20 DIY Vegetable Garden Plans You Can Make Today (With Pictures)
- Pete Ortiz
- Last updated:
Having a vegetable garden at home can not only save you money but provide you with healthy, delicious vegetables too. Not to mention that planting and growing your own vegetables is a rewarding and enjoyable hobby as well.
That said, to successfully grow your own vegetable garden, you need the right plan. Luckily, we’re here to help! Here are 20 easy vegetable garden plans you can get started on today.
The 20 DIY Vegetable Garden Plans:
1. Pallet Vegetable Garden
Materials | A wooden pallet, mounting brackets, screws, landscape fabric, soil, vegetables |
Tools | Shovel, flower cutters, staple gun, scissors or knife |
Difficulty | Moderate |
This pallet vegetable garden is one of the more interesting plans you can build by yourself. You can pin it anywhere around your house as it will make any wall look stunning. You will need some basic materials for crafting this plan, and no special skills or experience is necessary. You can recycle most materials used; an old pallet found in your backyard that is no more of use, and you can repurpose an old pond liner or a sheet that is sitting in your shed.
2. Small Spiral Vegetable Garden
Materials | Rocks, soil, vegetables |
Tools | Shovel |
Difficulty | Easy |
The spiral vegetable garden plan is another gorgeous-looking garden idea that is perfect for those people that do not have that much space available for gardening. It is effortless to make since it does not require any specials tools or skills to build. This plan will give your garden a fairytale look, and the best part is that you can grow your veggies here. Because of the structure’s shape, it will be very easy to maintain the vegetables and harvest every one of them effortlessly.
3. Planter Ladder
Materials | 72 inches long fence pickets, decking screws, galvanized nails, staples, soil, vegetables |
Tools | Staple gun, jigsaw, carpenter’s square, drill, tape measure |
Difficulty | Moderate |
This vegetable garden plan is one you can genuinely place anywhere; you can add it as a part of your outdoor garden design or put it somewhere in your home where it will surely be the center of attention. Besides the fact that this plan will look gorgeous in your home, you’ll also be able to fill it with many different vegetables and herbs. You can harvest these daily for making your meals, which is a huge advantage of building this DIY ladder planter. You can easily build it on your own as it doesn’t require much experience.
4. Metal Raised Vegetable Garden
Materials | Corrugated metal, metal flashing, wood, deck screws, soil, vegetables |
Tools | Skill saw, tape measure, drill |
Difficulty | Moderate |
This raised metal vegetable bed is a perfect solution for people who love gardening but don’t want to spend their days bent over or kneeling on the ground. It seems relatively easy to make, and after crafting this raised garden bed, you will have a beautiful industrial design in your backyard. If you have back problems but still wish to have a garden of your own, this raised garden bed is ideal.
5. Cloth Pocket Hanging Garden
Materials | Hanging cloth/ pocket organizer, curtain pole or pipe fittings, screws, metal saucepan, hanging hooks, a 2-inch piece of wood as long as the cloth pocket, soil, vegetables |
Tools | Tape measurer, electric screwdriver |
Difficulty | Easy |
The idea of a DIY vegetable garden hanging on the wall in a cloth pocket sounds terrific, and anyone can do it, no matter your skill level. You can build this exciting cloth pocket planter with very few materials and tools, and it will look unique hanging on your walls. It is best to keep it outside because of the drainage and dripping, but it can still look impressive indoors too.
6. Barrel Pots Vegetable Garden
Materials | Barrels (as many as you need), soil, vegetables |
Tools | Drill |
Difficulty | Easy |
Planting a vegetable garden in barrel pots has many advantages besides its beautiful vintage look. It will cost you almost nothing, and it doesn’t require any special tools other than a drill that will help you make drainage holes. Planting in wooden barrels gives you so much space to work with, yet the barrels will be easy to transport all over your garden as you wish. You can plant any vegetable in these adorable planters, and this whole assembly will give spirit and charm to your vegetable garden.
