How to build your own raised garden bed

Hochbeet Praxistipps
How to build your own raised garden bed


The most important points at a glance

  • A raised bed allows for space-saving and productive vegetable cultivation in your own garden or even on your balcony and can be built yourself with simple materials such as Euro pallets or wooden beams.
  • The step-by-step instructions show how to prepare the basic frame, ensure optimal stability, and attach wire and tarpaulin to reliably protect plants and wood.
  • ELEO also offers high-quality metal raised beds that impress with their durability and modern design and are available with custom privacy screens upon request. are.

 

How do I build my own raised garden bed? – Explained step by step

There's hardly anything better than growing and harvesting your own vegetables, fruits, and herbs and using them to prepare delicious meals in your own kitchen. Homegrown produce simply tastes better, and it's a true joy to watch the plants grow and thrive. A raised bed is a good and space-saving alternative to the classic vegetable garden, fits into almost any corner of the garden and even on a balcony, and can be built quickly and easily yourself.

We'll explain how you can build a wooden raised bed yourself in two variations: from ready-made Euro pallets or from high-quality timber beams.

Building a raised bed from pallets – quick and easy in just a few steps

Step 1: Level the ground

Step 2: Pave the area (optional)

Step 3: Build the basic frame

Step 4: Lay out and secure the wire and tarpaulin

Raised bed made from pallets

© ELEO Garden

Balcony furniture, tables, and even entire shelves: The trend around Homemade structures made from Euro pallets are incredibly durable. The sturdy pallets are simple, practical, and possess a unique, rustic charm. Pallets are also ideal for building your own raised garden bed.

A DIY raised garden bed made from classic Euro pallets can be assembled quickly and is ready to use immediately. You can buy the pallets at a well-stocked hardware store. For a large raised garden bed with overall dimensions of 270 x 120 x 80 cm, you will need six pallets. You will also need the following materials: Fine-mesh wire Thicker tarpaulin 20 to 30 pan head screws Tacker, hand stapler, or nail gun Branches and leaves Compost and Potting soil

Step 1: Level the ground

What you absolutely need for building your raised bed is a suitable location with a level surface. Otherwise, water may collect in one corner of your bed, and your plants won't receive sufficient water everywhere. Furthermore, it is helpful to clear the soil of unwanted plants such as weeds to create the best conditions for undisturbed plant growth.

Step 2: Paving the Base (optional)

If you like, and have the time and inclination, you can pave your chosen location with paving stones to protect your wooden raised bed from additional moisture from below and thus extend its lifespan. Alternatively, you can place your bed directly on the prepared, level surface of the ground. When laying the paving stones, be sure to sink them a few centimeters into the ground and always use a spirit level to ensure the raised bed is perfectly level.

Step 3: Build the basic frame for the pallet raised bed

The basic frame of your DIY raised bed is assembled in no time. The Euro pallets are screwed together to form a rectangle, with the tops facing inwards – two pallets along each long side and one at each end. Use thick pan-head screws with a sufficient length of at least 25 cm for assembly.

Step 4: Now for the wire and tarpaulin

Once the basic frame of your raised bed is complete, you can line the bottom with fine-mesh wire. The wire provides reliable protection against burrowers and rodents that would otherwise like to dig into the raised bed and help themselves to the vegetables. Simply attach the wire to the side walls with staples.

The tarpaulin goes on top of the wire. This should completely line the raised bed and not just cover the bottom. Make sure to use the thickest tarpaulin possible, as thinner models tear easily. If the tarpaulin is too large, simply fold it over. To attach the tarpaulin, use the staple gun again. The tarpaulin should extend right to the edge of the pallets to ensure that the wood does not come into contact with the water.

Raised bed made from pallets_corner with tarpaulin

© ELEO Garden

A raised bed made from timber beams –
a project for advanced gardeners

You can build a raised bed not only from Euro pallets, but also from timber beams Building a raised garden bed. This option is somewhat more complex and time-consuming, but also looks more elegant. Sturdy timber beams are perfect for building a robust and visually appealing DIY raised garden bed.

