Raised garden beds have been a true savior for the greens for a long, long time and if you are a gardening expert, you will be the first to agree. Many commercial gardens use raised garden beds for landscaping and the results are always drool-worthy.
What is a raised garden bed? It is a raised enclosure filled with growing soil, and the planting bed sits on top of your existing soil. The height can be a few inches to waist-high, as per your convenience. The container walls are traditionally made of wood or stones, but you can also use sand, sturdy plastic, corrugated metals, straw bales, and so on.
Let’s explore some of the many benefits of having raised garden beds. They provide ample room for the roots which grow best in a large space. Other benefits include protection from weeds, good drainage, well-aerated soil, and increased productivity. Plus, it keeps your backyard or home garden super organized!
Did we say you can DIY this massive planting box? It might seem intimidating, but don’t worry! We have dug up loads of ideas for you. From pretty fairy garden designs and straw bales structure to traditional cedar wood planter boxes and some buggy planters, we have it all!
How to build?
Before we jump to the fun part of the actual building, here are certain things to keep in mind before you choose the right raised bed design for you. As we are talking about a permanent structure, having the right vision will help you make the correct decisions that you are proud of.
1. Choose theRight Size
Sizing is very subjective and it varies from one garden to the other. The average measurements of a raised bed range from 6 to 8 feet in height and 3 to 4 feet in width. You are free to customize it as per your needs, but make sure it is not too shallow for the plants as the roots must reach the subsoil. A feasible width also matters as you would need ample space to reach the plants without stepping in the bed.
2. Pick the Perfect Spot
Adequate sunlight is vital for the long-term flourishing of your garden! Most species require an average of 6 hours of sunlight every day and you must pick a spot keeping that in mind. Besides, the drainage of a bed would solely depend on its location. Since there are many factors that are affected directly by the location of your raised bed, you must invest some time in deciding on the best spot possible. As long as it is sunny, has good drainage and air circulation, it can be your front yard or the walkway, anywhere you like!
3. The Quantity and Quality of the Soil
A raised bed is nothing without effective growing soil. Take the help of a soil calculator to figure out the quantity for your bed. It is better not to compromise on the quality of the soil when you are preparing a mix for your raised garden bed. Choose the best soil available since it is an investment for at least a few years.
4. All about Creativity!
This is an opportunity to let your imagination run free! You are free to go all out with your customized designs and show off your creation. If you want a temporary bed of straw bales or a colorful planter, go for it. Don’t forget to consider your comfort and convenience, and never do anything that is against the interests of your green friends – that’s the only rule!
51 Best DIY Raised Bed Garden Ideas & Designs
1. Raised Bed with Benches
A visual treat for anyone and an intriguing challenge for experts, this unique garden bed has its own charm. From those cute benches on four sides to the higher than regular bed design, it could fit anywhere and everywhere.
You will need wooden boards of different dimensions and deck screws to put them together. These cute benches can be used as an extra space or you could just use them for landscaping your garden. What a beautiful addition!
2. DIY Tiered Herb Garden
One of my favorite raised garden ideas, this pretty herb garden looks amazing and adds beauty to a green thumb. You don’t have to be an expert in woodworking for this, just keep a stern eye on measurements and you are good to go.
Make the wooden structures using cedar or pine wood, and use wood screws, pocket screws, and the ultimate wood glue for the joints. Arrange the herbs in an organized way and add some flowering plants for a splash of colors. Couldn’t get easier than this!
3. Amish Buggy with Planter
You asked for a raised garden bed, and we have dug up portable and charismatic beds for your green thumb! This Amish buggy would take you back in time and transform your garden with its beauty. You can also work on a simple wheel cart and paint it. Make sure you fill it up with colorful and loud flowers and you are ready to roll!
4. Raised Garden with a Tire
I am sure you have seen this concept in cute fairy gardens but never tried this in your backyard. The freshness of this concept adds so much to your garden! Let’s find out how to carry out this cool DIY.
If you have used tires in the garage, take them out and fill them with soil. You will need a jigsaw and a dual saw to complete this and the garden fabrics can be used to make the grass block. This unique garden bed will surely take you to the land of fairies!
5. Simple DIY Garden Bed
When you are not looking for something extravagant, a simple raised garden bed could do the job. This easy DIY is perfect as it doesn’t require much time or effort. You would just need some furring strips and use scrap wood instead of regular pine boards to make the project cheaper.
Use the scrap wood to make the corners sturdy and finally, join the pieces with screws. This design would look great in any backyard or garden and you will be able to keep your plants organized in this entry-level raised garden bed!
