31 Easy and Inexpensive DIY Raised Garden Bed Ideas
Raised garden beds are a popular strategy for planting a vegetable, herb, or flower garden that’s simple to install and easier to maintain than a traditional garden. Raised garden beds can be used to optimize small outdoor spaces or to structure a large backyard. Building a raised garden bed yourself from simple materials such as cinder blocks or cedar wood is a simple project that allows you to customize the look.
Benefits of Raised Garden Beds
Before building a raised garden bed, here are the benefits you need to know:
* No digging required
* Looks stylish
* Requires less weeding
* Better drainage and soil quality control
* Easier on the back and knees with less bending and kneeling
* Optimizes outdoor spaces both big and small
* Helps keep animals and pests at bay
How to Build a Raised Garden Bed
There are various types of raised garden beds. Some can be built in mounds straight on the ground. Others can be built using some sort of frame such as wood pallets, stock tanks, and more. Some prefer to have the garden bed completely off the ground altogether with a raised planter box. In any event, there are some general steps you’ll want to follow.
Pick Your Method
Decide whether you want to build mounds of soil on the ground, use a frame, or a raised planter box.
Choose Your Plants
Next, figure out what plants, vegetables, or fruits you want to grow. This will determine the depth of the soil.
Determine the Depth
On average, a raised garden bed should be able to accommodate 20 inches of soil for the roots to have space to grow. However, different plants, vegetables, and fruits will have different needs, so keep this in mind.
DIY Raised Garden Bed Ideas
- Level Up Anikas DIY Life: This DIY tiered raised garden bed from Anikas DIY Life is made from cedar fencing, 2x4s, and braces. A built-in trellis for tomato and cucumber plants adds a decorative touch that creates a focal point in the backyard.
- Use Stock Tanks Most Lovely Things: Most Lovely Things used stock tanks to create a raised garden in this Connecticut backyard. Filled with herbs and tomato plants on a backyard patio, the galvanized metal containers add an industrial farmhouse touch.
- Add DIY Tomato Cages My 100 Year Old Home: This DIY tomato cage trellis from My 100 Year Old Home is made from pine boards that weather over time for a natural look that works in this farmhouse-style garden, built along the side of an unused driveway.
- Repurpose Livestock Panels Liz Marie Blog: These raised garden beds from blogger Liz Marie have DIY trellises made from leftover livestock panels and T-posts to create a solid structure to support the weight of climbing plants.
- Add an Arched Trellis Delia Creates: Delia Creates added a DIY arched trellis that stretches between two raised garden beds in this large outdoor space that adds charm and a romantic feel.
- Divide and Conquer A Beautiful Mess: A Beautiful Mess built this easy four-step backyard DIY raised garden bed from affordable cedar wood, then added a grid made from PVC flat trim to keep it organized.
- Keep It Simple The Merrythought: The Merrythought made this simple DIY raised garden bed from untreated wood and corner braces and placed it in a sunny backyard spot.
- Terrace a Sloping Lawn Home Made By Carmona: Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona added terraced raised garden beds in varying heights to the sloping lawn outside her DIY shed-turned greenhouse.
- Keep the Bunnies Out Most Lovely Things: Most Lovely Things chose galvanized stock tanks that are two feet high, making them easy to maintain without bending over, and keeping local bunnies from feasting on the garden.
More Ideas
- Use Repurposed Materials Home Made By Carmona: Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona made these raised garden beds using salvaged pallet wood and salvaged castors from a piece of furniture picked up along the side of the road.
- Vary Heights and Sizes Finding Lovely: Finding Lovely incorporated raised garden planters of varying heights in this enclosed garden space that is planted with everything from vegetables to flowers.
- Add a Cover Home Made By Carmona: Ursula Carmona of Home Made By Carmona created a low-maintenance garden by placing self-watering raised garden beds on an outdoor deck.
- Add a Cage Cover A Beautiful Mess: A Beautiful Mess built a DIY cage for this DIY-raised garden bed to keep animals from chewing up plants.
- Give It Space Liz Marie Blog: Liz Marie used stock tanks with plenty of space between them to create a neat and organized feel to the farmhouse garden.
