15 Inexpensive Raised Garden Bed Ideas Easy Enough to DIY (2024)

15 Inexpensive Raised Garden Bed Ideas Easy Enough to DIY (1)

Digging a garden can be an intimidating process, but what if we told you you could create a flower or veggie garden with hardly any digging at all? Thanks to raised gardens, all you'll need is some creativity, time, and patience. Not only can you do it yourself, but it's a fun project that's totally customizable to your needs.

Don't have a ton of space? Add a raised garden to your porch or patio—or go all out and turn your backyard into a mini-farm as you've always wanted to.

12 Raised Garden Bed Ideas to Try in Your Own Backyard

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Grab a Steel Bin

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Perhaps the easiest way to create a raised garden is to use a steel bin. These are normally used as stock tubs, but blogger Liz Marie Galvan used them to create a polished, rustic look in her backyard. Plus, they're easy to weed and care for since all of the plants are well-contained.

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Make a Basic Frame

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The most popular raised garden is made of wood, and creating a simple box will do the trick. Create a wood frame in the shape of a rectangle or square, place it on the ground, and begin to fill it with soil. If you want to get fancy, you can add a mesh perimeter to keep critters out like DinexDesign did here.

To keep from using all your good soil to fill the box, use compostable items like twigs and cardboard to fill up the bulk of your raised bed.

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Repurpose Discarded Materials

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If you live somewhere where there used to be a railroad, chances are there are some old ties lying around that you could use. Railroad ties are durable and heavy, so they won't move around or degrade on you quickly. Ask a friend with a heavy-duty saw to help you cut them to the dimensions you'd like, and then you've got a frame for your raised bed ready to go.

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Add Some Hinges

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If you created a barrier to keep some critters from eating your valuable veggies, consider adding a hinge to them so you can swing them down while you tend to the garden. It'll keep you from having to reach over them each time, plus it'll make getting down into the soil much easier if they aren't there.

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Use Local Lumber

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You don't have to go out and buy super fancy materials to create a beautiful raised bed. This one is made of 2x4s stacked four high and secured at the corners. You can find these at your local hardware store for a pretty low price tag.

If you don't have a saw, most hardware stores will cut the wood down to size for you. Just ask.

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Opt for a Planter

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Not planning to have a huge garden? There are planters you can buy that work perfectly for small veggies and herbs. Plus, you can move these indoors in the winter if need be, extending your growing season by weeks.

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Use Stumps Instead of New Lumber

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Know someone who had to cut down a tree recently? Ask them if you can use pieces of the trunk. If you have the trunk cut into disks, you can stack them similar to how they did in the picture above to create a garden barrier. Or, if you have the manpower (i.e. a bunch of friends to help!), you could even use full tree trunks turned horizontally as your barrier.

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Make it Micro

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Sometimes a patio or balcony is the only space you have, but those make the perfect space for raised gardens. This tiny box could be made from wood scraps, and you could either drill in some makeshift legs made from tiny offcuts, or you can attach furniture legs for some extra flair.

To keep the bottom of your wood container from rotting out, line it with a trash bag or waterproof liner.

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Create Your Own Shapes

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It's your garden, shape it how you want to! By using wide wood boards, you can create nearly any shape you'd like to as long as you can properly cut the boards. Make sure your angles line up, and you can use old door hinges to connect the joints if you don't have something like a pocket hole jig. You can also use safety brackets to keep the boards from separating.

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Repurpose Large Planters

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Tall planters don't have to be for ornamental plants only. Some plants like tomatoes benefit from a deep root system, so putting them in a large planter gives them space to grow big and strong—plus it's so much easier to pick a ripe tomato when you aren't on your hands and knees.

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Grab a Bench

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There's nothing wrong with using pots in a raised garden. Sometimes, you don't have the space to plant in-ground, and a bench is a perfect solution to keep plants up off the concrete and closer to you while you tend to them. It's also a rather inexpensive option.

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Repurpose Shelves

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If you have a set of shelves that no longer serves you, turn it into a multi-tier raised garden. By using a jigsaw or large cutting bit on your drill, you can create holes that are similar to the circumference of your pots. Slip the pots into the holes and they'll be snug in the shelf. Plus, if your pots have drainage holes when you water the top plants, excess water will drip down and water the next level of plants.

