My first two raised beds were your standard rectangles anchored with 2x4s. My husband and I found the plan online. He surprised me by building them in a weekend while I was away. They may have been simple, but they introduced me to all the benefits of gardening in raised beds. When it came time to work on my book, Raised Bed Revolution, one of the most fun aspects of putting the book together was developing the various projects. And since then I’ve come across even more raised bed designs for gardening – if only I had more space!
Raised Bed Designs for Gardening: This raised bed with benches is the right height to keep bunnies and groundhogs out – and you can rest on the benches between tidying up in the garden.
Raised bed designs for gardening: tips, advice and ideas
by Tara NolanComments (6)
My first two raised beds were your standard rectangles anchored with 2x4s. My husband and I found the plan online. He surprised me by building them in a weekend while I was away. They may have been simple, but they introduced me to all the benefits of gardening in raised beds. When it came time to work on my book, Raised Bed Revolution, one of the most fun aspects of putting the book together was developing the various projects. And since then I’ve come across even more raised bed designs for gardening – if only I had more space!
I’ve talked about things to think about before building your raised bed on this page, but next comes the creative part of choosing the design. First, think about what materials you want to use. Pinterest is a great source of information (this is where I discovered the corrugated iron look) and will likely introduce you to creative garden writers who have come up with some interesting raised bed gardening designs they’ve written about, or even companies that sell DIY kits.
Best placement and size for raised beds
Raised beds can be any shape or size provided the site you place them in receives six to eight hours of sunlight per day, unless the plants you intend to grow are shade lovers. These standard rectangular beds are generally three to four feet wide and six to eight feet long. With this size, you should be able to easily reach into the raised bed without having to step on it. This keeps the soil nice and loose instead of compacting it.
A quick tip on placing raised beds: When building or setting up multiple raised beds, be sure to leave enough space between them to walk, kneel, or even navigate between them with a wheelbarrow. You’ll want to add compost or mulch to or between beds over the years, so you’ll want to make sure each raised bed has easy access.
Now for the fun part. Let’s get some inspiration!
