Container gardening is a great way to enjoy growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers without having to have the space or the time for a traditional garden. But honestly, the easiest way to garden is the best way to garden. So make container gardening super easy by building yourself one of these DIY raised planter boxes, with these free plans and tutorials.
These are awesome because they are planters on legs, bringing everything up to a height where you can weed, plant, harvest and enjoy all that you grow, without bending, leaning, or kneeling. Also, they look so much better than a simple pot on the ground!
Why Build a DIY Raised Planter Box?
As I mentioned, a DIY raised planter box is a great addition to your front or back garden because it means you don’t have to bend or kneel to take care of your garden – your back will thank you! Also, it can look so pretty, whether it’s a focal point in the center of your garden or built against the side of your home.
Building a DIY raised planter box isn’t as complicated as you might think, as you’ll soon see in our DIY guides and tutorials below. Plus, if you’re pretty new to DIY and don’t have a lot of confidence yet, it’s a great, low-stakes project to get you started. You can cover up any mistakes you make with potting mix and plants – nobody will ever know!
DIY Raised Planter Box vs Raised Garden Bed: Pros and Cons
Some people talk about raised beds and raised planter boxes as if they’re the same thing, but there are a few differences. Although a raised garden bed is raised off the level of your ground, it doesn’t have legs or a base – it connects with the ground directly. This means that worms, microorganisms, and everything else in the ground can reach your plants.
On the other hand, a DIY raised planter box is built on legs and elevated from the ground. It’s a fully enclosed box, keeping your plants separated from the ground below. Although the two are similar concepts, they do have some key differences, and it’s important to decide whether a DIY raised planter box or raised garden bed is better for your container gardening.
How to Build Raised Planter Boxes
If you think a DIY planter box is the best for your space, you’ve come to the right place! We’ve got some great DIY planter box plans and tutorials coming up, with plenty of fun ideas to spark your imagination. Let’s “dig in,” shall we?
Basic DIY Raised Planter Box Plans With Legs
Most DIY planter box plans all follow a similar concept – an open box with legs. Here are a few of our favorite DIY raised planter boxes, depending on how much space you have and your style preferences.
DIY Cedar Raised Planter Box Plan with Legs
This cedar raised planter box from ‘Angela Marie Made‘ takes just a few hours to build. It’s small enough to easily allow you to grow on your porch or patio. And it definitely looks fancy enough to show off! Step by step directions, free plans you can download, and even a how to video.
DIY Plant Stand for Herbs
‘Jennifer Meyering‘ has a tutorial for her herb raised planter box that uses less expensive lumber, treated with a water seal product. All you need is lumber, deck screws and water sealant or stain color of your choice! Lot’s of photos of each step.
DIY Raised Planter Box with Black Frame
The plans for this super pretty planter can be found on ‘Instructables‘. They used cedar fence pickets and did the frame pieces in black to really make this box stand out. Youtube video available for the tutorial as well.
Redwood DIY Raised Planter Box
At ‘Charles and Hudson‘, they made this planter box so their son could learn about gardening. This is an awesome way to make an easy to care for kids garden. This one is made out of redwood for weather resistance. It’s also a nice size, perfect for planting a small vegetable and herb garden!
DIY Planter Box Plans With Shelving
If you don’t have a lot of space to work with in your garden, having some shelves underneath your DIY raised planter boxes can make a world of difference! You can either use the shelves for storing your tools (very handy so you don’t have to keep walking back and forth between your garage) or for doing some container vegetable gardening with shade-loving plants. Take a look at these DIY planter box plans with shelves.
DIY Raised Planter Box with Single Low Shelf
If you want to get a little fancier, ‘Fix This Build That‘ has plans and a video for a DIY raised planter box that has a shelf underneath. You could double your garden space by filling the shelf with potted plants as well!
Basic DIY Raised Planter Bed with Shelf
The team at Love and Renovations has it figured out – this DIY plant stand is one of the easiest on our entire list, but it looks great! The shelf below is great for storing your garden supplies or some extra plants, especially fresh transplants that might not be ready for full sun yet.
DIY Cedar Raised Planter Box with Shelving
This tutorial from Ana White says you can use any type of wood for this planter box, but I adore how their cedar version looks – it’s such a pretty color in the sun! This guide is so detailed, I’m sure you won’t have any questions at all!
