9 Raised Bed Garden Ideas
Free-form corrugated steel
We love the look of corrugated metal as a raised bed. Here's how to make your own.
How to build a corrugated metal bed
Big-yield beds
Raised beds provide better drainage and aeration than in-the-ground beds and they make harvesting easier. In this garden, one 4- by 4-foot raised bed produces 80 pounds of tomatoes.
Tiered look
Plant herbs in a tiered raised bed for a great look and easy access.
18 indispensable herbs to grow
One-pot garden
A watering trough becomes a great planting bed.
How to plant a one-pot veggie garden
Chic recycled metal
Turn scrap metal into super stylish raised beds.
How to build edgy veggie boxes
Easy starter garden
On a sunny, narrow stretch of land, newbie gardener Reed Davis installed modular boxes and then planted them, taking notes and photographing each step along the way. In spite of some glitches--like squirrels eating the watermelons--the project's success became abundantly clear within a few months. "I get so much produce out of the garden that it makes me giddy sometimes," says Davis.
Postage-stamp garden
"I call it my front-yard grocery store," says Elaine Uang of her kitchen garden, in Palo Alto, California. Although small, the space gets lots of sun, which is why she and her husband, Mike Greenfield, chose to grow edibles alongside their driveway. They harvest more fruits and veggies here than they imagined possible. The keys: good design, raised beds, and espaliers.
When they started the garden, Greenfield, a longtime gardener, focused on planting as many crops as possible; Uang, an architect, wanted to make sure everything looked good. She came up with an overall plan, then brought in collaborators to complete their vision.
Now the couple can harvest something whenever they're hungry, whether peppers for lunchtime salads or melon for dessert; even their 18-month-old daughter helps with picking. And by having edibles in front, they've met neighbors who grow food too, so they now swap crops. "Every season is a learning experience," Uang says. "It doesn't matter what you grow as long as you give it a try."
Info: Metalwork, planting plan: BaDesign, Oakland (badesignlab.com). Planting and care: Star Apple Edible + Fine Gardening, Oakland (starappleediblegardens.com).
Geometric look
Arranged in neat squares around a center fountain, raised planting boxes frame herbs and veggies and complement a contemporary kitchen garden.
How to plant growing squares
Stone-lined bed
Stones make for easy edging.
How to make a stone-lined planting bed
