15 Inexpensive Raised Garden Bed Ideas Easy Enough to DIY (2025)

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

01of 14

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.

02of 14

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.

03of 14

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.

04of 14

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.

05of 14

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.

06of 14

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.

07of 14

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.

08of 14

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.

09of 14

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.

10of 14

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.

11of 14

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.

12of 14

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.

13of 14

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.

14of 14

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

15 Inexpensive Raised Garden Bed Ideas Easy Enough to DIY (2025)

FAQs

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

Concrete blocks, or cinder blocks as they used to be called, are another item that could be cheap if you're upcycling them from another project. Pricing them out, they can cost anywhere from $1.50 to $5 apiece, making them a budget-friendly option, even for a larger raised bed.

How to build a raised garden bed cheap on a budget? ›

Here are a few items you could use, round up or find in your yard to create a raised bed on a small budget.
  1. Bricks.
  2. Stones.
  3. Wood or barn wood (make sure it's chemical free)
  4. Fence pickets.
  5. Cinder blocks.
  6. Galvanized tubs.
May 3, 2024

What is the cheapest material to use for raised garden beds? ›

Concrete blocks, or cinder blocks as they used to be called, are another item that could be cheap if you're upcycling them from another project. Pricing them out, they can cost anywhere from $1.50 to $5 apiece, making them a budget-friendly option, even for a larger raised bed.

How to make a simple raised bed? ›

A step-by-step guide to making a timber-framed raised bed
  1. Dig out a shallow trench. ...
  2. Position the first layer of timbers. ...
  3. Screw the timbers together. ...
  4. Add the second layer. ...
  5. Prepare the base of the bed. ...
  6. Fill up the bed. ...
  7. Leave the bed to settle.

What is the easiest thing to grow in a raised bed? ›

If you're looking for high-yield veggies, you can't go wrong with cucumbers, pole beans, radishes, squash, zucchini, peas, and tomatoes. These vegetables are easy to grow and have been known to produce a large amount of produce per plant, providing you with a bountiful harvest that lasts for weeks.

What should I put at the bottom of a raised garden bed? ›

To put it simply, you should put a layer of organic material at the bottom of your garden bed, which will break down and enrich the soil. This can include compost, or woody material such as logs, dry wood, branches, and leaves.

Is it cheaper to make or buy raised garden 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.)

How deep do raised garden beds need to be? ›

They should have at least 8 inches of soil depth to accommodate the root systems of plants, because the majority of plant roots require 6 – 8 inches of soil for healthy root growth. A depth of 8 – 12 inches will suffice for most gardening situations.

What soil should I put in a raised bed? ›

Add a mixture of compost and purchased topsoil in a 1:2 or 1:1 ratio, to the top of the bed. There are vendors who sell topsoil mixed with compost. Alternatively, fill the bed with compost and a soilless growing mix in a 1:1 ratio.

What is the best material to line a raised garden bed? ›

As a final reminder, avoid lining your garden beds with plastic. Doing so prevents drainage and could drown your plants' roots with too much water. If you have a weed and pest problem, consider installing a combination of metal mesh and fabric or hardware cloth and cardboard to address both issues simultaneously.

How do you make a raised bed without digging? ›

Create or extend existing beds by smothering grass and/or weeds with a double layer of cardboard, weighted down with mulch. Weight the cardboard down by applying a thick mulch (10-15cm of organic matter) on top. If you want to plant up the bed straight away, wet the cardboard before adding the mulch on top.

Do I need to remove grass before building a raised garden bed? ›

Remove the grass before building or placing your raised bed.

Do I need to line a raised bed? ›

If you are using manure in your raised bed, this will speed up the decaying process so it's even more important to install a protective liner! Whatever you plan to grow in a WoodBlocX raised bed, we strongly recommend lining it for extra protection and to ensure it lasts as long as possible.

What is the cheapest method for raised beds? ›

10 ways to build raised beds for (almost) free
  • The simplest method. ...
  • The cardboard box method. ...
  • Netting and straw bales. ...
  • Using old bricks (or stones). ...
  • The cardboard-and-sticks raised bed for growing peas. ...
  • Using chicken wire to make a temporary raised bed. ...
  • Stacking wood to make edges of a raised bed. ...
  • Tyres.
Mar 31, 2023

How to fill a raised garden bed cheaply? ›

Use the Lasagna Garden Method

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).

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 is the cheapest wood for raised garden beds? ›

PINE, CEDAR OR REDWOOD: I chose pine because it is the cheapest option (other than free or used material). I know what you might be thinking. Redwood and cedar will last longer than pine. Yes, that is true, but these woods are significantly more expensive.

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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