Want to get creative in your garden without the endless battles against weeds and pests? You can with a raised garden bed. They’re a perfect way to make sprucing up your garden easier and more accessible. Here are 5 raised garden bed ideas that are super easy to incorporate into your outside space.
What are the benefits of a raised garden bed?
You control the soil
The quality of the soil in your garden might be less than ideal for growing the plants you want. With a raised garden bed, you get to control the soil you put in for the best results. Also, because you’re not planting in the ground, you’ll have far fewer weeds and pests to deal with.
It makes gardening accessible
For gardeners with knee, hip, or back problems, or people in wheelchairs, gardening comfortably can seem impossible. Raised beds make gardening easier for anyone who is unable to kneel at ground level.
You can move your beds around
Depending on how you’ve decided to construct your raised garden bed, you can move it around the garden should your plans or preferences change.
You can get creative
Whether or not you think you’re creative, you can unleash your inner garden designer with a raised garden bed. You can make it from upcycled/repurposed things you already have at home and in terms of position in the garden, anything goes. Use them to line paths, divide sections of your garden, or as a focal point.
Raised garden bed ideas
So now you know the benefits, let’s get down to the creative part. Here are some ideas for raised garden beds that we love.
Got an old wheelbarrow?
Before you ditch that old wheelbarrow, stop a second. Clean it up, give it a lick of paint, then fill it with soil and some fragrant blooms. There you have it, a unique rustic garden feature!
Before you take that car tire to the tip…
Bet you never thought you could turn an old car tire into a raised garden bed. Well, you can. The added benefit is you save it from landfill and do the environment a favour too.
Pimp an old wooden ladder
That rickety wooden ladder that’s cluttering up the shed. Yes, you know the one. Stack some plant pots on the different rungs and you’ve got a lovely rustic addition to the garden.
Repurpose some wooden pallets
You can turn some wooden pallets into creative DIY raised garden beds. Try mounting them on a wall or fence to create a space-saving herb garden. Or just place them on the ground and let the slats act as dividers for your rows of plants. Simple, but genius.
Got any plastic crates?
This is a great solution if you don’t have much space to play with. It will even suit a balcony garden. Just take a plastic crate (or a few, depending on the space), fill them with soil and plants, and you’re ready to go.
What can you grow in a raised garden bed?
Because you can control the soil conditions, you can grow pretty much anything. Here are some of the most popular plants that people grow in raised beds.
Veggies: Tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, and radishes.
Fruit: Strawberries and raspberries.
Flowers: Perennials like lavender do well in raised beds, as do easy-to-grow flowers like marigolds.
Herbs: Rosemary, oregano, and parsley thrive in raised garden beds.
Will you be installing some raised garden beds in your outside space this summer? It’s your chance to get creative and make gardening easier, as well as adding interest to your garden ready for those summer get-togethers.
For more inspiration on transforming your garden, check out the rest of our blog.
