How to Build Easy and Cheap Raised Garden Beds

Inexpensive raised garden beds are a fantastic option for anyone looking to start a garden without breaking the bank. With rising food costs and a growing interest in sustainable living, more and more people are turning to gardening as a way to save money and grow edible plants. Vegetables grown at home taste so much better than the ones from the grocery store, anyways!

Ready to start a vegetable garden? Why not a traditional in-ground garden? You’ll love having a raised bed garden instead of in-ground for a couple of reasons: 

1. Better Soil Drainage and Health: Raised beds have excellent drainage, which means your plants are less likely to suffer from root rot or waterlogged soil. Plus, you can fill them with nutrient-rich soil mix tailored to your plants’ needs, which can result in healthier, more productive crops.
2. Easier to Maintain: Since raised beds are elevated, they reduce the need for bending and kneeling. This makes gardening much more comfortable, especially for those with back or joint issues. Plus, you can better control weeds and pests, which leads to less maintenance over time.

It’s a great combination of practicality and the satisfaction of growing your own food!

You can build raised garden beds from a variety of materials, different aesthetics and different levels of durability. Common options include wood, like cedar wood or redwood, which is natural and easy to work with but may require maintenance over time; cinder blocks or bricks, are durable and can create a neat, sturdy structure. Metal, such as galvanized steel or corrugated tin, which are long-lasting and modern-looking but can heat up quickly in summer; and recycled materials like pallets, which are eco-friendly and inexpensive. Each material has its pros and cons depending on your budget, climate, and aesthetic preferences.

If you’re a beginner gardener looking for raised bed garden ideas, there are lots of choices with how-to’s in this blog post that aren’t expensive like buying a garden bed kit can be. I personally like the look of a wooden raised bed, so mine are made of cedar boards. (Cedar is a rot-resistant wood, so they’ll last a long time!) It didn’t take me much time at all to get them put together! Take a look at the options and let’s start a DIY project that is SO satisfying!! 🥳

Raised garden beds offer a variety of benefits, including better drainage, easier access for planting and maintenance, and improved soil quality. While some raised garden beds can be expensive, there are plenty of options available that are affordable and easy to assemble, making it possible for anyone to enjoy the benefits of gardening at home!

I’ve been gardening in raised beds for several years, and my favorite gardening blog (& her Instagram) is Rooted Garden with Nicole Burke. I learned so much just from following her! So head to her Instagram and see what she’s doing in her garden! ☺️

Whether you’re getting ready to plant a small herb garden or you want enough room for all the vegetables, there are lots of options below for you to make your own DIY garden!

In a hurry and want to get something to start on tomorrow? Amazon does have a few simple options:

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks! / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Ready to build some garden beds? Choose your garden area and the garden bed plans that work for your space, and with a little hard work and some good garden soil, you’ll enjoy the benefits of growing different plants the easy way this growing season!

You’ll want to line your vegetable beds with either landscape fabric or a layer of cardboard or something protective like that. This will let the excess water drain through, without letting that good soil seep out of your beds. It will also prevent weeds from taking root.

If you want to go the next step and make your garden space more beautiful, decorate the walkway between beds with large stones or tiles. I like to plant marigolds outside of my planters on the long sides to keep critters away and to look pretty.

⬇️ :: pin this for later! :: ⬇️

What is the cheapest way to make raised beds? 

Costwise, it would be cinder block or concrete block. But don’t forget to check places like Facebook Marketplace for cheap troughs, free pallets, scrap wood, etc. to make some of the raised beds in the list above!

 What is the easiest DIY raised garden bed to make? 

Containers that are pre-fabricated, such as a watering trough in #8 or stock tanks in #15, would be the easiest to DIY, since they are already built and you basically need to drill holes for drainage and then add soil and plants.  But most of the options in the list above are fairly easy! 

 Is it OK to use pressure-treated lumber for raised garden beds? 

This article by Dr. Gerald Presley shows that research over the last 4-5 years testing soil with and without treated lumber shows no difference in chemical levels in vegetables. However, if you feel concerned about it, there are plenty of other options for your raised garden bed that do not use treated lumber.

Should you use old tires to make DIY garden beds?

Crissy at FirstDayofHome.com says in her tire planter tutorial: “According to most experts, while tires do contain some harmful chemicals, those toxins are only released upon incineration and are not water-soluble, making tires a safe choice as planters.” If you don’t feel comfortable with growing food in a tire, you can still do flowers in tires for a pretty look!

What should I put in the bottom of my raised beds?

It’s a good idea to put some organic material inside of the beds so that it will compost and provide food for your plants. Grass clippings, dead leaves, twigs, and natural materials like that will nourish your plants.

:: PIN THESE IDEAS FOR LATER ::

If you’re sprucing up the outdoors, your kids could make a CITRUS BIRD FEEDER while you’re gardening! ⬇️

It’s fun for the kids, you only need a few basic supplies to make this, and you can turn it into a science lesson as you talk about what birds like to eat!

Grab a bird book from the library to look through after you’re done. The kids will love watching birds come eat from this!