Kevin built DIY raised garden beds for the first time about five years ago. He and his dad built them as a birthday present to me one summer and they went all out. The raised garden beds were beautiful. They made them out of 4×4 square, cedar and they had a little ledge that was perfect for sitting as I dug in the dirt. They were solid and held up well year after year.
The cost of out old beds
But, those DIY raised garden beds were also expensive. Each one – and they built me just two – was just under $200. Looking at that number now, I’m actually a bit embarrassed. The significant cost was due to the thickness of the 4×4 wood we stacked for each side of the box. However, at the time, we were both working, we had one child and we wanted to make something that was really high quality. That cost us money.
Fast forward to life on the farm and DIY raised garden beds like that are out of the question. They simply cost too much for the amount that we need and I realize for most people even one is out of the question. The thickness quality would be wonderful to have, but we’ve found a way to make more inexpensive, simple DIY raised garden beds that work just as well.
Our farmhouse raised beds
In 2019, we made four 4×4 DIY raised garden beds, four low 8×4 beds and two high 8×4 beds and they all cost less than $50. In fact, the 4×4 beds cost just about $30. These raised garden beds worked wonderfully and our garden flourished.
In 2020, we made more than 20 new DIY raised garden beds in various sizes using the simple design we used in 2019.
Since 2020 was a bit odd with the coronavirus outbreak, and everyone had some extra time on their hands (unless you were considered essential),there were a lot of people trying to garden for the first time. Being able to feed yourself and possibly help to feed other’s is a blessing and skill I think most people should have.
Keep reading to find all the instructions and make sure to watch the video below so you can see us in action building a box. But, please be kind. This is Kevin’s very first video. 🙂
Why raised garden boxes?
There’s a few reasons I love raised garden beds.
- I like that they provide organization for the garden.
- They also help to keep a pathway between the crops so that nothing creeps into another veggie’s space.
- Raised garden beds also help prevent soil compaction.
- They provide better drainage for fruit and vegetables since they are sitting above the ground. The water always has somewhere else to go. For us this is really important. Our property is fairly low lying and we have some soggy parts, including where the garden is. The beds help to prevent root rot for our plants.
- And, some people will tell you, they aide in keeping pests away from your crops. However, those pests were made to eat your veggies. They tend to find a way. Although, the boxes do seem to help slow them a bit.
Supplies needed for the 4×4 DIY garden boxes
- (4) 4×4’s cut to 12-inches long for corner posts
- (8) 1-inch x 6-inch cut to 4 feet long
- (24) 2.5-inch deck screws
- Hand drill. You can find the Milwaukee Cordless Hand Drill we use here.
- Miter saw or a table saw – If you don’t have one of these home improvement stores will often cut wood for you. You can find the Dewalt saw we use here.
- Optional: Sandpaper. We do not sand our boxes since the weather will wear at them natural.
Steps for assembling the 4×4 DIY garden boxes
- Once you have your wood cut into the lengths above, lay everything out.
- Begin by screwing in the bottom boards first to the 4×4 corner posts
- Once all bottom pieces are attached, screw in each of the top boards to the 4×4 corner posts
Supplies needed for the 4X8 DIY garden boxes
- (4) 4×4’s cut to 12-inches long
- (4) 1-inch x 6-inch cut to 4 feet long
- (4) 1-inch x 6-inch cut to 8 feet long
- (2) 2×4’s cut to 12-inches
- (24) 2.5-inch deck screws
- Hand drill. You can find the Milwaukee Cordless Hand Drill we use here.
- Miter saw or a table saw – If you don’t have one of these home improvement stores will often cut wood for you. You can find the Dewalt saw we use here.
Steps for assembling the 4×8 DIY garden boxes
- Once you have your wood cut into the lengths above, lay everything out.
- Begin by screwing in the end 4-foot long boards
- Once all bottom pieces are attached, screw in each of the bottom, 8-foot side boards to the 4×4 corner posts
- Then screw in the bottom 4-foot end boards.
- Then screw in the top boards in the same fashion.
What’s next?
Before filling your garden beds with soil, I’d recommend killing the grass in the box area. You don’t need harsh chemicals to do that with either. You can see how we do that naturally – and for almost no cost – {HERE}.
Once that’s done, you can fill them in with multiple different kinds of soil. I’ve found that what works best is often a mixture of compost, topsoil and sand. I like mushroom compost the best but I’ve also used “dairy doo” too.
When your beds are filled, follow the depth and spacing instructions for your specific plants. And, if you’re going to plant multiple kinds of vegetables in one box, make sure you know what grows well together.
Grow some goodness this year, friends. <3
Thank you so much for visiting today! We hope to see you again. You can see how our 2020 garden turned out {HERE}!
So beautiful!! I love my raised beds…makes gardening so much easier! 🙂
These look awesome! Someday when I have a yard that I’m free to play with, I want to do raised beds like this! Nice job!
How cute! We need to make our garden bigger. These garden boxes are a great idea.
Raised garden beds make such a huge difference. It’s so much easier to garden with raised beds, plus they’re aesthetically pleasing.
