Raised Bed Gardening: 20 Ideas & Designs To Inspire You
When compared to digging holes in the ground and sowing seeds, for the majority of gardeners, raised beds are a fantastic concept as they have many advantages. To save strain on the back and to discourage pest animals from squatting in your garden, consider building raised beds. The only real drawback to using a raised garden bed is the extra work involved in constructing one.
You may already know what a raised garden bed is, or you may need us to explain it to you before we talk about some creative but easy ways to make raised garden beds.
What is Raised Garden Bed?
With raised-bed gardening, the soil is brought up off the ground and held in place in a special structure. Structures for growing plants in raised beds can be built out of wood, rock, concrete, or any other material and can be of any size or shape. Compost is often used to improve the soil.
How To Build A Raised Garden Bed?
Brick, stones, or other materials can be used to create raised beds that are as simple or inventive as the gardener wishes. If you're looking for a place for your plants to grow and flourish, consider a raised bed planter, which can be moved about or left in place permanently.
How much you spend getting your raised bed set up the first time around is going to be determined by how detailed you make it. By repurposing materials like old bricks or wooden pallets, you may create raised beds at little to no cost. After they are built, raised beds require no more upkeep than regular gardens. Which foundation material you pick for your bed depends on whether or not you intend it to be a long-term fixture.
You can use a variety of materials, such as cardboard, newspaper, concrete, straw, mulch and wood scraps, leaves, burlap, wool, landscape fabric, grass clippings, gravel, or plastic, to construct the basis of your raised garden bed.
We hope now that you're a little aware of what a raised garden bed is, to enlighten you about its benefits, let us share some of the important advantages of this gardening method
Some of the benefits of raised beds are better drainage of the soil and more airflow. The rest follows:
- Maintenance is a breeze
- Enhances aesthetics and deters occasional pests
- Adequate soil temperatures
- It can be temporary or permanent
- Reduced risk of soil contamination
- Improved water flow
- Rarely occurring weeds
Now we can officially hop onto some of the fantastic ideas and designs for your raised garden beds!
Concrete Raised Garden Bed
Raised beds can be constructed in a variety of ways, including from repurposed materials. Cinder blocks, also known as concrete blocks, are one of the most common.
When constructing a raised garden bed, concrete is an excellent choice of material. You can purchase it in several prefabricated forms, or you can make your mould out of a cement mixture and shape the concrete to your specifications. Raised garden beds can be simply defined with cinder blocks.
Simple Wood Raised Garden Bed
When it comes to raised garden bed plans, a wooden box may be the most typical and straightforward option. Select cedar as the timber for your project if possible. Because of its inherent resistance to decay, cedar is frequently used to construct garden beds. Raised beds are made out of wood and then stuffed with sawdust and grass clippings before being covered with topsoil. If your plants don't have a substantial root system, this will lessen the burden of the soil and its costs.
Grow Bag Raised Beds
Beds made of metal are preferable since they retain the sun's warmth for longer. While traditional soil can freeze solid, the dirt in grow bags defrosts rapidly. Additionally, it's an excellent method of generating the heat necessary for cultivating Mediterranean plants like lavender and sage. You can have a fantastic raised-bed garden set up in a matter of minutes using grow bags, which may seem like too much of a shortcut.
Recycled Pallets Raised Garden Bed
The best part about constructing a raised garden bed out of used pallets is that they cost you nothing. Pallets are a constant source of waste for businesses, and it is not uncommon to find piles of them along the roadside. You should always check with the owner before helping yourself, especially on commercial or industrial property.
If you disassemble a pallet, you'll get planks that are just the right size for constructing a raised garden bed. Try out a variety of sizes and forms for your elevated planters. To keep track of what you've planted, paint your pallet a vibrant colour and cover it in chalkboard paint. How clever of you to plant your herb garden! You'll never lose track of your favourite herbs again.
Bricks Raised Garden Bed
Bricks are a great alternative to concrete cinder blocks when building a raised garden bed.
Raised beds made of red brick can be a beautiful addition to any farm or yard. Instead of digging a hole in the ground, you may put a raised bed exactly where the sun or shade will be most beneficial to the plants you wish to grow. Not everyone is cut out to be a bricklayer. Patience and accuracy are required for success. Make sure you pick bricks that can handle the constant moisture. The mortar used in the construction of most red-brick raised beds ensures that the walls will not crumble.
Milk Crate Raised Garden
Make your raised garden bed moveable by using milk crates. This raised bed made from milk crates is versatile and quick to assemble. Pick up the crate and move it if you'd like your plants to be nearer the kitchen or if you'd like to put them in a shadier location. The containers have drain holes built in. When it's time to start over, simply lift the crate, empty its contents into a compost bin, and begin anew with fresh soil.
Timbers Raised Garden Bed
Since they are intended for use in the garden, landscaping timbers make excellent material for a raised bed. Timbers like this can be stacked to make a raised garden bed instead of being used for the garden's edge.
Simple Stand Raised Garden
It's not necessary to build a huge raised garden bed. A two-tiered plant stand can be just what you need at times.
A raised enclosure full of soil seems like it was intended for tables. However, other options may not be so apparent at first glance, such as dressers, chests of drawers, cribs, media centres, mattresses, and even bathtubs that would otherwise be thrown out. Plants of all kinds thrive in the old drawers we typically throw out. People who live in apartments or have small yards can benefit greatly from a miniature herb garden set up on a piece of furniture!
Repurposed Old Table Garden
Build a raised garden bed in the style of a table by reusing old table legs or the entire table. Herb gardens and lettuce thrive in these garden plots.
