I built DIY raised garden beds for my mom this spring. Raised garden beds are amazing for improving your gardening experience. They can make it easier to manage soil conditions, improve drainage and provide easier access for maintenance. Constructing your own raised garden beds is an easy process and cheaper than buying.
I prefer a raised garden bed vs in ground gardens because they are easier to make. Have you ever tried to rip out your grass and dig into the Earth? It takes serious muscle. With a raised garden bed, you just build the structure and then fill it with dirt.
In this guide I’ll walk you through the process of making really easy DIY raised garden beds that will stand the test of time. If you’re looking for more outdoor inspiration, check out these gorgeous outdoor entertaining ideas
What Material is best to build a garden bed?
Should you make a raised garden bed with cedar or composite decking? The first garden bed I made was from cedar wood. Traditionally, cedar has been the go-to material for DIY raised garden beds. It’s meant for outdoor projects as it’s weatherproof (more on that later), affordable, looks good, and can be customized with stain to fit your design.
Raised beds made out of cedar are also recommended for a kitchen garden or growing vegetables since it is a natural material. However, garden beds get constant exposure to water. Prolonged exposure to moisture makes cedar wood garden beds likely to rot and fall apart in 5-7 years.
Raised garden beds can also be made out of composite decking, which is a lot stronger than cedar wood. Composite decking is typically used on high end decks. It’s usually not recommended for vegetable gardening because it is a synthetic material. However, it’s perfect for growing ornamental flowers, wildflowers, and bushes.It is low maintenance making it a hassle-free option. A garden bed made of composite decking can last up to 20-30 years!
About 5 years ago I built raised garden beds in our house using cedar wood. Although they were put to good use as a gardening box for our salad garden, they’re now beginning to fall apart. This project involves building easy raised beds for flowers and bushes in my mom’s backyard, using composite decking due to its durability and low maintenance requirements.
Materials (Makes 2 garden beds):
- 2 x 12 ft long composite decking boards (if you can find 8ft, use those)
- 2” Wood deck screws
- 1 piece 2×4 pressure treated wood
- Landscape fabric
- Scrap cardboard or newspaper
- 3 bags of fertilizer
- 7 bags of manure
- Wildflower seeds
Tools:
- Drill
- Impact Driver
- Saw with Bevel function
- Garden trowel
Buying my composite wood
My plan for these DIY Raised Garden Bed was for each to measure 4×2. So, I headed to the hardware store and got my composite decking.
The shortest length I could find was 12ft long. Unfortunately I can’t fit this in my SUV. Some stores will not cut composite decking, so make sure to call ahead. Composite decking boards come in so many different colors so you can choose whatever you prefer. Just beware, they can be quite heavy.
Cut the pieces for the garden bed
Start to build raised beds by measuring and marking the boards. First, I cut two pieces of composite decking measuring 4” and two measuring 2” using my table saw. At first, I did a regular straight cut. But when I lined up the edges, it looked sloppy.
I’m all about giving DIY projects a high-end and professional look. To do that I bevel cut all the edges to make smoother corners, just how store bought planter boxes look like.
Cutting Internal Supports to Assemble the Raised Garden Bed
To make the frame of the garden bed I used a 2×4 of pressure treated lumber as the bracket on the inside. I cut 4 pieces 6” tall. These pieces will work as the internal support holding the composite decking together.
Planning your garden location
To set up your DIY raised beds choose the location in your yard with a flat surface on the ground and with good sun exposure. This ensures even water drainage and prevents one side of the bed from becoming too moist.
Since my plan was to make a wildflower garden bed, I chose a spot in my mom’s yard that is visible from her deck.
Assembling the garden bed
I started assembling the garden bed by taking 2 long edges of composite decking and attaching them to the pressure treated lumber. Make sure that they’re perfectly aligned so that you get a garden box that is squared. To prevent cracks, I drilled pilot holes before securing them with wood 2” deck screws.
Next, I attached 2 shorter pieces of composite decking to the pressure treated lumber supports
If you can, it is helpful to have someone else help hold up the other side pieces in place. Take the time and double-check to make a really nice tight corner so that your edge looks really professional.
Continue to build your garden bed by attaching the composite decking to the internal supports until you have a rectangle box!
Now step back and admire your work. Just like that we made our own raised garden bed. Isn’t it actually so cute?!
Lining the garden bed
Now that the DIY Raised Garden Bed is built we’re down to the final steps. It’s now time to fill our garden bed!
The first thing to put at the bottom of a raised garden bed is a weed barrier. It’s an inexpensive step that can save you hours in weeding. Who wants to spend their entire summer pull out weeds, right? I started by laying down a simple landscape fabric on the ground at the bottom of the bed.
I also layered down some broken cardboard boxes to further help prevent weeds from sprouting up over time.
If you have other compostable materials like moss, branches, leaves, throw those in too!
Adding soil and seeds to the raised garden bed
I grabbed a mix of fertilizer and manure. This would get the flowers all the nutrients they’ll need to grow happy and healthy. I combined 3 bags of the fertilizer mix and 7bags of manure. Making sure I had enough soil depth to allow room for plant roots to grow and spread. I mixed them together in the garden beds.
Now for the exciting part – building a wildflower garden bed for my mom’s home! I headed to the garden store and shopped for the seeds that I wanted.
I planted my mixture of seeds. The instructions said to stomp them down into the soil… So I did that!
I also gave it a gentle watering to give them a good start.
I’m so excited to see how they do over the summer!
A final look at the DIY Raised Garden Bed
And there you have it – a simple and long-lasting DIY Raised Garden Bed ready to sprout! This project is so simple it is perfect for beginners, I hope you give it a try. Happy gardening!
This is my first time growing anything from seeds so, fingers crossed this works! If you have any gardening tips, share them in the comments below.
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