Repurposed Drawers for a Raised Bed Garden

Here was the dilemma: a 100 pound (and growing) Saint Bernard who loved to dig in the dirt. We have a square foot garden in our backyard filled with… you guessed it… dirt.

I knew we need to raise the garden or build a fence somehow to keep Sherman out of it. I didn’t really want a chicken wire fence because I thought he would still pummel through it and he can jump over any fences less than 3 feet high. Plus, I still wanted to see and access my vegetable garden.

So then I looked at more options of raising the garden and there are SO many. You can see on my Outside Pinterest board (follow me!), I played with a lot of ideas.

Follow Becca Krzmarzick’s board Outside on Pinterest.

Since we are remodeling our kitchen and I hate throwing things away that could have a second use, I decided to make a raised garden with kitchen drawers as the plant boxes. I played around with the design, but this is the final product.

how to make a raised Vegetable Garden of Repurposed Drawers | bexbernard.com

1) The first step was to hammer and nail two more 2x4s on top of the wood frame. I did this to make the base just a little higher barrier for our dog. We had these 2x4s laying around, so all I had to do was cut them with a band saw to be the correct length.

How to make a raised vegetable garden of repurposed drawers. Recycle or reuse household items to make a unique backyard. | bexbernard.com

2) Spray paint drawers fun colors. I used teal, forest green, and silver spray paints.

How to make a raised vegetable garden of repurposed drawers. Recycle or reuse household items to make a unique backyard. | bexbernard.com

3) Pour lots of dirt. I used 14 bags of Vigoro garden soil, 2 bags of manure, and 2 bags of compost and mixed them together. Then, I shoveled the dirt into the drawers and used a rake to level out the remaining dirt.

4) Place two 2x4s parallel to the front of the garden frame to set the drawers on. I did this to raise the drawers a little more and have a stable base. I wanted to make sure the drawers were above the garden frame so you could actually see them. I used a level to make them even, although I think in the end, they settled and are not even.

How to make a raised vegetable garden of repurposed drawers. Recycle or reuse household items to make a unique backyard. | bexbernard.com

5) I placed the larger drawers on the bottom with the first 2×4 just barely behind the ‘lip’ of the panel on the drawer. The back 2×4 was at the edge of the back of the drawer.

6) Next I turned two smaller 2x4s on their side and set them up behind the first layer of drawers to give them stability. I patted dirt around the 2x4s to secure them in place and then set the two smaller drawers on top of the bottom layer of drawers and the new 2x4s.

How to make a raised vegetable garden of repurposed drawers. Recycle or reuse household items to make a unique backyard. | bexbernard.com

How to make a raised vegetable garden of repurposed drawers. Recycle or reuse household items to make a unique backyard. | bexbernard.com

How to make a raised vegetable garden of repurposed drawers. Recycle or reuse household items to make a unique backyard. | bexbernard.com7) Shovel dirt around the boxes to cover the wood 2x4s.

How to make a raised vegetable garden of repurposed drawers. Recycle or reuse household items to make a unique backyard. | bexbernard.com

8) Then the best part – planting!

How to make a raised vegetable garden of repurposed drawers. Recycle or reuse household items to make a unique backyard. what to plant in your garden. | bexbernard.com

There are so many great reasons to grow your own food:

  • Tastes better
  • Healthier
  • Fresher
  • Connects you (or your kids) with food and how it’s grown
  • Environmentally friendly (no fuel in driving to store or having the food shipped to the store)

How to make a raised vegetable garden of repurposed drawers. Recycle or reuse household items to make a unique backyard. what to plant in herb garden. | bexbernard.com

How to make a raised vegetable garden of repurposed drawers. Recycle or reuse household items to make a unique backyard. | bexbernard.comI’d love to see pictures of your garden! Post a link in the comments section.

 

3 comments on “Repurposed Drawers for a Raised Bed Garden”

  1. Anonymous says:

    Looks great! Fun way to add color to your garden

    1. Becca says:

      Thank you! I used the paint we had in our garage instead of buying new. Maybe next year I will paint them a different color!

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