Did you know you don’t even need a spacious or fertile yard in order to garden? Hello raised garden beds! Problems such as a small yard, poor soil quality, or lack of sun (raised bed can be put where there you can get sunlight!) can all be solved with a raised garden bed.
Raised garden beds are exactly what they sound like – a garden bed with soil that sits on top of the ground or in a container. Because of this, raised garden beds can be placed almost anywhere! They’re great for flowers, vegetables, bushes, or just about anything you want to grow.
Raised Garden Bed Kits
Sometimes, it’s just easier to buy the materials all ready to be assembled. This way, you’re guaranteed to have everything you need in one trip to the store. These are perfect for anyone who doesn’t have a lot of time, or who isn’t very handy with measurements or tools.
1. Greenes Fence Original Cedar Raised Garden Bed
“Greenes’ 4 ft. x 8 ft. Dovetail Cedar Raised Garden Kit lets you create a gorgeous two-tier flower or vegetable garden with ease. The dovetail joint construction means you won’t need tools to assemble the garden frame: Simply slide the boards into place, and you’re done. There’s never been a simpler or faster way to turn any level outdoor space into the most fabulous garden in the neighborhood.”
2. Cedar Raised Garden Bed With Corral Sides
“Superior quality, durability and ease of assembly make this the perfect choice for home gardeners to plant, maintain and harvest vegetables, herbs and flowers. Corrals surround and protect your garden bed and can act as trellises to support climbing plants and vines. Untreated premium cedar frames with interlocking joints simply slide together without tools for easy assembly.”
3. Multi-Level Rustic Raised Garden Bed
“Modular raised garden beds easily expand with the gardener’s needs. The simplistic design assembles in minutes. The two level design offers soil depths of 6 in., 11 in. and 15 in. These beds hold 13.4 cu. ft. of soil and are ideal for small plots of veggies and/or flowers. You eliminate tilling, soil amending and minimize weeding. Place the beds in an ideal sun location, add soil mix and plant.”
Classic Raised Garden Beds
If you’re looking for a simple and easy raised garden bed to build, look no further. These are simple square or rectangular beds with easy to build features.
4. Easy Rectangular Raised Bed
This is the simplest raised garden bed design you can find. At the most recommended size of 4′ x 8′, you’ll have enough space for several rows of vegetables or flowers without having out of reach areas. This is also a very inexpensive design!
5. Timber Raised Garden Beds
This bed was designed to make a statement in your garden. The trim and edges give off a neat, put together vibe that would be a great addition to any yard.
6. DIY Raised Bed with Removable Pest Gate
If wildlife is a concern for your garden (chomp, chomp), this could be a great raised garden bed design for you. The pest gate will prevent rabbits and other small critters from being able to get in your bed and mess things up. If deer are a big problem for you, consider building the fence a few feet higher.
7. Metal Raised Garden Bed
This design is not for the faint of heart, but it will pay off in the long run! This bed made out of corrugated metal is rot resistant, and will last for a very long time. Plus, it adds a visually pleasing focal point to any backyard or garden.
8. Simple Raised Beds
This raised garden bed design is similar to the Easy Rectangular Raised Bed above, but with a little bit of extra support added. One great thing is that this design is easy to make adjustments to when building. Make it taller by adding a couple more boards and simply purchase taller posts. You could make it shorter as well, although I wouldn’t go less than 2 boards high.
9. Elevated Garden Bed on Legs
These table gardens can be made to any size, and are perfect for people who live in apartments or have a tiny back yard with no space for an in-ground garden. If you’re looking for a simple, uncomplicated off-the-ground bed, this is the one. It’s not designed to necessarily be “pretty,” but I also wouldn’t call it an eyesore. Either way, it certainly gets the job done!
