a local landscape supply is significantly cheaper than buying individual bags.
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Feed from the Bottom: You don't need premium soil all the way to the bottom. We recommend filling the bottom few inches with organic "biomass"—old logs, branches, dried leaves, shredded cardboard, or even upside-down sod. This organic material takes up volume (saving you money on soil), improves drainage, and eventually breaks down to feed your plants from below.
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