Raised beds solve the three worst problems of in-ground gardening: bad soil, back pain, and weed pressure. Below are ten plans ranging from a pallet rescue project to a cedar build that'll outlast the house.

1. The classic cedar rectangle — 4×8 feet

Four 2×10 cedar boards, four corner posts, weed cloth on the bottom, filled with a 50/50 compost/topsoil mix. The enduring choice; cedar resists rot 10+ years without treatment. ~$120 in materials.

2. The pallet bed — free-to-cheap

Four pallets, screws, weed cloth lining. Use only heat-treated pallets (HT stamp) — never chemically treated. 2-hour build, ~$20 in screws and liner. Lasts 3-5 seasons before needing replacement.

3. Tiered raised bed — three levels

Stacked 2×6 frames, each level smaller than the last. Best for strawberries, herbs, or succulents; each tier gets different sun. Adds visual height to a flat yard.

4. Keyhole garden

African-invented design: a 6-ft diameter circle with a pie-slice notch cut into the centre leading to a composting basket. You add kitchen scraps to the centre; nutrients wick outward. Dense planting, low water, nearly self-fertilising.

5. Hugelkultur bed

Mound-shaped bed built over a buried log-and-branch base. Slowly rotting wood retains water and releases nutrients for years. Counter-intuitive but the payoff is vegetables that laugh at drought.

6. Galvanised stock tank

A $100 galvanised livestock trough with drainage holes drilled in the bottom. Modern, instant, zero building skill required. Comes in rectangular or round. Pair two or three for a decidedly styled kitchen garden.

7. Corrugated-metal bed with wood frame

4×4 corner posts + 2×4 rails, with corrugated roofing panels for walls. Modern look, long life, faster to build than all-wood. Popular in homesteader circles for good reason.

8. Waist-high bed

Raised on legs to 32" height. Zero bending. Shallower (12") bed depth is fine for salad greens, herbs, radishes. Essential for anyone with back issues or wheelchair gardeners.

9. Brick or stone bed

Permanent. Labour-intensive. Looks magnificent 20 years later. Dry stack for easy dismantling, or mortar for permanent. Best in a formal landscape where it becomes an architectural feature.

10. L-shaped corner bed

Fits a patio corner or against a fence. Doubles the planting perimeter of a straight bed the same length. Pair two at right angles for a productive vegetable nook.

Tips regardless of design

• Depth: 10–12" for most vegetables, 18" for carrots and root crops.
• Drainage: weed cloth over the soil, not impermeable plastic; you want water out, not trapped.
• Soil: fill with a mix — never pure topsoil. Compost + topsoil + aged manure works everywhere.
• Sun: 6+ hours for fruiting vegetables; 4+ for leafy greens.