10. Raised Garden Bed With Benches
This half-day project makes gardening easier and more comfortable. It’s higher than most raised beds, so you don’t have to bend over quite as much, plus it has a bench on each side so you can sit while you plant, weed, and harvest. This is an ideal garden set-up for older gardeners, folks with back or knee problems, or anyone simply looking for an attractive, unique style of raised bed to add to the yard.
Small and Portable Planters
These raised bed designs are great if you have limited space or are gardening on a porch or deck. Some of them are even portable!
11. DIY Rolling Planter Box
Have you ever seen a rolling garden? Me either, until now. This honestly might be my favorite design on this list. Although it’s a pretty small bed compared to the rest, it’s portable! You can roll it around to get more sun or shade and you’re able to rearrange your porch or deck without worry.
12. Raised Garden Bed With Compost Bins
From the designer: “A few years ago I read an article about a gardening method called the “keyhole garden”. The basic premise is you create a doughnut shaped raised garden with a section cut out for access and a compost bin in the doughnut hole. As your compost breaks down it seeps into your garden and fuels with with even more nutrients. It’s lazy gardening!”
13. Herb Wheel Garden Planter
Add an eye-catching piece to your garden with this herb wheel garden planter. This raised bed design is both useful and visually appealing. It’s perfect for herbs, a small vegetable garden, or some pretty cut flowers.
14. Deck Post Herb Planter
This compact piece takes up less than 6 square feet and has a few handy hooks to hold your gardening tools. Best of all, it will let you enjoy fresh herbs all season long without back-breaking labor. Plus, it allows you upcycle by sourcing unwanted or used desk posts cheaply or for free.
15. DIY Tiered Herb Garden
Build this bed as a beautiful decorative piece for your back deck or patio. You can plant herbs, as the name suggests, or add some nice-smelling flowers to enjoy throughout the summer.
Non-Conventional Raised Beds
These garden beds are designed using mostly second-hand materials that you might already own, or could find for cheap or free. Not only will these designs save you money, but it makes your garden more sustainable, and ultimately better for the environment. Check out this post for 61 more tips to be more sustainable.
16. Used Tire Raised Garden Bed
This is super easy to make if you have some old tires laying around. Be extremely careful if you decide to cut the tire, as suggested in the design. What a great way to reuse old materials instead of throwing them in the dump.
17. Keyhole Raised Bed Built With Reclaimed Materials
I love this raised garden bed design. Not only is this one of the easiest designs on this entire list, it also looks cool. Put those old bricks and pavers behind your garage to use!
18. Raised Bed Made From Pallets
This design made from pallets is a great way to save some money if you don’t want to buy brand new lumber. Even if you don’t have any pallets, they’re not that hard to find. Check Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist for cheap or even free pallets, or call up a local grocery, superstore, or hardware store to see if they give extras away.
19. Raised Bed Made From Roofing Sheet Metal
Using metal is a great way to shape your bed however you’d like, as seen in the picture below. As mentioned above, be extremely careful when cutting the metal.
20. Raised Garden Bed Made From Pallets
Here’s another great design made from pallets instead of new lumber. This is great for people who don’t want to bend down all the way to the ground to do their gardening. Remember, don’t use pallets with “CT” or “MB” on it as this means they were chemically-treated.
21. Dresser Home Garden
Okay, some people might not consider this a “raised bed,” but I don’t care – it’s SO cool! I honestly have never seen a better way to use an old dresser. Talk about creative!
22. Recycled Masonry Raised Garden Bed
This design is certainly different than most. Because the soil is put inside the individual bricks, instead of in one large bed, this can limit the amount of plants you grow. For instance, vegetables require a certain amount of space in order to grow properly. In return, this design limits spread of disease, and is very easy to put together.
23. Natural Wood Raised Garden Bed
This is one of the COOLEST raised garden bed designs I’ve ever seen. It’s all natural, and almost entirely free if you have enough branches. Be warned, the actual construction is a bit difficult compared to the rest on this list. However, if you can actually pull it off, I think the look is absolutely worth it.
