Dig into the exciting project of learning how to create your own garden beds from scratch! With a few simple steps, a budget, and the materials that make sense for your space, you can be well on your way fairly soon! In this article, I will break down the process for you to set yourself up for the success and satisfaction of achieving your goal.
Location, Location to Create Your Own Garden from Scratch
You are excited to grow and are eager to begin building, so it is crucial to plan it so that your garden beds are a successful nurturing space. Where you build has everything to do with what you would like to grow. If you are planting vegetables, you will need to have your garden beds located in an area where your vegetables will get plenty of sunshine!
Create Your Own Garden Beds From Scratch: Budget for It
Set yourself up for success when you begin to create your garden beds from scratch by ensuring you have what you need to purchase your supplies. What will your budget allow you to do in your space? If you know that in advance, you will be able to move ahead with your gardening project with ease. As a general rule of thumb, you can expect to pay $25-50 per square foot for your garden bed space. There is a possibility that you have items around your house that you can repurpose for garden bed material. It would be helpful to obtain an inventory of what you have before you spend money that you do not need to spend.
Identify What Size and Shape You Would Like for Your Garden Beds
Once you have decided where you want to create your garden beds from scratch, you can confidently plan their layout. If you have a large area to build on, a more artistic layout may be more attractive than a traditional square or rectangular layout. Do you want tiered or single-level garden beds?
Determine Which Material You Would Like to Use
There are a few popular options for materials to use in order to create your own garden beds from scratch. Metal, untreated wood, and plastic are the most popular choices. Bricks and stones are expensive options. Treated wood is not the best choice because the chemicals in the treated wood can cause problems for plants. To give your garden every chance to yield the best crops, choose something that is healthy for them and you.
Gather the Tools and Materials You Need to Create Your Garden Beds from Scratch
Regardless of the material you decide to use, you will need basic tools to help you create your garden beds from scratch. The basic tools for any building project are:
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Shovel
- Power drill and bits
- Screws, nuts, framing square
- Material specific to garden beds
- Lumber
- Soil
- Compost
Fabric to block weeds (and rodents) from sneaking up under the garden beds
Of course, you will also need the seeds or seedlings that you are laying down on the garden beds.
After you have everything you need to get started and you have built the garden bed from scratch with your materials and tools, it’s time to play!
Fill garden beds with a nutrient-rich compost mix. You can buy them or use your food waste to make your compost mix and save that money for more supplies or your next yard project.
After filling the garden beds with the compost mix, cover the compost with topsoil. There is no need to be shy about filling the beds. The soil and compost layers settle, so you will want to fill them all the way to the top. Your garden beds will then be ready for your seeds
It can be exciting and rewarding to plan and create your own garden beds from scratch!
Your imagination, budget, and physical space are the only limits to what you can do when you want to create your garden beds from scratch. Once garden beds are set up, regular watering, weeding, and other maintenance will be imperative to keep plants happy and thriving in their new home.
