Many gardeners prefer to use raised beds to grow their plants. Raised beds offer numerous advantages so it's not surprising so many gardeners use them. Raised beds are very practical and ideal for growing certain types of plants.

Among the most prominent advantages of raised bed gardening is that it's easier to maintain your garden. Raised beds are easy on your back so it's easy to care for your plants. Also, they allow you to always have the top-quality soil to offer to your plants.

One downside to raised beds is that they are usually very expensive to build. Luckily, there is a way to overcome this problem. You can build raised beds all by yourself and using inexpensive materials. Pallets are one of the best materials for building raised beds. This way, you can build raised beds without investing too much money. You don't have to spend a fortune to have these great and highly useful raised beds in your garden!

Before You Start

There are a few things to keep in mind before you start to build your garden beds using pallets. Pallets are very versatile and useful, not to mention cheap and easily obtainable, so you won't have any problems in building your raised beds using pallets.

An important thing to keep in mind: Always use the best-quality pallets you can find. Second-hand pallets are fine, but you need to stay away from those that are chemically treated. Chemically-treated wood is not good for the soil or your plants.

Materials

Here are all the materials you need to build a basic yet highly-functional raised bed in your garden (also known as a garden grow box):

• 6 Wooden pallets. You may need more or less than this, depending on the size of the garden bed you wish to build.
• 20 Wooden stakes.
• 8 2x4s
• 3/4 Inch wood (to be used for filler pieces)
• 50 1 1/2 Inch wood screws
• 50 3 Inch wood screws
• Soil
• Mulch
• Weed control fabric (black and grey works the best, but you may use fabric of a different color).

Instructions

Here are the instructions on how to quickly and easily build your raised bed using pallets:

• Cut the pallets. Pallets should be cut to the desired length, which will depend on the side of the box you wish to build. Using two longer pallets and cutting them in half to make the sides of the box seems to work fine, but you may wish to try other dimensions, too.
• Cut the stakes. You need to cut the stakes to the desired length. They will be used to support the crate posts.
• Pound the stakes. Pound the stakes into the ground. After this, use the 1 1 /2 inch screws to drill these stakes into the crate.
• Fill the gaps. The next step is to fill in the gaps of the pallet using the 3/4th inch wood. Make sure to screw them into the place. You need to ensure that the sides of the box are completely enclosed, so pay attention to this.
• Place the cover. Take the weed control fabric and place them on the bottom of the box. The material should sit nicely on the bottom and the sides of the box. This is needed for keeping the weeds outside the box. It will also keep the dirt from getting through the cracks.
• Add 2x4x8 wood pieces. Put the landscaping cover over the sides of the box and place 2x4x8 wood pieces on the top to finish your box. Screw the wood nicely on top. It will keep the cover in place and it will also give a nice edge for you to sit on.
• Finishing touches. To finish the box, trim the black tarp on the side so it flush with the edges of the box completely.
• Filling the box. Once the box is finished, fill it with soil. You should also add some mulch to make your plants thrive. Make sure to mix the mulch with the top 2-4 inches of the soil.
• Planting. Choose the plants you wish to grow and plant it in your new raised bed.

Photo credit: Ulrika