Rustic DIY Raised Planter Box with Shelf
This tutorial from Chatfield Court is one of my all-time faves. The planter itself is very narrow, but nice and deep, meaning you don’t need a lot of soil but you can still grow many different types of plants. It’s great for tiny spaces, still gives you some storage space underneath, and has a gorgeous, rustic charm about it!
DIY Raised Planter Boxes Without Legs
Who said a planter box has to have legs? These DIY raised planter boxes may look like raised beds, but these outdoor planter projects actually still have a base, separating them from the ground below. Find everything you need in the DIY guides below!
Modern DIY Plant Stand
You might be looking for a little more minimal, modern look, but still want a planter box that is raised for easy gardening. No problem. This one by ‘Georgia Pellegrini‘ would look great on a deck, or with taller plants could be used as a privacy screen.
Simple DIY Raised Planter Box
This super simple DIY raised planter box can be made with just 3 steps! Add a trellis and expand the types of plants you can grow. From ‘Vintage Revivals‘.
Beginner’s DIY Raised Planter Box
Ok, this one technically does have legs, but they’re so small that they’re almost invisible! We’ve included it in this section because it doesn’t really fit the mold of a traditional raised planter box with legs. The tutorial from the DIY Mommy is nice and simple, and you’ll only need two tools! A beginner’s dream.
DIY Raised Planter Boxes With Tiers
I think tiered planter boxes really set you up for a beautiful container garden anywhere. I love the way the tiers give a feeling of texture and an added dimension to your planter boxes. Use these to grow strategically, with tall plants in the highest (back) tier and smaller plants in front.
Three-Tiered Raised Planter Box
This 3 tiered raised planter by ‘Hydrangea Treehouse‘ allows you to grow more in less space. Originally built as a strawberry planter, you could literally grow anything in here.
Tiered DIY Raised Planter Box with Trellis
Jump on over to ‘Anika’s DIY Life‘ and find the plans to make this tiered DIY raised planter box with a trellis. You could make a group of these to line the edge of a yard. Easy vegetable maintenance, or the prettiest container flower garden on the block.
Raised Planter with Trellis
‘Jen Woodhouse‘ made this planter box with this gorgeous trellis for less than $50! That is way less than you would pay for something similar at a store. Way.
Portable DIY Planter Boxes
These brightly colored boxes make it easy to garden literally anywhere! You could even try them indoors if you have a nice, sunny space. They’re so portable that you can actually move them around during the day – a great option if you’re trying to keep your plants in (or out of) the sun! Find the details over at Weekend at the Cottage.
Planter Boxes from Up-Cycled Materials
Up-cycling isn’t just a way to cut back on waste, it’s also a cheap way to create something cute and unique for your garden! These repurposed patio planter ideas are the perfect inspiration you need to finally dust off those old pieces of furniture that have been taking up space in the garage… If you’re looking for more up-cycled ideas, check out our article on planter benches and coffee tables!
DIY Planter Box from Old Pallet
We love a good pallet planter, and this tutorial from Mia Bella Passion is a great use for any old pallets you have lying around. You can either make a free-standing or hanging version, depending on your space and what you’re going for.
DIY Raised Planter Box from Sofa Table
Want to up-cycle? ‘Refresh Living‘ used an old sofa table and remade it into a raised planter. You might already have something like this right in your garage.
Suitcase DIY Raised Planter Box
Learn how to turn a suitcase into a super stylish planter with these plans from ‘Garden Therapy‘. We love this pretty project! The pipe legs give it an cool industrial look.
DIY Raised Bed Planter with Wheels
If you’re looking for a portable planter, this option from Freckles & Fluff is a great choice. It has wheels, so it’s easy to move around as needed – you won’t even break a sweat! Plus, it’s all made from cheap, upcycled materials, which is perfect if you’re on a tight planter box budget.
Use these Raised Planter Box Plans to Add Extra Gardening Space!
DIY raised planter box plans can help anyone garden, no matter how small their space, or what their limitations are. If you are looking for a place to find herbs, veggies and flowers to plant in your boxes, we love ‘Burpee‘.
And, we think you will love our posts on How to Grow Basil, and Vertical Vegetable Gardens. You should also check out Stunning Planter Boxes over at OhMeOhMy!