We just started working on our yard last week and raised beds are definitely on the list. Great to have these tips!
I love the look of this! I hope once we move I have enough land for a garden like this!
This looks so well done. I have wanted to try this for the longest time. our garden will work best with tin boxes though, I think . Have to think of better wyas to try it.
Your garden beds look so nice! We have one, but I’m thinking of adding on one more this year.
These turned out great. I’ve been wanting to do this as well. I hope that one of these summers I’ll be able to.
I love these! I so want to make some raised garden beds now that I have more time to work in the yard.
My husband made a couple years back for our old house. Our new house doesn’t get good sunlight, unfortunately, so we’re thinking of trying growing plants in pots on our deck which gets the most sun.
Ahh i wish I had a yard, I only have a small deck but i have a lot of plants!!! your yard looks great
This is such a great idea! I think it would be great to start on this project now that we’re in lockdown.
Love these! We’re going to DIY these ourselves next weekend! Bring on the gardening!
I think my parents need these garden boxes. I will show them this diy tutorial. It’s so easy!
These look great! I have some raised beds but the wood is all rotted out, so we will have to redo them. Raised bed gardening is such a great way to go!
I absolutely love these! As soon as I buy a house this is what I’m doing!
We are looking to do something similar in our backyard. This would be perfect to avoid the dogs from getting to the plants.
These are a great idea! I wish I have a garden.
this is exactly what i planned on doing this spring to grow some vegetables and flowers!!
Wow looks so clean and organized. M learning new things here . You are so dedicated and hardworking . Keep up the good work.
Love the idea! I can’t wait to show it to hubby! We’re going to try to make one!
Thank you for this great and simple tutorial! We had planned to expand our raised beds this year anyway, but are def doing it now that we plan to grow even more of our own food because of the pandemic. Instead of wood this time, though, I’m going to try using some leftover pavers we have in our backyard from a walkway we ripped up.
These look so good and I’d love to do this in my yard!
We just made raised beds for the first time this year (thanks social distancing! LOL).
I love it. So beautiful. I definitely want to get more into gardening but I need a bigger backyard first. But, as soon as we move I’m planting myself a garden. Thanks for sharing.
If only I had a garden, I would have done this.
Such a nice way to organize your garden and it has so many advantages for growing vegetables. My husband does our lawn so i have to show chapmanhim this DIY.
What perfect timing for me to stumble upon this post! I have “start garden by EO March” on my calendar. Starting to clear out a space now. Next up: DIY raised beds!
How cool! If I could grow stuff, I’d certainly do this. Alas, I have a blackthumb.
We are going to make some raised garden beds this year. I am so excited to get back to gardening.
They’re kinda pricey. But they look so nice and it’s all worth it.
This is a wonderful tutorial, I have raised garden beds and I love them.
These look great. My husband and I were thinking of doing this as well. I think it’s a great idea.
I am seeing this post right on time. Last year we planted directly into the ground and it worked out pretty well. But this year I decided to build some raised beds. I guess I should be starting on that like yesterday LOL.
I love the way raised beds look and how organized everything is kept. From veggies to flowers. Can’t wait to have one, or two.
Thanks for sharing how you made yours. I’m gonna try to copy that and hope that I could save more.
We want to try this to our mini backyard. We love to grow our own vegetables.
One of my friends has a raised garden. I think it’s a great idea. I also wish I had a big enough yard to do one, but the lot my house is on, isn’t that big. lol
I would love to have these Raised garden beds in our backyard! Thanks for sharing this.
These look so good! I just wish I had a garden ahaah
I can’t wait to have my own yard so I can garden this way. Thank you for the idea!
Thanks for sharing how you made it. The raise beds looks so beautiful. I’ll share this on my social media.
I am excited to try this out at my home. I have had bad luck these past couple of years with my garden due to storms, this may be the way to go.
I love these! I am planning to do raised garden beds and this makes my project seem much easier! Thank you for sharing.
These garden beds are such a great idea. It’s easier to grow vegetables this way!
Sending this to my step mom because she really wants to start doing this! Thank you for sharing!!!
I could not have read this at a better time! I started with a very small raised garden bed last year and had AMAZING success with it So, I thought I’d expand (just a little) this year with two but felt like I could be going about it better, you know? Thank you so much for such incredible insight, I am SO excited to jump on this now!
I love the idea of raised garden beds. I like how easy it sounds to make too.
I wish I had the space for a raised bed garden. That would be wonderful.
We are remodeling our backyard and this would be ideal for our vegetables and garden
Those are gorgeous garden beds! I wish I had the space for so many like you have. I do have two of my own, but it isn’t much space for growing a lot.
these raised beds look so good!! we just got some premade ones at costco (not wooden) that have worked out well enough for the past couple years.. and hope they last for a bit. but I know I would have tried these if i had seen this post earlier 🙂
I’m most definitely making these this year.
Thanks for sharing this . I need to work on my garden beds to plant seeds.
They look great! I grow my own vegetables in my backyard and planning to build more garden beds.