Building a raised bed is the recommended method for installing a FarmBot. In these instructions we show you how to build a simple but sturdy raised bed suited for FarmBot Genesis. This design will fit into most yards, look great, and last a lifetime.

Raised bed recommendations

• Build your raised bed as large as possible to get the most out of your FarmBot. The outer dimensions must not exceed the maximum size of 1.5 x 3m.
• Prevent bowing and warping of your bed and your tracks by reinforcing the bed walls every 1.5m with a sturdy post buried in the ground.
• Use heavy duty 35 to 90mm thick (1.5 to 3.5 inch) walls so that your bed will last a lifetime and resist bowing under soil expansion pressures.
• Fill your bed to the brim with rich, soft soil and compost. Leave out rocks and branches.

Dimensions are in mm. Dimensions are approximate. Posts and hardware not shown.

Step 1: Acquire materials

• Purchase some high quality wood from your local lumber yard. Preferably you will use thicker wood (1-2 inches thick) so that it does not warp easily. This is important because your tracks will need to be very straight for FarmBot to work reliably, and your tracks will be directly attached to the raised bed. When soil becomes wet and when plants grow, this can cause tremendous force on the wood walls of the bed, forcing them outwards. Thicker wood and extra posts are preferred. This example uses 2 x 12” nominal redwood (40 x 300mm), and 4 x 4” nominal wood posts (90 x 90mm) spaced roughly every 5 feet, or one 1.5m extrusion length.
• You’ll also need to pick up some hardware for fastening your raised bed together. For example, 3/8” x 3” lag bolts (M10 x 75mm) and some large washers.
• Depending on your climate, you’ll likely want to put some type of sealer, stain, or polyurethane on your wood to protect its color and water resistance like Thompson’s water sealer.

Step 2: Dig post holes

Position the lumber roughly where your bed will be so that you may find out where to dig your post holes.

Dig the post holes. A post hole digger and pick axe can help greatly.

Step 3: Prepare the materials

Sand the wood to remove any weird markings and splinters.

If desired, stain the wood or apply a protective coating of your choice.

Setup the lumber upside down on a flat surface. We’ll drill holes and screw together the bed in this orientation and then flip it over and position it in our holes.

Step 4: Assemble the raised bed

Measure out and mark where the posts will be. Remember this must correspond to where you dug your post holes!

Clamp the posts into place, making sure they are square with the bed sides.

Mark locations where you will drill holes and fasten the boards to the posts. This example uses 2 lag bolts and washers per board/post interface.

Pre-drill the holes for the lag bolts.

Use a ratcheting socket wrench to quickly screw in the lag bolts.

Notice how the corner bolts are staggered so that they do not hit each other, and the washers are oriented the same way.

Step 5: Install the raised bed

• Once the bed is fully assembled, flip it over and position it in the holes. You may need to pull it out and dig out some of the holes a little more in order for the bed to sit properly. Use a level to make sure the bed is level.
• Fill the bed with a mix of soil and compost.

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What’s next?

• Assemble the Tracks

  Step-by-step instructions for assembling FarmBot’s tracks