Build a raised growing bed — Austin, TX

Turning idle ground into a growing bed serves the LBC Place Petal (urban agriculture) and feeds the food ladder. Standard: Living Building Challenge 4.0 — Place Petal (urban agriculture; habitat). SDG 11. Proof: before/after photos + GPS Method (Living Building Challenge 4.0 — Place Petal (urban agriculture; habitat). SDG 11.): 1. Lay out the bed/planting footprint on site. 2. Build/prepare it to spec (level, drainage, soil). 3. Plant or finish as named. 4. Photograph before/after with GPS. Done when: before/after photos + GPS

Where

Austin, TX

Pay

$60 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

before/after photos + GPS

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

intermediate

Open until

2026-08-08

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 90–240 minutes. Method of record: Living Building Challenge 4.0 Place Petal — build growing infrastructure on already-disturbed ground, sited so it does not create a new problem

Bring

• gloves + eye protection
• drill/driver + bits
• saw
• untreated or naturally durable lumber
• landscape fabric (optional)
• soil + compost
• level + tape measure
• camera + phone with GPS

Steps

1. 1. Photograph the site BEFORE, with GPS and timestamp.
2. 2. Call 811 (or local locate) before any ground disturbance.
3. 3. Confirm siting: at least 3m from a septic field, not over a utility easement, and with the required sun exposure.
4. 4. Level the ground; a bed built out of level drains to one corner and fails unevenly.
5. 5. Build the frame from untreated or naturally durable lumber — never CCA-treated or railway sleepers for food crops.
6. 6. Line the base only if blocking a known contaminant; otherwise leave open for drainage and worms.
7. 7. Fill with a soil-to-compost blend, watering in layers so it settles without later collapse.
8. 8. Photograph AFTER from the same position and record dimensions and fill volume.

If it does not match the plan

• Site has a known contamination history (fill, industrial, near a busy road) -> line the base and use imported soil, or resite.
• Utility locate marks cross the footprint -> resite; do not dig.
• Only treated lumber is available -> do not build for food crops; document and stop.
• Ground cannot be levelled within roughly 2cm across the frame -> terrace or resite.

What counts as done

• Before and after photos from the same position, timestamped, GPS inside the radius
• 811/utility locate confirmed in the record
• Frame material named and confirmed untreated or naturally durable
• Frame level within roughly 2cm across its span, visible or measured
• Dimensions and fill volume recorded

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.