DIY Raised Garden Bed (2024)

FAQs

What is the cheapest way to make a raised garden bed? ›

Raised beds made of cinder blocks or concrete blocks

Cinder blocks and concrete blocks are very inexpensive (typically $2 to $3 a piece at home improvement centers), and they make it really easy to build the outline of a raised garden bed.

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.)

Cedar is often considered the golden standard for building raised beds, and it's my favorite option to use. The downside is that the cost of cedar has, unfortunately, risen a lot over the last few years. Redwood has the same benefits as cedar, but it's also been priced out of many gardeners' budgets.

Best Soil for Raised Garden Beds

We recommend buying high-quality, nutrient-rich soil in bulk. Or, you can make a soil mix with equal parts topsoil, organic materials (leaves, composted manure, ground bark), and coarse sand.

Herbs like basil, cilantro, and other low leafy greens like lettuce will grow and grow with just 6 inches of soil. A 1-foot raised bed is more than enough to accommodate a salad garden box plan. Carrots, radishes and peppers thrive with 12 inches or more.

The cons of raised beds

Use rot-resistant wood if you go with boards and figure even those eventually will have to be replaced. The soil mix also can be a significant, albeit one-time, expense. Raised beds need water more often since the soil is more exposed to air and dries quicker.

If you're going to pay for a product to fill your raised beds, again, it should just be really good soil and compost. I only recommend a thin layer of gravel at the bottom of your raised bed and under the edges to help you level the area. Save the rest of your gravel for your garden pathways.

Should a raised bed have a bottom? Despite lining the bottom of a raised bed, the raised bed itself should not have an enclosed bottom. Raised garden beds should be left open to the ground to allow plant roots to grow further into the ground for nutrients if needed.

Soil taken from your yard or a garden bed is too dense to use in a pot or raised bed. Instead, for containers, you'll want to use potting mix (also called potting soil), a lightweight and fluffy alternative. For raised beds, you'll want to use a blend of potting mix and garden soil.

Material 5: Plastic or Tarp

This could cause water to pool and build up, causing problems like rot in the roots. It may be better to use plastic as a liner on the inner sides of a raised garden bed, but use a more permeable material for the bottom, such as landscape fabric or wire mesh.

Is Home Depot pressure treated lumber safe for vegetable gardens? ›

Modern Pressure Treated Wood

Best of all, it's safe for growing food. “Much of the concern about pressure treated lumber comes from a fear of adding arsenic to the soil. While arsenic is indeed dangerous, it hasn't been used to treat residential lumber in over a decade.

Even though the new pressure-treated woods are considered safe, Wolmanized Outdoor, according to its Web site, does not recommend using pressure-treated wood where the preservatives may become a component of food. Its recommendation is to use an impervious liner between the wood and the soil.

The answer is yes. You can line the bottom of your raised garden bed with cardboard and newspaper to block out weeds or act as a barrier against rhizomatous, weedy or invasive plants. While some may opt for landscape fabric, cardboard is a more cost-effective option.

Landscape fabric is beneficial for raised garden beds, here are just a few of the many reasons why you should use landscape fabric for raised bed gardening: Prevents soil erosion in a raised bed: As a liner, landscape fabric lets water drain away from the soil while leaving the soil intact.

The galvanization process involves coating the steel with zinc, which serves as a protective barrier against corrosion or rusting. This means that there won't be any harmful chemicals leaching into your soil or vegetables, making it a safe and reliable option for your food garden.

Most garden vegetables will grow well in raised beds. Try growing lettuce, greens, radishes, and strawberries. Bush type vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans also do well in raised beds.