Inexpensive Raised Garden Bed Ideas: DIY Inspiration

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Having written a lot about building raised beds, I love seeing what different gardeners have created to grow their own food. You don’t always need a big budget! With a little creativity, ordinary objects and materials can be turned into a garden. Here are some inexpensive raised garden bed ideas to spark some inspiration for your next DIY project.

With the growing popularity of raised bed gardening in recent years, there are loads of options online and in stores. Price points can vary greatly. You can opt for kits or hardware that make assembly a cinch, measure out and purchase lumber to build something from scratch, or use natural materials, like rocks and logs. Upcycling items is also a great way to give an old object a new purpose. I tried to keep these suggestions under the $100 mark. In some cases, these DIY garden beds could cost you nothing—except the soil and plants to fill your new raised bed, of course.

Tips for finding inexpensive materials to make raised beds

Timber, especially rot-resistant woods, like cedar and redwood, can run on the pricier side, as can raised garden bed kits and other ready-to-build options. Pine, on the other hand, is cheaper, but will decay sooner. And do keep in mind that once you build your raised bed, you also have to fill it with good soil—another expense!

I’m a huge champion of upcycling, which is giving an object that no longer has a purpose a new life, thus diverting it from a landfill. When I wrote Raised Bed Revolution, I included project plans. But I also wanted to make sure I provided some inexpensive raised garden bed ideas. I’m continually inspired by other green thumbs’ ingenuity.

raised bed made from an old bookshelf — One of the first letters I received after *Raised Bed Revolution* was published came with a couple of photos of this raised bed in a backyard. It’s an old bookcase tipped on its side. Talk about simple construction! Depending on finishes and materials, and whether there is an easily removable backing, this is a clever, inexpensive way to set up a raised bed in an afternoon.

Yard sales, antique markets, classified ads, that void behind your shed where items go, never to be heard from again, all of these places can be fruitful when searching for items to upcycle. As long as they have a good depth and drainage.

One thing I always advise when giving a talk about raised beds is to avoid using pressure-treated boards that have come from an old deck or fence. If they’re really old, chances are the chemicals have long since dissipated. But if you’re growing food, it’s better to err on the side of caution.

raised bed outlined by rocks — Bigger rocks can help to outline a garden, keeping garden soil contained and providing a more rustic look to a garden.

Inexpensive raised garden bed ideas using natural materials

Sometimes your raised bed materials are already part of your landscape. If you’ve ever had a mature tree taken down, you know that is a LOT of wood to get rid of. Place your new logs into a rectangle and all you have to do is add soil! You can also do this with branches and sticks you collect.

a raised bed created by weaving twigs together — Thicker twigs and branches can be “woven” or stacked to create a raised bed outline in an outdoor space. They can also be used to fashion a garden trellis, like the ones shown above.

The great thing is that wood will start to break down over time, acting as sort of a living compost. Rocks and large stones can also be used to outline a raised bed.

raised bed created from felled birch logs — Felled trees provide durable “sides” to a raised bed. If you’ve hired an arborist, obviously there is an expense that comes with this. But if the trees had to come down anyway, you might as well make use of the free wood! This raised bed garden uses birch logs as the frame.

Building raised beds from bricks, blocks, and pavers

When I decided to carve out an area of my front lawn for raised beds (because it’s a perfect location in full sun), I discovered that my local landscaping supply store had an area where you can look for old pavers and stones that had come from former projects. They were a fraction of the price! I used square patio stones to outline the garden where my galvanized raised beds sit, but these materials could easily be used to create a raised bed itself!

raised bed wall — This raised bed was dubbed as a food bank. It’s part of a large upcycled garden installation that I discovered at Floriade in 2022. The bricks have been stacked in such a way that there can be multiple opportunities for harvesting. Perennial herb and strawberry plants not only grow on top, but out of the sides, too. That’s a rain chain coming down from a nearby structure to water the gardens.

Concrete blocks, or cinder blocks as they used to be called, are another item that could be cheap if you’re upcycling them from another project. Pricing them out, they can cost anywhere from $1.50 to $5 apiece, making them a budget-friendly option, even for a larger raised bed.

raised bed created from old pavers — DIY raised garden beds can be made simply by stacking materials, like these square paving stones. Pathways can be created between raised beds using cardboard and mulch to keep weeds down.

Inexpensive raised garden bed ideas using upcycled items

Besides the aforementioned bookcase, any number of items can be repurposed to create a raised bed garden. Wooden pallets can be taken apart or fashioned into a vertical garden. Tables can be pulled out storage and used to plant lettuces. And if you didn’t have to purchase the item with the intention of MacGyvering it into something, there’s nothing better than free-ninety-nine!

a cooler converted into a raised bed — Believe it or not, this is a cheap raised garden bed. It used to be a cooler! My aunt transformed it into a raised bed that sits among her perennials. Each year it is planted up with veggies, flowers, and herbs. *Photo courtesy of Jeanette Jones*

The main thing to consider when upcycling something is that there are adequate drainage holes. You don’t want soggy soil when you’re growing veggies. Drainage holes are easy enough to drill into wood. That’s what I did with my upcycled wooden suitcase project with gas pipe legs or the half whisky barrel I’ve turned into an herb garden. Other projects may require an HSS (high-speed steel) drill bit to power through, like with my wash basin raised bed.

With some projects, you just get lucky. If you are upcycling a stock tank, for example, there is usually a plug in the bottom. That means your drainage situation is already settled. Many recycling bins also have holes already in the bottom.

Inexpensive raised bed projects using purchased items

Sometimes budget-friendly items can be purchased new, coming together to create a raised bed, like my window well project. I’ve spoken a lot about what great choices raised bed corners are for those who don’t have woodworking skills or all the tools. You can also find corners that help you outline a raised bed made from interlocking bricks or pavers.

If you’re looking for a lightweight option, grow bags or fabric raised beds are much less expensive than lumber. And you can find them in larger sizes equivalent to what you may consider building for a raised bed.

a raised bed created using a window well and a piece of lumber — One of my favorite projects from Gardening Your Front Yard was using a galvanized steel window well attached to a piece of wood with screws to create a slender raised bed for a smaller space.

Discover more inexpensive raised bed ideas

** Learn the basics of raised bed gardening in a course I designed for Savvy Gardening School! **