Landscaping Design: 50 Top Garden Bed Ideas
- Lauren Elizabeth
- Feb 22, 2023
- 4 min read
This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own.
"A garden returns 50x the investment you put into it. Not just food, but joy, peace and a real connection with creation. A spiritual retreat from a noisy world and hurried people. Grow a garden."
While gardening really is a great investment for all of the reason stated above, it can be taxing on the body if you're not working in a raised garden bed. Raised garden beds are not only easier to work with physically, but they are also a gorgeous way to upgrade your yard.
Hopefully you can find some inspiration for your next garden project!
1. Against the Wall
If your backyard is small and you think you don't have space for a garden bed, look for a sunny wall to take advantage of. Wall DIY garden beds are pretty easy to make and can even be placed along your fence.
Tip: Use cinder blocks, stones, bricks, wood. Keep your bed width around 24" so that you can easily reach all the way back. Since these types of garden beds are against the wall, you won't be able to walk around the backside of bed , so it's important you don't make it too wide. An ideal soil depth for gardening is between 12-24". If you plan to grow something that requires a trellis to climb onto, don't forget to add those to the backside of the bed, against the wall.
2. Backyard Farms
A farm doesn't have to include chickens and goats (although it can!). A farm can also mean land full of fruits and veggies. These next gardens are all about gardens you can nourish yourself from.
Tip: If you do have farm animals, raised boxes can help protect your plans from your little critters. Line your boxes with wired gating in order to protect your beds from your own critters + wildlife critters.
3. Easy Gardens
Starting a garden doesn't always have to be difficult and custom built. There are plenty of raised garden bed building kits out there, or there are even easy ways to DIY.
Tip: Make an easy DIY garden bed by forming a wall with stacked cinder blocks or concrete bricks. This is a pretty quick & inexpensive way to create your very own garden bed. These beds are great for both flowers or vegetables. You can even use the open parts of the cinder blocks to grow small plants in or create a flower border along the wall.
4. Enclosed Gardens
A raised bed with a wire enclosure around it will help protect your garden from becoming wildlife dinner. Wired garden beds are great for herbs, veggies, fruit and even flowers
Tip: Created a hinged enclosure so that it is easy to access and protected at night.
5. Flower Beds
Raised garden beds aren't just for produce. They can also be beautifully used for flower beds. Flowers add so much value and beauty to a yard. Plan out your garden so that your beds are color coordinated, match in how they are cared for, and shapes and sizes that work well together.
Tip: Create a wildflower garden bed to bring the natural beauty of nature into your yard. Arrange your garden as you would a floral arrangement; tall, medium, small plants planned out around each other.
6. Landscape Ideas
Make sure a raised garden fits into your landscape design
Tip: Use the same material for your garden that you use for the rest of your yard. When using recycled materials, make sure they aren't made from harmful materials that will leach toxins into your soil.
7. Layout Ideas
Some yards are bigger than others, and some are way smaller. Some yards get an overabundance of sun, while some get little-to-no sun. Your garden may be a small container, or it may be a huge greenhouse.
Tip: Lay out your garden design before you start putting it into action. Think about your needs as a garden master and work your garden around that. For example, single moms who don't have the means to mow the lawn, may want to layer their space with gravel.
8. Metal Garden Beds
For farmhouse styled gardens, metal is a popular garden bed choice. You can find large metal tanks, or small metal tubs depending on the size of your garden.
Tip: You can also add metal panels to a wooden planter box to give a pre-built planter box a more rustic look. Please keep in mind that metal does rust over time, so take the necessary precautions before setting your garden up with metal planter beds.
9. Multi-Level Garden Beds
If you're on a sloped yard, you may need a multi-level garden bed. Multi-level beds are formed in a stair type design.
Tip: Use 4'x4' beds slightly stacked on top of each other, forming rows.
10. Small Beds
Small garden beds are the easiest to take care of. Of course, this may be due to the fact that your harvest won't be as big, but it can still provide you with great produce. There is usually less upkeep when it comes to weeding as well.
Tip: Use a small bed if you're in an apartment or very small space. You can also use them as your starter bed, and transfer your produce into larger beds when they get too big.
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