How to Build Inexpensive Raised Garden Beds
I decided a couple summers ago that I wanted to grow a garden. Our home sits on almost 10 acres, the majority of which are beyond a hedge row that leads through some wooded areas and then into an open field. (It’s a long term dream of mine to build some kind of cabin out in the back field, but first, I have to finish our house!) Then we have about 3 acres where our house sits that is just open yard. It’s a bit hilly and some parts stay flooded or at least very damp throughout the spring and even into the beginning of summer some years, but there is a part right off our back patio that is flat and seemed like the perfect spot for a garden!
When first planning, I figured I had two options – till the land to create a plot of soil to plant, or use raised garden beds. I’ll be honest, the idea of raised garden beds with little pebbled paths in between enclosed by a cedar picket fence and a vine-y arched terrace sounded much more aesthetically pleasing than a rectangular plot of brown dirt – ha!😉
So I started researching raised garden beds and realized quickly that this potentially wasn’t going to be a cheap project! The thing about a garden, though, is that it can grow each new season, just as much as the plants do. I decided to start with the basics and let it evolve and grow each year as we can. The first thing I would need to do to start the garden is to figure out the garden beds. I came across the idea to make raised garden beds out of cedar.
Cedar is a great material to use because it’s naturally resistant to rot and insects. We live in a four season climate and are guaranteed to get snow, so I needed something that would hold up to the elements over time. Cedar doesn’t need to be treated and it has an aesthetic appeal on its own! However, one thing to note, the cedar will turn gray over time. The way it looks when you first get it will last that summer season, but it will gray as the weather changes.
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Materials Needed:
Cedar fence pickets (You’ll need 6 fence pickets per garden bed)
2″x2″ pressure treated lumber
Power Pro exterior screws
Tools Needed:
And here’s how to build a raised garden bed out of cedar fence pickets!
The fence pickets have a tapered edge, so the first thing I did is trim those off. Then I trimmed two of the boards in half. These will be the short sides of the beds.
The width of the cedar pickets is 5.5″ and I planned to stack two pieces on top of each other so I cut my 2″x2″ lumber into six 11″ pieces. I measured and cut one piece, then set up a stop on my miter saw so that I didn’t have to measure each one. These will act as the inside corner supports to hold the sides together and also at the halfway point on the long sides to add some additional support.
This is what it will look like when you have all the pieces cut.
To assemble, you’ll want to make sure you use exterior wood screws. I used these from PowerPro. Each container comes with the bit you need for the screws, which is so helpful!
Using a clamp to hold them together, I attached one of the 2″x2″ corner supports to the end of a full length cedar picket with two screws.
Then I attached one of the shorter boards to the same corner support, using the clamp and two screws again.
I went around the whole box this way, using the clamps and corner supports to create a box.
Once I had the bottom layer done, I went back around and secured the second layer of boards to the 2″x2″ supports the same way.
After the box was built, I screwed the last two 2″x2″ pieces to the middle of the long sides to give the box a little more support.
These are easy to assemble and able to then be put directly on the ground where you want your garden!
To fill the beds, I started with cardboard and paper scraps. We use a wood stove to heat our home in the winter, so I also sifted through our wood pile. After splitting a bunch of the wood, there was a lot of bark and scraps around the remaining pile. I added that to the bottom of the bed as well. I think it’s a little deceiving when you look at the beds, but it actually takes a lot to fill them so anything free I could use, I was all about! I also throw in any sticks and leaves I can gather.
Once I’d laid all the cardboard and wood scraps, I filled the rest of the beds with a mixture of mushroom compost and garden soil.
We’ve had success growing vegetables the last two summers using this base of paper and wood materials and the combination of the compost and soil. The first year I made three beds and last year I made an additional one. I’d like to make one more for this summer and maybe try growing some flowers as well! Eventually, I would like to enclose the garden in, add some pebble stone pathways and maybe a vine adorned trellis!
There’s so much to be learned in gardening, both in growing a garden itself and what it teaches you throughout the way. I’ve had to learn so much patience, in waiting for plants to grow and in waiting to make the garden look and be as big as I would ultimately like it to be!
This DIY cedar fence picket raised garden bed is cost-effective, long-lasting, and perfect for any garden space. It’s such a rewarding experience growing your own food! Happy gardening!