For a self-built raised garden bed made from timber beams, you will need:

  • Timber beams (quantity depends on the desired size of the raised bed)

  • Corner timbers (4 to 6; depending on the desired size of the raised bed)

  • Mounting strips

  • Screws

  • Screw clamps

  • fine mesh wire

  • thicker fabric tarpaulin

  • Tacker gun, hand stapler or nail gun

  • branches and leaves

  • Compost and Planting soil

Raised bed made of timber
© ELEO Garden

To prepare, you must also carry out step 1 above, and step 2 if desired.

Then the individual pieces of wood are laid out on your flat surface to be screwed together. Lay the desired number of timbers (the quantity depends on the planned size of your raised bed) side by side and ensure they are all parallel.

Now you can secure the timbers with mounting strips. Screw a mounting strip to each end of the timbers – and the side walls are finished. Repeat this process with fewer timbers for the ends if you want your raised bed to be rectangular.

Once the side walls and ends are complete, the corner pieces are used to connect the walls. Clamps are best for this, providing a practical assembly aid. Start by assembling one corner, consisting of a side wall and an end piece, to create a stable base. Then the remaining components follow.

The basic frame of your raised bed is complete – now the wire mesh for voles can be placed at the bottom and secured. Next comes the liner, which you pull up to the top edge of the raised bed and also secure with staples or nails.

Layer by layer –
How do I fill a raised bed correctly?

Your raised bed is complete. Now it can be filled. For optimal soil structure, layer different materials before filling your raised bed with soil. The decomposition of the layered material generates continuous heat, which further supports plant growth. Furthermore, the different layers provide the plants with valuable nutrients.

Filling a raised bed_bottom layer© OFC Pictures/AdobeStock

The bottom layer usually consists of coarse branches and twigs and should fill one-third of the raised bed. Then add leaves on top of the branch layer. Be generous with the amount. If available, you can also mix in wood chips. The third layer is coarse compost. The final layer is the actual soil. You can use commercially available potting soil here. Special raised bed soil is often advertised in garden centers, but it's not necessarily better suited – and considerably more expensive.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a raised bed?

Advantages

Disadvantages

Working upright

Watering during hot periods

Less slug infestation

Time required for the Construction

Sufficient nutrients for your plants

Material costs

Also suitable for balconies and patios

Less weeds

Longer harvest periods possible


Which plants are best suited for a raised bed? – Monoculture or mixed cropping?

Before you start planting vegetables and herbs in your self-built raised bed, make sure that the different varieties are compatible with each other. Unfortunately, not all plant species thrive together and some can even inhibit each other's growth.

Planting a raised bed© ELEO Garden

Generally, you can only plant one type of plant in your raised bed. Since most people prefer a little variety in their garden and on their plates, you should be careful when choosing your plants.

A mixed planting of different vegetables is actually ideal for your raised bed. This way, the nutritional needs of the different varieties are taken into account. Ideally, you should plant heavy feeders like cabbage varieties next to light feeders like lettuce and herbs.

The following vegetables and herbs go well together and can be planted next to each other in a raised bed without any problems:

Which vegetables can I plant together in a raised bed?

Potatoes

Beans, corn, cabbage, spinach, mint, Chamomile

Carrots

Dill, peas, leeks, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, chives

Asparagus

Cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, parsley

 Zucchini

Corn, beetroot, onions, nasturtium

Pumpkin

Melons, lettuce, cucumbers, chamomile


If you would prefer not to go to the trouble of building a raised bed from wood yourself, you can find our Metal Raised Beds.

© ELEO Garden

 

Our raised beds and planters

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We wish you every success in building your DIY raised bed and hope that you will soon be able to enjoy a bountiful harvest!

Image credit cover image: © vulkanismus/AdobeStock

TIP: Timber slats are particularly high-quality and visually appealing – however, they are not exactly inexpensive. Alternatively, you can also use thicker wooden slats for your self-built raised bed.

Additional tip: Ask at your local recycling center about compost and soil. You can usually buy large quantities there for a small price.

by Nikolai Fleschauer Nikolai Fleschauer

Creating things with your own hands is a very special experience – and you can be really proud of the results.

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