Take a quick look at Instagram Reels or TikTok and you will find a plethora of ideas for a raised bed garden design. Metal, wood, or plastic; round, square or rectangle; over stone, patios or grass – if you can imagine it, it has been built. However, our clients found probably the coolest design we’ve ever seen – and it was a blast to build them.
Our clients bought property right around the corner from Eagleson Meadows (who doesn’t want to be our neighbor?). They wanted to create a raised bed oasis with an intentional design scheme. We drew a large circle around an existing tree, imagined an X within it, and placed a bed into each quadrant. The result was a beautiful, geometrical design.
However, the design of the beds themselves is what makes them the coolest we’ve ever seen. Our client had come across a YouTube video from a garden center in Arkansas where they grow all their produce and cut flowers in raised planters that are almost self-watering. The idea is to build the box, line them with plastic and add a 4” piece of corrugated pipe at the bottom and drill in a one-inch drain pipe. Fill the box to within one foot of the top with stone, cover with fabric and add soil. Once you add plants, fill up the stone reserve with water which will feed the plants’ roots for a long time. The drainpipe helps keep too much water from building up during heavy rain. In dry seasons, the reservoir will need to be topped off.
We were intrigued by this design and definitely up to the challenge of remaking it. We custom-made the boxes with 2 in x 8 in treated lumber, 4 ft wide and just shy of 24” tall. We reinforced the corners with 2 x 4s with structural bolts to fasten everything together and added pieces in the middle that keep the sides from splaying out (8ft is long!). We like the longevity that treated wood provides, but we did bring the plastic liner all the way to the top of the bed to stop the wood chemicals from leaching into the garden. The liner also keeps the standing water away from the wood. We followed the rest of the design from the garden center and were duly impressed when we filled up the chamber with water.
Our clients are growing vegetables and flowers in their new boxes. They added a bench to the space as well, creating a lovely garden area on their new property. We so enjoyed tackling this project. If you would like to know more about this cool raised bed garden design, reach out to us! Send us an email or give us a call at 317-997-4803.
