How To Build Raised Garden Beds Insanely Cheap

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Looking for ways to DIY and build raised garden beds cheaply? We all know that garden boxes or raised vegetable garden beds can be super pricey from the garden supply stores. But you can build your own raised garden beds cheaply; best of all, it’s super easy to do!

Raised beds are great for the beginner gardener as well as the seasoned gardener too. I use strictly raised beds on our homestead.

Benefits Of Raised Beds

In addition to being cheap to build, there are many benefits to gardening in them. Here are just a few:

• No tilling necessary
• Great for small spaces or urban homesteads
• Drain very well
• Keep weeds in the pathways, so there is less weeding required
• Easy on the back since they can be built waist-high with legs
• Look really nice and controlled
• The soil warms earlier, so planting can be done earlier
• They are not walked in therefore, the soil is not compacted
• You have total control of the soil that goes into the beds
• A great remedy for gardening on a slope

RELATED: Even if you’ve never gardened before, this Vegetable Gardening for Beginners Ultimate Guide is for you! Learn everything you need to know from over 60 resources, all in one place, to be a successful gardener, including improving soil, cover crops, warm and cool season crops, organic amendments, fertilizing, watering, garden pests and diseases and so much more.

What Vegetables Can Be Grown In Raised Garden Beds?

All vegetables can be grown in a raised bed since you have complete control of the soil.

But one thing to remember is the depth of soil inside the raised beds. If it is a 6-inch deep bed, carrots will most likely not do well, but vegetables such as green beans would do great.

Some other vegetables that will grow very well in raised beds are:

• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Greens of all sorts
• Squash
• Beets
• Onions

Just to name a few. There are many others as too!

What kind of Wood Should Be used?

Since our homestead is an organic homestead, I don’t advise anyone to use pressure-treated lumber. I realize the EPA does say that it is “safe” to build raised beds with it, but we still prefer not to.

The best wood to use for building raised beds is one that is rot-resistant, like cedar, oak, locust, or even redwood. These woods, though, are quite pricey. And it is hard to build raised beds cheaply when using these woods.

What Size Should Raised Garden Beds Be?

Normally, most beds are 3-4 feet wide. Since one of the benefits of raised bed gardening is not compacting the soil by walking on it, it should not be wider than 4 feet.

This will allow you to reach into the center for planting and weeding without stepping onto the soil. Also, keep in mind if the bed’s layout is against a fence, it should not be wider than 3 feet.

This is because you cannot walk around to all four sides. Remember, you will need to be able to reach all the way across the bed.

How Deep Should Raised Beds Be?

I get this question a lot. For growing most all vegetables, 6 inches is plenty deep. It is more the volume of soil inside the bed. The roots will spread to where there is nutrient-dense healthy soil.

There is a couple of exceptions, though. Some root crops – carrots and potatoes, for example. Both of these require deeper soil to grow. I would recommend increasing your bed depths to 12 inches for growing both of these.

How To Build Raised Garden Beds- Cheap!

This tutorial describes building a 2-foot by 8-foot by 6-inch bed with “untreated lumber.” Untreated lumber is not rot-resistant, but it’s perfect for growing vegetables and other edibles.

Note: If you will be building your raised beds taller than 6 inches, I would advise you to install corner posts or raised bed corners for support. I’ve not included these in this tutorial.

Materials Needed:

For 1 bed:

• 3 – 2x6x8 wood boards (of choice) ( I had some older recycled wood to use)
• 12 – 3 inch exterior deck screws OR I used my DeWalt Frame Nailer with exterior nails

Note: You can build 2 beds, if you prefer, by picking up 2 additional 2x8s for a total of 5. I’ll show you how to make 2.

Tools Needed:

• Drill (I have this one)
• Saw (I use this one)
• Measuring Tape
• Pencil for marking
• Speed Square

You can, of course, use a skill saw, or if you don’t enjoy power tools, you can use a hand saw as well. Remember, these are cheap raised garden beds, not for show but for growing your own food to become more self-sustainable. Appearance is not our focus.

Instructions:

Step 1

Using measuring tape measure, mark and cut 2- 24 inch pieces. Lay them aside.

Two beds can easily be trellised together.

Step 2

Place and hold together a 2-foot piece to the end of an 8-foot pine lumber board. Using your drill or nail gun, attached these together using either 3 screws or nails.

If you have picked up the additional 2- 2x6x8, repeat steps and build the second raised garden bed.

And that’s it! You now know the best cheap way to build raised garden beds. Of course, they will need to be located in the right location and filled with garden soil. Here are 10 easy steps to get your garden started off on the right track.

So are you excited? I’ll bet you are since you now know how easy it is to DIY inexpensive raised garden beds.

When I built my first raised garden beds years ago, I was thrilled and couldn’t wait until time to start planting spring vegetables.

It’s even better if you can use recycled 2×8’s too. The ones I used are recycled from large pallets we took apart and stockpiled.

Remember, raised beds do warm up quicker than traditional in-ground gardens, but this also means they dry out quicker too. So be sure to learn how to water vegetables properly and if needed, raised bed irrigation is a great option. I splurged and installed irrigation in my raised beds last year.

Best Garden Soil For Raised Beds

Filling raised beds don’t have to break the family budget. But they should be filled with a quality garden soil and you can continue to amend the soil year after year to get it to a healthy soil content.

One way of doing so is using cover crops each fall to use to build soil quality and then plant in the following spring.

So tell me, now that you know the best way to build raised beds, are you ready to gather up new or even recycled materials, as I did, and build your own?

More Gardening Tips

• How to Grow and Harvest Green Peas
• Growing Carrots Easily
• Growing Potatoes – All You Need to Know
• How to Grow Cabbage
• Garden Mapping: Planning Your Vegetable Garden

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