How To Build A Raised Garden Bed For Beginners – Do you want to start a garden but are afraid it will cost a lot of money? Don’t fear, with just 3 tools and a little effort, you can build your own raised garden bed on a budget! In this post, I’ll walk you through the steps to build your own inexpensive DIY raised bed and create a beautiful outdoor space that you can enjoy for years to come.
You don’t need a large backyard to enjoy a vegetable garden. In fact, I’m going to make tall planters that will fit perfectly in front of my little studio at the front of our property. This is an easy DIY project that even a novice woodworker can make. I like to keep things cheap and simple when it comes to working with wood, so I only use 3 tools – miter saw, nail gun, and drill – for these elevated planters.
How To Build A Raised Garden Bed For Beginners
You can arrange several of these in your backyard and design a complete garden. Alternatively, one or two would also look great on the patio or front porch.
How To Build Raised Garden Beds (diy)
The first step in building your own DIY raised garden bed is selecting the right materials. Although there are many options available, I recommend using Microfiber Sienna treated lumber because it is inexpensive, rot-resistant, easy to work with, and can be found at most home improvement stores. I’ve used it before on some DIYs like these cute planter boxes. Cedar is also a good choice for gardeners because it is resistant to rot and insects, but Microfiber Sienna has a higher price.
Once you have your wood, the next step is to cut it to size. You will need four pieces on each side of your garden bed, so plan accordingly. Measure and mark the length and width of each piece of wood, then use the miter saw to make the cuts. Remember to wear safety glasses when cutting wood!
With your wood sized, it’s time to assemble your garden bed. To do this, you need to attach the boards at the corners using wood screws or nails. Pre-drill the holes to avoid splitting the wood and make the job easier. Gather the edges first, then attach them to the corner pillars to create a solid frame.
Before putting your raised bed in place, I recommend covering the ground with landscape fabric to prevent weeds from growing in the bed.
Three Key Benefits Of Gardening In Raised Beds
Now that your garden bed is complete, it’s time to add soil and plants! To save money, you can add random organic scraps to the bottom third or half of the first planter. Use things like branches, compost, mulch or straw bales. Then, fill the resting bed with high-quality potting mix, leaving a few inches of space at the top. Then, select the plants you want to grow and add them to the bed. Popular choices include tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, peppers, herbs, onions, and flowers. Water your plants regularly and watch them grow into a beautiful garden!
The size of the finished garden bed is approximately 7 feet long by 2 feet wide and 1 foot high.
Here are all the pieces you will need to cut from your material with a miter saw:
After cutting all of your boards, lay two 7-foot deck boards parallel and fasten them together in the middle using a 1-foot deck board and 1 1/2″ wood screws. Repeat with the other two 7-foot deck boards to create the other side of your raised garden bed.
How To Build An Inexpensive Raised Garden Bed
Next, use 2″ wood screws and your drill to attach two of the 4×4 posts to the inside edge of the sides of your garden bed, as shown above. I used two screws – one near the top and one near the bottom. Repeat this with the two remaining 4×4 pieces on the other side.
Now it’s time to join the two remaining edges into a raised garden bed. Place both sides of the tall planter perpendicular to the ground, parallel to each other and about 2 feet apart. Using 2″ wood screws, attach the two ends of a 2-foot long deck board to the bottom of one of the 4×4 posts as shown above. I used 2 wood screws on each board. Next, attach the second deck board 2 feet above the first with wood screws. Repeat with the last section of the garden bed.
Next, prepare the space where the garden bed will be placed by placing a landscape fabric that is at least the same size as the bed. When setting up your garden bed, think about the plants you want to grow and what type of exposure will best suit them.
I keep my raised garden beds in front of my small studio. It’s hard to grow anything here, so not only do these work, they’re also beautiful. I love how the warm wood color of the planters looks against the black and white exterior of my studio.
Tall Raised Garden Beds Plans + Diy
Now that the bed is set, you can add trim details to give it a finished look. First, use a finishing nail gun to attach the 1×3 pieces of wood to the outside corners of the bed, as shown above. These will hide the awkward seams at the corners of the bed.
Next, use your finishing nails to nail the deck boards to the top of the garden bed as shown. These give the raised bed a nice, finished look and hide the unfinished tops of the corner pillars. If you wish, you can seal any wood that needs protection from soil for this step.
To fill the garden bed, you can use organic matter on the ground so you don’t use too much soil. We used wood from some trees in our yard that we had to cut down.
Then, fill the rest of the garden with soil. We used a layer of sandy soil, then a final layer of potting soil.
How To Build A Raised Garden Bed With Legs
Finally, it’s time to ride! Make a hole in your soil slightly larger than your plant, put the plant in and tamp the soil around it. Don’t forget to water and fertilize your plants as needed. Enjoy the garden in your inexpensive DIY raised beds!
Raised beds warm up quicker in the spring and usually dry out better. This allows for a longer growing season. A raised bed in the back can also be handy for the gardener!
I would be concerned about using old pallets to make tall planters. Sure, they may be cheap or even free, although it’s hard to know what medical chemicals have been used on them. These chemicals can enter the soil and affect plants.
Yes, like any container gardening you will want to make sure your raised garden bed has drainage. Use a special potting soil mix, and/or add amendments and earthworms to improve aeration and drainage in your garden. Since these DIY raised beds have no bottom, drainage holes are not needed.
Raised Bed Gardens
Hi, I’m Christina Dennis, the creative force behind DIY Mom. I’m all about DIY budget and decor ideas to make your space shine. Let’s build homes that bring us joy, one project at a time! ?I’m excited to share with you how to build a raised garden bed with legs! This DIY raised garden bed is a fun and super easy project that only takes a few hours to make!
It seems as if everyone is out in the sunshine and gardening these days. I was inspired by these raised garden beds created by Julia and Thomas of Gal Meets Glam, which were filled with lots of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and dahlia roots.
Our patio doesn’t have a good setup for large garden beds, so I decided to make a cute, small, DIY raised bed with legs.
Also, we decided on a raised garden bed so we wouldn’t have to bend over and could move around it if needed. This is also a great idea for small outdoor spaces or patios, for any small space!
Raised Garden Bed Plans For Building Your Ideal Plot
A few years ago, I made my own DIY vertical planting stand that was great for growing flowers and herbs from the ground, but this raised garden bed offers more room for multiple planting options!
We used cedar wood to create a raised garden bed. It is more expensive, but cedar is naturally weather resistant and will last many years longer than cheaper woods like pine.
And it is not necessary to treat the wood. It’s best to use untreated wood, especially if you’re going to store vegetables or herbs in it.
To make the building process even easier, be sure to find printable DIY garden bed plans that include a cut list and step-by-step construction and easy-to-follow diagrams!
Raised Flower Bed Ideas That Will Add Dimension To Your Garden
The finished dimensions of this planter are 30 3/4″ tall x 18″ wide x 39″ tall and 8 1/4″ deep.
Remember, before we start cutting our
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