Making DIY raised garden beds can be easy, fun and rewarding - not to mention cheap and environmentally friendly too. There are many ways and materials to use to make raised beds for your garden or allotment, so we’ve pulled together some ideas for you to try. Why not mix and match for a fun, eclectic look, or stick with one type for something in theme with your garden style. Of course, if you don’t want to give the DIY versions a try, many are available pre-made.
Pallet style raised garden beds
These are very popular, low cost and easy to make. Using pallets is a great way to recycle and consider the environment when gardening. There are various ways to use the pallets, from building deep raised beds and splitting the pallets to making lower raised beds. The beds may be square or rectangle due to the straight boards, and you can make them any size you want by cutting them down or adding more on. You can find pallets in builders’ yards, deliveries, and garden centres.
Use old bricks for a DIY raised bed
Another easy way to make a raised bed is from old bricks. Either one layer to make the shape of the bed only or by building a small wall to the height, you would like it at. Make sure the bricks are stable before you add your compost. You can purchase bricks and find some secondhand online or at many other places.
DIY raised garden beds made from sleepers
A stylish and popular way to build up raised beds is by using sleepers. These can be found at repurposing yards or as ready-made kits with all the accessories needed to fit them together. As with the other raised bed ideas, they can be low beds or high beds by stacking the sleepers on top of each other and fixing them together.
Buy a pre-made DIY raised garden bed kit
Boxed kits you can buy still mean you need a little DIY to put them together, but they will have everything they need, including instructions. From metal to treated wood and recycled plastic, there is one for every garden. Just measure up and purchase.
3 Tips on keeping your raised bed looking at its best
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No matter what type of bed you decide on, you’ll need to fill it with good quality peat-free compost.
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If the bed is deep, you can layer tree branches/stems in the bottom before using compost and leaf mulch, or just use lots of compost.
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It can be helpful to put cardboard at the bottom first to keep the weeds away.
Build your own raised bed with kits, accessories and compost when you visit us in store.
