Built a raised garden bed with my 7yo - total disaster but he loved it

Nov 301 min read

So I decided to make a raised garden bed this weekend with my son. Watched a YouTube video, seemed simple enough. Grabbed some 2x6 boards from Home Depot, got a drill, thought we'd be done in like an hour.

Two hours later, my kid has a 'splinter crisis' every 30 seconds, I've drilled like 6 pilot holes in completely wrong spots, and we're missing half the screws we bought. BUT somehow we got it together, filled it with soil, and planted some tomatoes and lettuce. He's convinced he's a master gardener now and checks on it literally every morning before school.

Worth it for seeing his face light up. Just... don't ask me about the leftover boards in my garage lol

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Comments(9)

CChris T.Regularjust now

The 2x6 boards from Home Depot are solid choice though. Did the bed actually turn out usable or is it just a decoration in the yard now?

OOliver Q.Regular12h ago

How many pilot holes did you actually need? Because I feel like the answer is always "way more than the video said." Also those splinter crises are worth it for the parenting points though.

FFrank K.Regularjust now

This post perfectly captures the gap between YouTube DIY time estimates and reality + kids. But honestly the memories of building it with him are better than the outcome would have been solo. Embrace the chaos.

PPhil B.Regularjust now

YouTube DIY projects are always "1 hour projects" that take 3x as long. Add a kid into it and you're looking at basically a full day. But man, your kid probably remembers building that bed with you more than he'd remember just having a fancy garden bed.

SSam F.New Dadjust now

The "splinter crisis every 30 seconds" part killed me. That's so real. Kids can't actually work with wood without treating splinters like mortal wounds. The good news: he was engaged enough to be dramatic about it, which means he was into it.

DDante J.New Dad49m ago

Did you actually finish it or is it still half-built in the yard? Not judging, I have like 3 half-finished yard projects. Asking because some of my best dad memories are finishing these disasters WITH the kids later.

JJerome S.Regularjust now

The splinter crisis every 30 seconds is so real. That part where kids get one tiny splinter and act like they've been impaled is universal. But the fact that you finished and he loved it - that's the whole point right there.

DDave K.Regular1d ago

Drilling 6 pilot holes for one kid's help is the exact ratio of patience-required-to-dad-work. Two hours for a raised bed is actually pretty reasonable. We've spent way longer on dumber stuff. The splinter drama is worth it for the memory though.

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RRyan G.Regular10h ago

This is still a win even if it took longer and was messier. He'll remember doing this with you way more than he'd remember if it went smooth. Plus he learned that projects take time and iteration. That's worth the 2 hours.