Want to build a DIY garden bed, even if your yard’s soil is no good? Here are a ton of raised planter boxes ideas!

Gardening is one of my favorite spring and summer hobbies. It’s a great way to get outdoors, beautify your yard, and create something magical in the meantime.

However, not all soil was meant to be gardened in. Our last home had a yard that was 100% sand, and our current yard is almost entirely red clay.

Neither is great for most plants to grow in.

However, we have been able to successfully garden in both homes by using raised garden beds.

Raised garden beds are just that – planting beds that are raised above the ground. So, instead of digging down into the earth, you are placing soil on top of it.

These planting boxes can sit directly on the ground or even have legs to stand them up higher, such as at a countertop height for easy planting.

Either way, there are a ton of raised garden ideas. Let’s see what might work in your yard!

What is the cheapest way to make raised garden beds?

Cheap ideas for making the border of a raised planter box DIY include:

• cinder blocks
• upcycled tire
• medium to large sized stones or rocks
• wooden fence posts (new or upcycled)
• pavers or landscaping stones

How deep should a raised planter box be?

The depth that you need for your elevated planter box will depend on the type of plants that you plan to plant and the size of their root systems. However, 8 to 12 inches in depth is usually plenty deep for most all-purpose gardens.

What do you fill raised planter boxes with?

Planter boxes are typically filled with a mixture of soil and compost. But, if your raised bed is very deep, that could mean a ton of ($$$) soil. If you have more space than soil, you can fill the bottom of a DIY raised bed with:

• logs
• branches
• grass clippings
• leaves
• hay

Do raised garden beds need a bottom?

Raised garden beds typically do not have a bottom and are exposed to the earth underneath. The obvious exception to this is if it is a truly raised garden, such as raised to tabletop height, in which case it would have a wooden bottom supported by taller legs.

Should I put a liner in my raised planter box?

It is generally best to lay a landscaping fabric weed barrier on the bottom of raised bed planters. This will help to cut down on weed growth. I’ve tried no barrier, newspaper, and cardboard, and have found that actually buying a roll of weed barrier works best.

What do you put on the bottom of a raised garden bed?

You will want to lay a layer of weed barrier between your planter and the ground – consider purchasing a roll of weed barrier or using burlap, cardboard, or newspaper.

Do you put wood on the bottom of a raised garden bed?

You do not typically want wood on the bottom of your raised garden bed as it tends to rot out under your soil and plants. Save your money and spend it on more plants, instead!

Should I put rocks in the bottom of my raised planter?

Some people swear by putting a layer of gravel in the bottom of their garden with planter boxes to help improve drainage. Others claim that gravel actually increases pooling water in the beds.

My personal thought is that if the area does not have existing drainage issues and your DIY garden box is open on the bottom to the existing earth situation, no gravel or pebbles are necessary for drainage.

Where to buy a raised garden bed?

We have built many raised beds, but also recently bought a pre-made metal set from Home Depot. It snapped together in two minutes and made it easy to set up the whole garden in one afternoon. Read about that raised garden set here!

Raised planter boxes ideas

Here are some of my favorite inexpensive raised garden bed ideas!

Any questions about these DIY raised garden beds?!