6. Water Trough Garden Beds
Are you looking for a stylish alternative to those rectangular garden beds? This beautiful DIY was completed with livestock water troughs and the outcome is beyond perfection. The luxurious planters promote healthy root growth due to the great depth of the garden beds which are good for plants. You can also drill drainage holes from the sides to ensure your plants are always healthy and happy!
7. Cinder Block Flower Bed
This modern layout can make anyone fall in love with it at first sight! You can make this with cement or go with marbles and it would last for years. This fancy garden bed would look amazing along fences and will add a very extravagant look to your garden.
8. Gorgeous Vertical Gardening Beds
Vertical gardening has always been a hot topic for me and this design has blown my mind! The beautiful network of wooden posts and metal bases with intertwined leaves makes it a perfect decorative piece for any garden. You have raised beds for healthy growth and vertical design for beauty – it is a win-win situation!
9. Round Raised Bed
Take a step back from traditional rectangular and square garden beds. Notice how the switch to unique round beds can change the look of your space! This DIY is made of sheet metal which was attached to a fencing framework. It looks incredibly modern and professional, and would act as a style statement for your garden!
10. Self-Watering Veggie Table
This is not a typical raised garden bed, but it does the work pretty well. The DIY has incorporated modern technology with traditional gardening methods and the outcome is amazing. The self-watering buckets maximize the space and allow salad greens to grow without any harm. The main materials required are duraboxes and untreated lumber – the functional veggie table would adorn your garden in no time!
11. A Fairy Garden
It has always been my dream to make a life-like fairy garden and trust me, there is nothing better than a playhouse garden in your backyard. The raised garden beds are made with small rocks and there are faux pumpkins that add to the fairyland vibe. You can also make an endearing landscape by planting flowering species and vegetables together!
12. Raised Corner Bed
This corner bed steals the attention at one glance! It looks splendid and has utilized an inconvenient corner. With a hardcore granular and sand base, this raised bed has the perfect height to promote healthy roots. The cement structure is more durable than wooden boards and you can safely presume it to be a permanent bed. Use it as a landscaping element and plant flowers to make it extra attractive!
13. Garden Pyramid Tower
If you are familiar with vertical gardening, you are surely intrigued by this pyramid design and we are equally thrilled! This sassy garden tower would cost you around $200, but it is a one-time investment. You would need cedarwood, plywood, and deck screws to make this. If possible, use a hydro farm germination kit to start the seeds before you transfer them here.
14. Milk Crate Air Pot
The milk crate air-pot is one of its kind and doesn’t have a competitor. The whole design would hardly cost you 20 dollars and you can have your personal air-pot for your green thumb. Don’t forget to wash and thoroughly sanitize the milk crates before you begin. Are already stunned? Hold your breath, there are so many amazing designs waiting!
15. Striped Garden Beds
You don’t have to work for hours to make a catchy garden bed. The right choice of wood could be enough to transform a regular bed into something beautiful. The beautiful DIY was done by printing black strips on a regular block of wood, it could be cedar or pine. Just make sure to use a material that is not harmed by chemicals and the striped garden bed would be ready in no time!
16. Stunning Crates Garden
Crates are often used in DIY projects, but have you ever seen a vertical garden made with repurposed crates? An edible plants cafe did it in Singapore and we must take inspiration. It requires minimal woodwork and just by joining the crates creatively, you will make something majestic!
17. Raised Bed with Pond
Again, this DIY is straight out from a fairy garden and it would fill your garden with magic. Please don’t freak out, building a small pond in your garden bed is not a tough job! You would need a pond kit with rocks for the pond and the rest is similar to regular raised garden beds. However, you have to choose aquatic plants for this bed as tropical plants won’t survive.
18. A Bed of Straws
A fully compostable raised garden, this design is made with straw bales and it attracts loads of benefits. The DIY is inexpensive, easy to manage, and a good temporary garden bed. Once the growing season is over, you can use straw bales as winter mulch, or you can simply make compost out of it and use it as a soil fertilizer.
19. Caged Garden Enclosure
I know some of us would be excited to have an enclosure in our otherwise open home garden, and this DIY would fulfill your wishes! Make a regular raised garden bed with wooden boards, mount 4 corner posts, and ample upper posts to hold the cage – the initial framework is ready. When it is time to connect the posts, you can use plastic mesh or metal nets to join them. It’s easier said than done, but the DIY is super simple compared to the results it yields!
20. Pallet Garden
How amazing does this look? To add some beauty to your container garden, go for this chic pallet design. You can grow vegetables, plant beautiful flowering species, and can also go with serene greens. The wooden pallets are very basic and a good project for beginners. This unique garden is also suitable for terraces, balconies, and rooftops, and grant you an organized garden!
