28 Amazing DIY Raised Bed Gardens

Last week when I posted All About Raised Bed Part 1 HERE, I was thrilled to find many of you who share the enthusiasm for raised bed gardens!

Here’s Part two: 28 inspiring raised bed projects, from simple wood raised beds to many creative variations. ( Some of the helpful resources are affiliate links. Full disclosure here. )

In case you missed part 1, here it is. It covers the important basics of building a productive raised bed, such as planning, material selections, designs and soil building.

Before we jump in, I do want to share that soil building is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of a great raised bed. This book Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding! talks about a great method to build soil using readily available materials, without too much hard work!

Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens ( Image: Ecofilms )

1 . Simple raised bed with 4×4 posts

A simple construction of  raised bed using 4×4 posts. Cedar and redwood are naturally rot resistant, which would be great choices here. ( Vegetable Gardener )

2 . Simple raised bed with outside posts and braces. 

This raised bed is made of 2×6 boards and 2×2 braces. The braces are optional supports that prevent the boards from warping or twisting.( BHG )

3. Raised bed with hoop house attachments.

A raised bed with a greenhouse tunnel on top! Love the addition of PVC pipes held upright to the inside of the bed with steel tube straps like these. A hoop house can be created using smaller diameter PVC or wires. ( Sunset)

4. Raised beds with cap.

Add 2×4 or 2×6 caps to give these raised beds an attractive look. (Source:  Chris loves Julia | Popular Mechanics )

5. Stacked wood raised bed

Remember these gorgeous raised beds from Part one: All About Raised Garden Beds?

They are made from 4x6s. Below is a tutorial on how to make the from 6x6s, which is the same process.

6-10. Waist height raised bed

Building the raised bed to a counter height of 36″ will make it so much easier to garden for people who have physical discomfort such as back or knee pains.

Two really simple and nice DIY raised beds. I would increase the depth on the first one, and add weed barrier landscape fabric at the bottom to both. ( Source: 6 | 7 )

3 variations of the elevated planter box: add shelves for storage or casters for mobility. Via Addicted2Decorating, Gardeners, Ebay.

11. Stylish wood raised bed planters.

Wouldn’t this beautiful planter at Williams Sonoma make a great gift for a garden lover? If you are thinking about DIY, someone at Instructables figured out how to build these beautiful raised beds using pallets!

Here’s our favorite tool for taking apart pallets – an awesome deck wrecker!

And a detailed guide all about finding and working with pallets!

12 & 13. Raised beds with fencing and benches.

Add fencing or even a door to your raised beds to keep out deer and rabbits! You can purchase kits or make your own version. You can also add benches to a raised bed for the perfect place to sit and enjoy the garden, or set tools and snacks for the gardener! ( Bonnie )

14, 15. Tiered raised bed planters

This ladder shaped tiered planter is great for small space growing, and this stepped wood planter herb garden looks beautiful in a corner space.

16-18. Use readily available materials to build your raised bed garden

Tree logs can provide just the right height for a raised bed. Terracotta pipes become little pots and walls for a raised bed. Or build this chic raised bed with cobble stones and landscape block construction adhesive

19, 20. Galvanized metal raised bed

Corrugated metal raised bed looks so gorgeous! Just be very careful- they can be sharp on the cut edges. Use wood trim to cover the cut sharp edges when building! ( Source: Plantlust | Aristata )

21. Trough raised bed

Isn’t this stylish? Don’t forget to drill some drain holes!

22, 23. Used tires upcycled into raised beds

An used tire can become an instant raised bed garden. These painted tires are so cheerful and pretty!

24 – 26. Concrete block raised bed gardens

Concrete blocks ( aka. cinder block, CMU ) filled with soil make a sturdy border and additional planting pockets. The key is to take the time and prepare the ground to be level.   ( Source: 24 | 25 | 26: source lost. If you know the original source, please let me know! )

27 & 28. Straw bale raised bed gardens

There are two ways to create raised beds with straw bales. The one above uses straw bales as a border. The method below uses straw bales as vessel and growing medium to grow a productive raised bed vegetable garden.

The pioneer of this method, Joel Karsten, wrote an excellent book – Straw Bale Gardens Complete , which gives all the details on straw bale gardening.

Straw Bale Gardens Complete Book

Below is a video on how it works.

If you have been thinking about starting a garden, I think a raised bed garden is a great way to go!

You may also like these 32 creative planters made from up-cycled objects:

And 21 DIY greenhouses with great tutorials.

Or this article on how to find, select and build with pallets!

Happy growing! xo