Instructions

Assembly Instructions On a flat surface, set up the 4 boards with the wide edge and holes up. Match the letters (A to A, B to B, C to C, and D to D) that are marked on the inside corners. (You can smear the joint with some wood glue for an even tighter bond, or not.) Fasten the sides together using the 4" gold screws. Place the screws in the lower four countersunk holes and tighten only untill snug (we recommend using a screw gun).	Inside view	Top view	Outside view
Fully insert a hoop pipe (not marked "R") in a corner hole. Arc the pipe towards the other side of the bed, making sure the 1/8" hole (located in the middle of each hoop pipe) is on the bottom. Two 5" gold screws are now used, one on each face of the corner, to screw through the top edge trim and hoop pipes. Place the screws in the countersunk holes and tighten only untill snug to avoid splitting the wood.	Center hole down	Insert all the way	Fasten end hoop
Next back out the screws that have been pre-inserted through the top edge trim and clear the holes where the center hoop pipe(s) will go. Fully insert a hoop pipe on one side and arc the pipe as before, again making sure the pre-drilled 1/8" hole is on the inner (bottom) side of the arc. Insert the free end of the arc into the 7/8" hole on the opposite side of the bed. Make sure that the pipe goes all the way into the hole. Once the pipe is seated in the hole, replace the screws snugly back into position and through the hoop pipe. Repeat until all center hoops are in place.	Remove screw	Replace screw
Using the 1-1/4" gray screws. attach the ridge pipe (marked "R") to the underneath of the just installed arched "hoop" pipes. The ridge pipe has been pre-drilled and counter sunk to accept the head of the gray screws and, as mentioned earlier, the hoop pipes are also pre-drilled to accept the grey screws.	Place ridge pipe	Fasten ridge pipe
Lastly, nail the 5" brackets to each inside corner - 2 brackets to a corner. The first one is placed about 1/2" from the top of the unit and the other just below the first. Use the 1-1/4" roofing nails for the corner brackets.	Nail brackets

If gophers or moles are a problem in your area, and you purchased or have some "Gopher Screen", now is the time to turn the unit over and nail it across the bottom. Yes the hoops will suport the weight of the unit - just roll it over!
(You can save yourself some money by buying either metal lath or hardware cloth and a few nails or staples from your local hardware and not have Grow Y'own ship it.)
The grow bed is now complete, and ready for the cover(s).

Roll it over!

Gopher screen

Fitting of the Covers The Summer cover is a white, polypropylene, breathable cover called N-sulate. The Winter cover is a 6 mil plastic, clear cover called Flex o' Glass. Both are UV resistant for longer life. To fit either cover onto the piping, unfold and open the cover(s) so that the side seams are on the inside. Put the cover on the grow bed with the attachment strings on the same side as the cleat, which is mounted onto one side of the box. Make sure the fabric is pulled down over the four corners so that when you pull the draw string, it tightens under-neath the trim pieces. ALWAYS pull the strings toward each other, and never against the fabric or plastic. When pulling the strings tight, cross them over the cleat and pull down, tightening the seam under the strips. Cross them again and pull over the cleat. Holding the two strings taut in either hand, use your right hand to make a half loop on top in the left hand string, flip it toward the box, and place it over the right side of the cleat, and cinch tight. Now do the opposite with the right hand string over the left side of the cleat. Your cover is now secured.	Seams inside	Cross is correct
Using the Cover(s) When working the box, first loosen the strings that are tied onto the cleat. Now slide the fabric or plastic up on the pipes, and clip them with the 2" binder clips at a convenient height. If it's not too windy, and the sun is not too intense, you can either take the cover off completely or simply clip it up on the pipes. At higher elevations, where the UV sun is stronger, it will probably be necessary to keep the bed somewhat covered for the more delicate vegetables and herbs. The Summer cover can be left on 24/7, and things will still grow just fine. It's a breathable cover. However, plants like to breathe fresh air like we do, so it's good to air out the bed whenever possible. If it is windy, leave the side down that the wind is coming from, and clip the leeward side up for ventilation. At night, you can pull the cover down and tie it off under the trim strips to protect the veggies inside from wind, cold, and critters. The Winter cover can be used for added insulation and protection during the colder months by placing it over the attached Summer cover. The Winter cover keeps the snow, sleet, and freezing rain off of the Summer cover. Each layer you put on lowers your local zone by 1-1/2. The double layering acts like a double-paned window. When the temperature is above 45 degrees, you can take the Winter cover off altogether during the day, and put it back on during the night for protection. In time, and through your experimentation, you will learn what works best for your grow bed and switch the covers, accordingly.	Clip it up!
Planting the Grow Bed Plant the unit "French intensively". This means use little spacing in between the herbs and veggies to maximize the square footage of your unit for increased production. The reccomended method for growing things like tomatoes and peppers is to install a 6"x6" wire grid from the bottom of the ridge pipe, down into the soil, and from end to end of the box. Attach the wire to the ridge pipe with "twistie ties". Plant the tomatoes, etc. on either side of the wire and, as they grow, "espalier" or weave them back and forth through the wire spacing. In this way, the plants won't take up a lot of room, and when you lift up the cover, you'll have a "wall" of plants!
Watering the Grow Bed You can either hand water your Grow Y'own bed, or set it up on a soaker hose and timer system. Both work well but the latter is easy, hands-free, and automatic. Drill one end of the box and feed an irrigation blue stripe hose into the unit. Then attach a soaker hose, run on 6" loops from one end to the other, all across the bed. This seems to water the grow box more pervasively than 6" or 12" drip, and is more effective than hand watering. Set up the soaker on a little timer, set at between 2 and 30 minutes a day, depending upon one's water pressure. You don't want to flood the bed in any sense, but simply lightly saturate it. In the Wintertime, you'll water only when necessary, like when it looks like the plants are drooping or stressing. Once a month is not uncommon. Never sog out the soil. This is a contained environment like a terrarium that holds and recirculates its own moisture.
Soil Mix for the Grow Bed The preferred mix for the 4'x8' unit is: 2/3 cubic yard good topsoil or topsoil/compost, 2 bags of Back to Earth or Metro 702, @6# Yum Yum mix or some good organic fertilizer, @3# Humate or Worm castings. Put in 1/2 the ingredients and mix thoroughly, and then add the other 1/2 and mix. Remember, like location, location, location, it's all about soil, soil, soil! The mix for the 4'x4' unit is 1/2 of the 4'x8', and the 4'x6' unit is in between the two.
Questions and Answers Any other questions or problems, please call Ken at (505) 466-0393, or (505) 490-1849, or email at tbird@cybermesa.com. Please visit Ken's website at www.growyown.com. Good luck, Happy Gardening, and may we all slow down our carbon footprint by growing, buying, and eating locally! Ken

Grow Y'own Hooped Raised Bed Assembly Instructions