21. A Bed of Stones
There were boulders and rock bases, here is something made of small and colorful stones. One of the less common designs, this is made of gabions prefabricated on metal baskets which were filled with attractive stones. Again, this design can last for decades and the stone arrangement also promotes good drainage.
22. Best Edible Gardens
Black slab and green leaves, this combination looks wonderful and classy. If you want to add some style to your garden, install these black designs in your garden and create some trellis for the vines. I am sure you will receive loads of compliments for replicating this modern look!
23. Keyhole Garden Beds
If you are an experienced gardener, you must be aware of the benefits of having a keyhole garden bed in your garden. This low-cost DIY not only promises good plant growth but also provides year-long vegetable production. You would need garden iron scraps to make the base of the wall, and the rest is created using bricks with layers of wood ash in between.
A thatching grass basket is placed in the center which is the door for water to enter the bed, and it looks good while functioning ideally!
24. Fence Garden Beds
I have hardly seen fences utilized so efficiently – this design is amazing for landscaping. You can always repurpose old gardening materials and wooden boards to make this easy framework and start seeds in a healthy environment. This DIY was mainly built to prevent pets from jumping out of the fences, and it does an amazing job!
25. Dresser to Home Garden
The design resembles a tiered garden bed and when combined with the mirror, the setup looks stunning. You can repurpose a dresser and use the drawers to grow succulents, small veggies, and beautiful flowers. The design is nothing but a clever display unit that could be paired with anything in your indoor or outdoor green thumb. Besides, you can always catch a glance at the mirror while working with plants!
26. Cedar Timber Cage
If you are trying to grow strawberries, this cage would be a savior for you. Unlike the caged garden enclosure, this DIY is more like a box with a net cover. The plant box is made of cedar timber and you can use hardware cloth or chicken cage for the net. It would also work amazingly for other veggies as the cage acts as a protector for delicate plants.
27. Raised Garden Bed with Cubes
I am sure you have come across cubbies in wardrobe organizing hacks and they totally deserve it. Cubes maximize the space and provide a distinct border as well. This design uses 2D cubes and is enough to make your plants blush. Follow this easy 4-step DIY and you will have a larger-than-life garden bed in your backyard!
28. Statement White Bed
A lady experimented on her small kitchen garden and built a stunning raised bed from vinyl garage door panels! Repurposing is the key here – you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on those expensive woods to keep your plants healthy. Use commercial pond liners for the drainage and you won’t have to worry anymore.
29. DIY Hexagon Planter
When it comes to a planter, we can always experiment with the shapes and sizes – here is a hexagonal raised garden bed. It looks very attractive and the compartments are well insulated which ensures the healthy growth of plants. You can also make this a herb planter and it’s good to go!
30. Container Garden Beds
This design is similar to the one with 2D cubes. It belongs to container gardening and if you are an expert, you might prefer this for veggie gardens. The DIY is considerably easy and the sections are big enough to provide ample space for the plants to grow without any hassle.
31. Orderly Kitchen Garden
There are so many designs with pinewood, cedarwood, and plywood. To switch it up, here is a darker version. It resembles walnut hardwood flooring and it is a good choice for a neat and sophisticated garden. It can be used as a herb bed, supplying essentials to your kitchen because it is as good as herb pots on a sunny balcony!
32. Herb Wheel Garden Planter
After exploring a tire design, here is a wheel that acts as a raised bed for herbs and it looks very efficient. Made of lumber wood, the project can be completed with a basic hardware kit, and some extras like wood filler, wood glue, and paste wax are required for the joints. I am sure you and your herbs will love it!
33. Natural Wood Raised Garden
You don’t need big boards and loads of growing soil to make this raised bed. A few dozen small branches and wood posts to hold them together – that’s all it takes! Place the growing soil on the top of the bed and start planting. The catch here is to place the branches on the garden bed perfectly and once you do that, the raised bed will yield healthy plants for years to come.
34. Half Barrel Garden Beds
Barrel planters are quite common in nurseries but using them as garden beds, how cool is that? You have to use a collection of barrels to make this cute garden bed and it looks absolutely adorable. To protect the wood from decaying due to the water, line the barrels with plastic liners and make them long-lasting.
35. Picturesque Raised Beds
Raised garden beds are not only good for plants but if planned properly, they also add to the beauty of the garden. This landscape design is a collection of raised beds with 4 rectangular beds and triangular beds on four sides. You can make this a cute veggie garden and plant some flowering species in between to enhance the beauty.