Occasionally, you might want to update your space, or a new design trend might have caught your eye. Perhaps you have an outdated wooden dining table or coffee table that you're planning to throw away. You might want to reconsider throwing that out. Make your next raised bed out of some old table legs or the whole thing. Plant some common herbs at a convenient height for plucking while seated.
Straw Raised Garden Bed
Straw bales may be used as an excellent growth medium, and a straw bale garden is simply a raised bed in which the potting soil, compost, and plants are all contained within a straw bale. Herbs and flowers are simple to grow in bales. If you're looking for something that will last more than a year, look no further than straw, which can survive for two years. Straw is also easier on the wallet and the environment because it typically contains fewer and fewer toxic chemicals and pesticides. Three to five gallons of water can be stored in a barrel. When that threshold is exceeded, the excess just disappears. If you're planting something large, like a tree, you won't even need soil.
Growing your herbs and veggies in a straw bale garden is a terrific way to get started, and you can even use the technique to cultivate beautiful flowering plants as well.
PVC Pipe or Terracotta Garden
Succulents and other plants that thrive in drier conditions will also thrive when planted in terracotta pots due to their porous nature. Turning one-foot sections of terracotta or PVC pipe on their sides creates a vertical fence that can be used to enclose the soil in a substantial raised bed. Each pipe's interior is the perfect size for housing a few sprigs of herbs or other tiny border plants. PVC pipes are an alternative that can be used instead of terracotta ones because they are impermeable and don't dry up as quickly.
Tiered Raised Garden Bed
Stacking your raised garden beds creates a visually striking effect. By building garden beds with tiers, you may add visual depth and attractiveness to your outdoor space.
Enclosed Raised Garden Bed
Consider building a raised, enclosed bed for your garden if animals are a problem. Your garden bed can have several frames and enclosures built for it. The simplest enclosures can be framed with three-foot-tall corner posts and chicken wire stretched all the way around, while more elaborate designs can include a door. For birds to be able to search for food, such as seeds or nectar in the case of hummingbirds, the top must be kept open.
Culvert Pipe Raised Garden
Drainage ditches and the conveyance of stormwater are common applications for culvert pipes. Metal or plastic ones range in diameter from 6 inches to 8 feet. Consider them instead as materials for a raised garden bed. Approximately 10 feet in length is the bare minimum for these things. They can be trimmed to any desired size for use in constructing a variety of ring-shaped raised garden beds. These would be great anywhere and are environmentally friendly because of the vibrant plants in full bloom.
Logs and Sticks Raised Garden
A box fashioned from freshly cut wood logs with their bark intact makes for a lovely, organic raised planting bed. Sticks and logs can also be used to make sheets to make one of the four walls of a square or rectangular box, or they can be arranged in vertical groups or stands that run along the perimeter of the container.
Corrugated Metal Raised Bed
A raised bed constructed from corrugated metal, typically used for roofing panels, can be given a more contemporary and fresh appearance by surrounding it with a wooden frame. The steel construction of the sheets makes them appropriate for use in vegetable gardens. We have no evidence that they release any toxic chemicals. Many people choose to construct their garden beds using corrugated metal. The combination of metal and wood makes for an attractive contrast.
In addition to keeping the soil cooler than many other types of elevated container materials, metal is considered reflective, so it does not absorb extra heat or sun. By painting or staining the wood frame colour of your choosing, you can make this project uniquely yours and make it go with the exterior design of your home.
Spiral Raised Garden
One common permaculture strategy is to use spiral gardens. Without requiring any additional room in your garden, they maximize your planting potential. They are simple to construct from almost any material at hand, including stone, brick, wood, or even just a mound of soil. Your garden will have a point of interest, thanks to the distinctive shapes and swirls of plants.
Trough Raised Garden
The use of animal feeding troughs is a simple method for constructing raised bed gardens. Old water troughs, if you can get your hands on one, make fantastic elevated planters. It doesn't need to be put together, but before you fill it with dirt, you should drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage. Besides giving the garden an urban aesthetic, the metal also transfers heat, allowing the soil to be worked earlier in the spring.
Troughs can be bought new or used, depending on your budget and aesthetic preferences. During the hottest part of the summer, the plants may need a little extra water than usual, depending on what you're growing. This is a simple and stunning alternative!
Hoop House Raised Bed
Garden beds can be protected from the elements by being enclosed in a "hoop" shape, which is what gives the term "hoop house" its name. The supports are curved to form a dome over the top of the garden bed. Coverings made of plastic, netting, or cloth can be supported by this shape.
A well-planned food garden can be used throughout the year. If you use raised beds, you'll have greater leeway in determining the optimal conditions for your plants. If you construct a hoop house over a raised bed, your plants will be protected from the elements, the frost will not harm them, and you will have a head start when spring finally arrives. A cloth covering can be securely fastened to this lightweight netting in the event of frost.
Seating Wood Raised Garden Bed
Benches are a common feature in both traditional garden layouts and more modern landscape designs, and they add a nice touch to any garden or outdoor space. When creating a new elevated box, it's a good idea to include seating options.
Garden seating is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Making use of chairs while building a wooden raised bed garden box that is several feet in height would facilitate weeding, pruning, and other garden upkeep tasks.
These are just a few of the many possible approaches to building raised beds for your garden. Using raised beds allows you to make greater use of your outdoor area while also providing you with a novel and often aesthetically pleasing method of cultivating edible plants and ornamental flowers.
We hope you got some ideas for planning the design of your raised garden bed, if you have anything to discuss, let us do it in the comments down below.
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