- Add a Picket Fence Liz Marie Blog: Liz Marie added a picket fence around her raised bed garden that helps define the space while adding cottage charm.
- Plant a Mini Herb Garden Maison de Cinq: Maison de Cinq planted a mini herb garden that’s perfect for someone who loves to cook with fresh ingredients.
- Mix Fruit, Flowers, Veg, and Herbs Lobster and Swan: Lobster and Swan filled this cottage-style fruit, flower, vegetable, and herb garden with everything from blueberry plants to sweet peas, strawberries, salvias, and roses.
- Use Douglas Fir My 100 Year Old Home: My 100 Year Old Home used Douglas Fir to build these inexpensive DIY raised garden planters along the side of an unused driveway.
- Accessorize It Inspired By Charm: Inspired By Charm customized a premade planter by planting it with salad ingredients on top, storing garden accessories on the bottom, and accessorizing it with gold knobs for hanging tools and gloves.
Even More Ideas
- Use Leftover Fencing Fantastic Frank: Matching the garden bed to the backyard fencing creates a cohesive look, like this outdoor space from Fantastic Frank.
- Make It Cottage Style Lobster and Swan: Rustic fencing and reclaimed materials add authentic charm to this DIY raised bed cottage garden from Lobster and Swan.
- Plant a Cutting Garden My 100 Year Old Home: My 100 Year Old Home planted a cutting garden to grow a year-round supply of flowers for the house.
- Add Fencing Finding Lovely: Finding Lovely built a series of DIY raised garden beds in this spacious garden that sit on a bed of gravel and are surrounded by a tall fence protected with metal mesh.
- Anchor It With a Greenhouse Liz Marie Blog: Liz Marie added structure, height, and charm to her farmhouse backyard with a DIY greenhouse that anchors a large raised vegetable garden bed.
- Keep It Natural Lobster and Swan: Lobster and Swan added an effortless feel to these generously planted raised DIY garden beds with plant cages made from sticks and twine.
- Involve the Whole Family Finding Silver Pennies: Finding Silver Pennies made building a backyard-raised garden bed a project for the family to tackle together.
- Plant Some Flowers Finding Lovely: You can also use raised garden beds to plant decorative flowers that complement the style of your home and outdoor space.
- Make an Herb Garden Coffee Table A Beautiful Mess: A Beautiful Mess built a microraised garden bed like this DIY herb garden coffee table from plywood and costs $75 from start to finish.
- Upcycle a Vintage Wine Barrel Fantastic Frank: In this Swedish country house outdoor dining space from Fantastic Frank, large raised garden beds were made from weathered wood and an upcycled vintage wine barrel.
- Mark Your Territory Finding Silver Pennies: Finding Silver Pennies made beach stone garden markers with local rocks and an oil-based paint pen for these coastal Massachusetts DIY raised garden beds.
- Take a Shortcut Musings by Madison: If you don’t have the time for a DIY project, you can create a casual homemade feel with premade raised garden bed planters and potted plants.
FAQ
What is the cheapest way to build a raised garden bed?
The most affordable way to make a raised garden bed is to do it yourself using recycled/upcycled materials.
What type of wood should you use for a raised garden bed?
The best types of wood to use for a raised garden bed include wood pallets or cedar wood.
What should you put at the bottom of a raised garden bed?
Line the bottom of a raised garden bed with cardboard to keep weeds from growing up and around your plants.
What should you put under a raised garden bed?
Cinder or concrete blocks are an inexpensive and popular material used to build a foundation for a raised garden bed.
What is the cheapest way to build a raised garden bed?
The most affordable way to make a raised garden bed is to do it yourself using recycled/upcycled materials.
What type of wood should you use for a raised garden bed?
The best types of wood to use for a raised garden bed include wood pallets or cedar wood.
What should you put at the bottom of a raised garden bed?
Line the bottom of a raised garden bed with cardboard to keep weeds from growing up and around your plants.
What should you put under a raised garden bed?
Cinder or concrete blocks are an inexpensive and popular material used to build a foundation for a raised garden bed.