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Try a Bathtub

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Chances are your local restore store or maybe even a junk yard has an old bathtub. These are nearly indestructible, so they make for a great raised garden. You can fill the base with gravel for some drainage, then sticks and cardboard, and top it off with some rich soil for your plants.

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Repurpose Pallets

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You might even be able to find one of these on the side of the road. Wood pallets are pretty easy to come by, and they make great planters. You can mount them on a wall or fence for a narrow raised garden for herbs, or you can place them on the ground and use the space between slats as dividers for rows of plants. The options are endless.

20 of the Best Flower Box Ideas to Try in Your Garden

FAQs

15 Inexpensive Raised Garden Bed Ideas Easy Enough to DIY? ›

Paving slabs: can be inserted on their side to create a reasonably deep and inexpensive bed with one layer. At least 15cm (6in) of slab needs to be buried in the ground for stability, leaving 45cm (18in) above soil level.

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How to create cheap raised beds? ›

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Is it cheaper to make your own raised beds? ›

On average, a DIY raised bed constructed from wood will cost $25 to $50 per square foot. To have a wooden raised bed constructed and installed for you, budget for at least $100 per square foot. (Find a kitchen garden company in your area.) These costs are for the thickest pieces of wood you can afford.

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How to fill a raised garden bed cheaply? ›

To start, lay down sheets of cardboard or newspaper for weed suppression and then fill the raised bed structure halfway up with alternating layers of nitrogen-rich materials (like kitchen scraps and grass clippings) and carbon-rich materials (like wood chips and dried autumn leaves).

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What is the easiest cheapest raised garden bed? ›

Cinder block Bed

Cinder block beds are a popular choice for raised garden designs because of their low cost and easy assembly. They make an excellent choice if you want to save money while gardening.

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What is a cheap alternative to sleepers for raised beds? ›

Plastic raised bed kits are another cheap option for low-level planting areas but these are usual not very durable. WoodBlocX offers a wide range of raised beds kits that look great and are easy to build. As an ideal railway sleeper alternative, WoodBlocX is an affordable raised bed solution.

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What are the two cons of raised beds? ›

The cons of raised beds

The main downside of raised beds is the work and expense of creating them in the first place. You don't have to use borders (soil can be raked into raised beds each season), but if you do, you'll have to acquire the wood, blocks, or stone.

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Why I don't use raised beds? ›

The Disadvantages of Raised Beds

They heat up more and dry out a lot faster than level ground, which can be a big disadvantage in very hot or dry climates. They can cost a lot of money to create the frames, and fill the beds with soil, especially if you choose to use Mel's Mix (square foot gardening potting soil).

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What do I need to put in the bottom of a raised garden bed? ›

We recommend buying high-quality, nutrient-rich soil in bulk. Or, you can make a soil mix with equal parts topsoil, organic materials (leaves, composted manure, ground bark), and coarse sand.

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What not to fill a raised garden bed with? ›

Adding gravel to the bottom of your raised bed for drainage is not necessary and adds another expense. If you don't add junk to the bottom of your bed and use appropriate soil, you should have good drainage. Don't fill your raised bed with ground soil. That defeats the purpose of having a raised bed garden.

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Should I put rocks in the bottom of my raised garden bed? ›

A: You should avoid putting rocks in the bottom of your garden bed. A common myth is that this will improve drainage. Instead, this can actually increase water saturation levels as well as allow gravel to mix in with your soil, which can prove very difficult to remove later on.

Is it cheaper to buy or build raised garden beds? ›

Store-bought raised garden beds come in a variety of sizes and styles, but can be pricey. For those interested in raised bed gardening without the expense, these DIY raised garden beds with step-by-step instructions can be built in a few hours and often for a fraction of the cost of store-bought kits.

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How can I save money on a raised bed? ›

Save Money on Soil and Embrace Hugelkultur

Soil can be one of the biggest expenses when starting a raised bed garden. Instead of buying expensive bags of soil at the garden center, try making your own compost. Composting is easy and can be done with food scraps, yard waste, and other organic materials.

What to put on the bottom of a raised garden bed? ›

Cardboard or newspaper: Cardboard is a great option if you are on a budget. You can line the bottom of your raised garden bed with cardboard and newspaper to deter pests and weeds.