Use Concrete Blocks To Create A Budget-Friendly Raised Garden With This Clever DIY

Raised beds make for amazing gardens. Whether you're making raised flower beds or creating a place for your tomatoes and leafy greens, these structures can allow you to grow in spots where you wouldn't otherwise be able to grow plants. Not only do they make it possible to have healthy plants in areas with poor soil, but they also often have better drainage and fewer weeds than other gardens. The one downside raised beds have is their potential to be expensive, often costing hundreds of dollars. Constructing a raised bed doesn't necessarily have to break the bank, though, especially if you opt to build one out of affordable concrete blocks.

Raised beds should generally be a minimum of 6 inches high, and it's easy to find plenty of concrete blocks that are at least this tall. Though for some crops like potatoes, you may need to make your bed deeper by stacking the blocks two high. If you have mobility challenges that make it difficult to kneel or bend down too far, you may also want a higher raised bed. They should generally be about 3 or 4 feet wide to allow for easy access to all your plants. Since concrete blocks are often about 16 inches long, you'll likely need  three blocks for each side if you want a bed that is a square with dimensions of about 48 inches by 48 inches. As blocks are often less than $3 each, you should be able to build your entire bed for less than $40. Double this amount if you are doubling the wall height, of course.

Before you start building your raised bed from concrete blocks, it's important to make sure that the ground you're building on is flat and that you pick a spot where your plants will get enough sun. For most crops, that will mean a location with at least six hours of sunlight. If you want, you can also use a liner at the bottom of your raised bed to prevent rodents from tunneling under it or to protect your patio or balcony if you aren't growing on top of soil.

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Of course, a simple square is far from the only shape or design you can make for your raised beds. When you're building out of concrete blocks, you can create a range of sizes and heights of beds depending on the needs of your plants. You can even use the holes in the center of the blocks as little planters for herbs, strawberries, or other plants that can thrive in the small space. While filling a raised bed can still be expensive, with the right base ingredients, you can make a thriving raised bed that also doesn't cost a fortune.