After years of being disappointed with wilted and non producing tomato plants, we are giving a small DIY Container Garden all we’ve got this year! Honey has built a raised bed in our backyard to grow tons of delicious veggies this summer.
Here’s how we got started…
We have the best backyard ever! Unfortunately it’s super shady with tall pines, river birches, and dogwoods. So finding the best spot for 6-8 hours of sun was tricky. After much debate, we settled on the area right below our stone patio. This post may contain affiliate links marked with an asterisk. For more information, see my full disclosure policy here.
DIY Container Garden: Supplies Needed
two 2″ x 12″ x 8’ lengths of untreated lumber
two 2″ x 12″ x 4’ lengths of untreated lumber
four 4″ x 4″ x 6’ post of untreated lumber
weed barrier landscape fabric*
3″ deck screws
Honey stopped by Home Depot after work one day to pick up the lumber, screws, and wire fencing to build our 4′ x 8′ container garden.
Before building the DIY container garden the ground was leveled using a hoe and shovel. Once the ground was leveled, the rectangular box of the DIY container garden were built with the pieces of untreated lumber. The sides were secured with corner post made with 10″ long 4″x4″ posts.
After the frame was constructed, a layer of weed barrier landscape fabric*
Then another layer of weed barrier fabric. {We are serious about killing some weeds!}
To give our little garden a fighting chance against our black thumbs we purchased a truck load of nutritious potting soil.
Click here to see how we planned and planted our DIY Container Garden.
Cost for our DIY Garden Container
Lumber, Wire, & Screws ~ $70
Weed Barrier Fabric ~ FREE
Super Duper Nutritious Potting Soil ~$60
GRAND TOTAL $130
Gesh. That seems like a lot of money.
But compared with how much we spend monthly on fresh produce from the grocery store we think the up front costs will be worth it.
And we feel like farmers! 😉
{Click here} to see all the DIY Container Garden Posts
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Full Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links and/or is a sponsored post. I may receive compensation in the form of monetary compensation or product compensation in exchange for my review. I take pride in reviewing only products that fit my brand and will be beneficial to my readers. And while this post is sponsored or contains affiliate links, all the opinions are my own. Why do I do this? It will help me keep this DIY’ing Mama crafting for another day! For more on my disclosure policy click here.
Thank you so much for sharing this. You gave such detail which is so helpful—Having container garden beds has been on my bucket list for a while!!! Can’t do it until we are back in the states though:(
I am pinning this for later! Good luck! I hope having these beds in the sunlight will lead to lots of fresh produce–keep everyone posted.
Have a great week. found at whatever goes wed.
I was surprised at how simple the box was for Honey to build. I can’t wait to see what yummy veggies we get! So happy you are pinning for later!
I love growing tomatoes and I use a raised bed much like you built. My problem is always trying to keep the critters from eating them. Good luck with your tomatoes!
I know! We already have some silly squirrels digging up my beans and peas! Someone suggested building a fence all the way around the garden. That would probably work but sounds like a lot of trouble!
There is nothing better than home grown tomatoes. Your house looks beautiful!
Thanks Lindsay! We got lucky with house #4 and are so blessed to have a huge backyard for the children to play in.
Well snap! My internet cut out right when I hit submit! LOL Your boxes look great. We built a few over the past couple of years and things that grow well here have been much happier in the boxes. You have so many more options to keep pests out when you have raised beds! Awesome job!
So glad you hear you have had success growing in containers. Every time we would plant a garden (aka sticking a tomato plant in the flower bed) it did nothing for us. 🙁
Oh my! Kricket Krap—I was hysterical reading that.
Here’s to your green thumb
{giggle giggle!} I know! I thought it was hilarious!
This is awesome! Such a beautiful bed! It’ll be so exciting when things start to grow and you have your own produce. We love our gardens. Its well worth money spent!
I was so excited to see that your family was using a container garden too! I can’t wait to get tips from you on how to manage our teeny tiny garden. 😉
Hi Ashley. I nominated you for a Liebster award and you can come and check out my blog to see what it’s all about and if you want to participate.
Love this project and your helpful tips! Would love for you to stop by and share this on The Wednesday Roundup Link Party! http://lemoinefamilykitchen.com/2014/04/wednesday-roundup-week-20-link-party/
Thanks so much for the sweet comment and invite to your party! I just linked up! 😉
We container garden too – it is makes life so much easier and picking your own veg is so rewarding – good luck with your crops 🙂
Hey Amber! We are so excited about our little garden! Now… if we could only keep the squirrels and rabbits away? Got any suggestions that doesn’t involve me building a fence? 😉
You’re sure to hit a veggie home run with that great garden 😉
I know! We are all very excited about our little garden.
Your raised bed looks fabulous! And, it is such a great activity for everyone to be involved in – so great to see everyone pitching in to get it done – and to share in the yummy harvest later. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Karen! Since planting our garden we run out each morning to see if anything else is growing! My children can’t wait to see what the summer will bring.
I absolutely love this! Gorgeous! So cool! I can’t wait to see what you guys grow 🙂 Thanks so much for linking up at Thursday STYLE! Have a great week!
Hey Angela! So excited you like our little garden! It is so much fun to see what’s growing! Thank you for hosting your fun party!
Oh, I can not wait to start our veggie garden!! We’re expecting snow here tonight so I think it’s going to be a couple more weeks 🙁
Snow!? Oh my! Thank goodness we are done with all that here.
This is such a great idea!
Thanks again for joining the Link Up this week!
Wow! This is great! You are going to be blessed with some gorgeous and yummy veggies!!
Pinning!! Happy Easter to you and yours…. 🙂
“hugs” Crystelle
Crystelle Boutique
We can’t wait to make our first salsa and tomato pie! 🙂
Hi Ashley- thanks for linking this project up! It looks great! I am soooo embarrassed by the one critical mistake I made last year when I built a container garden! I can’t even print it, but it explains why everything died by july! Future post! thanks for your support- Please join the part tonight!!! laura
I can’t wait to hear about your awful mistake! We have a bag of Kricket Krap (aka HIGH powered fertilizer) and I have been so afraid to use. I’m worried we might end up with 8 foot tomatoes plants with no fruit.
{big hugs}
~ Ashley
I am hoping to do something like this, this weekend. Quick question though… You said one 4″ x 4″ x 6′ post then “the sides were secured with corner posts made with 10″ long 4″ x 4″ posts.
Did you cut down the 6 food like post to make the 10” ones?
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your awesome question! The 6’ post was the smallest length available, so we used it to cut out the 10” sections. You could use some 4×4 scraps you have laying around from other building jobs. I now have 32” left over that I can talk Honey into making something out of. Yeah!!!
Wow this looks great! I really love your little sections. I’m a little less organized! lol. Best of luck with your plants, can’t wait to see more about it. Thanks for sharing with us on Snickerdoodle Sunday!
It’s my husband that is the organized one. Honestly, I would have just plopped everything down in the ground! So happy you like our little garden!
This post is being featured today on my blog! thanks for linking up to our Pin-it Party! 🙂
Wahoo! You totally made my Saturday! Thanks so much for all your hard work hosting your party!
I’d love to have a vegetable patch, yours looks like a great foundation for one. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Happy Easter, have a great weekend!
We love our little garden! Thanks so much for hosting your fun party!