36. Ultimate Raised Bed
You might ask what is so ultimate-y about this particular design. Well, look at the size! It is a big rectangular raised bed and it can accommodate plenty of crops or plants without any hassle. Choose wooden boards of different dimensions for the corner posts, bed ends, and so on. Use other tools like woodworking bar clamps, shovels, staple guns, and wire cutters to fix the bed and beautify your garden.
37. The Herb Spiral
We have already seen so many creative herb gardens, and here is a spiral one! Made with boulders or rocks, this raised bed is perfect for edible or ornamental plants as they need better soil conditions. Besides, the boulders always support good drainage. What else do we need?
38. Raised Bed with Strings
As intrigued as I am, this DIY is nothing like those regular, rectangular garden beds. It has bamboo poles that support a network of strings that promotes growth. Besides, if you are working with climbers, the strings would help them climb, and eventually, the bed would also work as a decorating element for your garden.
39. Small Garden Beds
Here is a clever design that has segregated a supposedly big, rectangular raised garden bed to small units. The piled-up wood structure adds a stylish touch to the design and gives you enough space to work on odd sides. You would need a big space to construct these cute beds, but it is so worth it!
40. Tiered Garden Beds
We did a tiered structure in the dresser design and there is also a beautiful tiered herb garden, but this one is nothing like them. It has a distinct division on the corners which allows plants of different species to live and laugh. To make this functional bed, you can repurpose old wood boards and this easy DIY will be completed in no time!
41. Metal Raised Garden Bed
This modern DIY has used cedarwood and corrugated metal to make the framework of the bed and it is very affordable. Fill the bottom with rocks for good drainage and put regular growing soil to the bed. You can grow as many species as you like, just check the drainage at regular intervals.
42. Informal Stone Raised Beds
We have seen a rustic design that had branches and logs as the base of the raised bed and it worked pretty well. This design also incorporates natural elements like rocks as the base and the outcome is equally stunning. The stacking of individual boulders is a German concept and promotes productive gardening.
43. Organic Container Garden
The almost U-shaped design has a cute door at the entrance and has net covers for the plants. The container garden might take a little extra effort, but once built, it will look amazing and surely last for years. Make sure you take care of the drainage regularly and the rest will be good!
44. Take a Seat
These small, cute raised garden beds are made of red cedar wood and are is a good investment in the long run. The best part is, it has a small bench attached to the wooden board. It is designed perfectly, and one can sit comfortably as the seat is stable and won’t hinder your caring for the plants.
45. Galvanized Raised Bed
From weed control to accelerated growth rate, raised garden beds have so many benefits. That doesn’t mean we can afford to spend hundreds on them, right? Here is an affordable raised bed option where you can skip the wooden boards and go with galvanized metals. The performance would be no less and you will love it.
46. Vertical Herb Garden
Yes, this is taken from a commercial herb garden because we don’t need large-scale production in our house. This doesn’t mean the idea cannot be replicated. Let’s map it into a small, vertical herb garden built on seed starter kits. I mean, they look so aesthetic!
47. U-shaped Raised Garden
Very similar to a planter, this raised bed has got a unique chic vibe which is enhanced by the stained cedarwood. The posts support the height of the design and you don’t have to invest in base materials to reach the desired height. You can go for veggies or flowering plants, either way, it would look amazing!
48. Raised Planter Box
Planters have an amazing appeal when it comes to garden landscaping and this one is nothing less. With four legs to support the height, the beautiful planter can make your plants grow healthily and organically. You can also go for flowering plants and use the setup to adorn your garden.
49. DIY Pallet Garden
Pallet garden beds are quite popular as they are easy to build and they can make any bed extra efficient. To make this one, you will need wooden pallets that are in good condition, garden fabric, and topsoil – that’s it. It is one of the easiest of the lot and a fun project as well!
50. A Small Hut
Okay, this bed has a striking resemblance to a small hut. It is made of wood boards and you must have expertise in woodworking if you want to replicate this design. The windows or covers have hardware fabric and all other supplies are easily accessible. The hard work that you put into this design will be worth it!
51. Small Raised Bed
This is mainly for decorative purposes as you can see the raised beds are pretty small and they cannot accommodate regular plants. Perfect for showy or decorative species, these raised beds in a garden patio can be used as amazing farmhouse decor.
Raised garden beds have been trendy among gardeners and plant enthusiasts since forever, and we cannot deny their goodness. After filling your mind with so many ideas, it is your turn to choose the best. Don’t worry about the outcome, you will do great!
