Great pics, Corey! Those look really nice!
Same to you, too, chelle. And those A-frames on the ends are perfect for hanging shade cloth or remay or plastic from.
Jan, my beds are like yours but I use 2 x 10's. I love 'em. I make them for folks around town as well as for here on the farm. Although I still do "row crops" and field gardening the raised beds sure are "funner" to work with (and show off!) :>)
SSgardener, to answer your questions...
I use untreated 2 x 10's with coated sinker nails to attach them together.
And yes, build them myself, very easy to do.
Most vegetable roots will be in the top 6 inches of soil so going with about 10 inches of depth you'll be fine.
I make most beds 3ft wide because it is the easiest distance to be able to reach into the beds from either side. Four feet wears your (or my) back out too much, especially for weeding, seeding, etc. Some of my beds that run along side a fence are only 2 ft wide which is plenty of soil and width. I tend to grow lots of vining plants (peas, beans, cukes, etc) in those beds and they grow upward on the fence. You can plant a row of plants in the back, near the fence, and still have room to grow other plants (lettuce, radish, spinach, for example) in the area closer to the front of those beds.
Hope this helps.
Shoe
First pic is of beds built two years ago (or 3?) The beds against the fence are 2 ft wide; the beds in the center are 3 ft wide
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Second pic is a close-up of a multi-crop bed...spinach, Swiss chard, onions, lettuce
And a close up of a lettuce bed with carrots growing on the perimeter, a great combination!