7. Small Greenhouse
Materials | One or two reclaimed windows, lumber longer than the window size, screws, hinges, soil, vegetables |
Tools | Tape measure, jigsaw, electric screwdriver |
Difficulty | Moderate |
This small greenhouse plan is perfect for people who live in areas where the weather is not always ideal for plant growth. If extreme temperatures prevent you from growing healthy vegetables, this DIY small greenhouse project is perfect. The best part about it is that you can place it almost anywhere you like, although it would look best on your patio. You can grow almost any types of vegetable in this greenhouse and it will shield them from heavy rain, hail, or direct sunlight.
8. Hanging Vegetable Planter
Materials | 16-inch hanging basket, coco fiber, soil, vegetable of your choice |
Tools | Garden scissors or a very sharp knife |
Difficulty | Easy |
One of the most effortless plans on our list is the hanging vegetable planter. You will need only three basic materials: a planter, coco fiber, and the vegetable of your choice. Line the planter with coco fiber, which will work great for aerating the soil, reducing watering, and resisting fungus and pests. You can hang this beautiful and creative planter anywhere, and you can always make more planters once you get the hang of it. One planter means one vegetable, so imagine having a whole vegetable garden hanging in these unique planters!
9. Raised Vegetable Garden Bed
Materials | 6-feet cedar fence picket, 8-feet square unfinished cedar board, weed barrier fabric, screws, soil, vegetables |
Tools | Drill, table saw |
Difficulty | Moderate |
This plan for growing your vegetables on a raised garden bed is a great way to reuse some old cedar planks lying around and give your garden an attractive and creative touch. This plan is great for people looking for a more elevated garden bed, as the height you want for this garden bed is entirely up to you to decide. You can plant any vegetable in this garden and have unique and easy access to the vegetables at any time.
10. Children’s Vegetable Garden
Materials | Soil, vegetables |
Tools | Shovel |
Difficulty | Easy |
A vegetable garden isn’t something only adults can maintain. If your kids are creative and curious, let them be a part of your everyday gardening rituals. Even if you think they are too young to help out, you will be amazed at how gentle kids can be with plants and how much knowledge they can absorb. Make them a little DIY vegetable corner of their own, where they can plant any vegetable of their desire—with your help. It can be a fun and educational project for them, learning about taking care of plants and at the same time spending quality time outside with family.
11. Vertical Vegetable Tower Garden
Materials | Two PVC pipes (8 inches and 2-inch diameter), soil, vegetables |
Tools | Electric drill, hole saw, pencil, tape measure |
Difficulty | Hard |
This vertical vegetable tower is a great way to utilize smaller spaces and have multiple vegetables in one place. It will allow you to have dozens of plants growing vertically on top of each other in only 1 square foot of space. Even though it will require time and skills to make, you can do this entirely independently. This garden plan will look fantastic anywhere you place it, though you may consider putting it in partial shade, so your plants won’t burn in direct sunlight.
12. Washtub Vegetable Planter
Materials | Galvanized washtub, soil, dirt, and vegetables of your choice |
Tools | Drill |
Difficulty | Easy |
This washtub vegetable plan is another one on the list that is incredibly easy to make but will give a charming vintage feel to your garden. You can probably find all the materials for this plan in the corner of your shed, and the only tool you will need is a drill to add holes to the bottom of the container for drainage. Adding this galvanized planter to your vegetable garden collection will give your garden a timeless look and always be the centerpiece of your backyard or patio.
13. Vertical Garden Wall
Materials | Eight 1×4 cedar boards, Five 2×4 cedar boards, seven 6 foot long cedar fence pickets, wood screws, pocket hole screws, brad nails, wood glue |
Tools | Table saw, miter saw, Kreg jig, drill, brad nailer, speed square, clamps |
Difficulty | Hard |
For those of you that are looking for a challenge when building a vegetable garden and want to spend your afternoon crafting it, then we’ve included a perfect DIY vertical garden plan for you. This massive garden wall will make any space pop, indoor or outdoor, and give it a vintage, barnhouse look. This planter wall requires more time and experience, but when you finish making it, it will look great in your garden.
14. Self-Watering Vegetable Planter
Materials | Lumber, pocket hole screws, exterior grade screws, staples, wood glue, duck tape, deck stain
Materials for the sub-irrigation system: Landscape fabric, drain pipe, PVC tube, flexible tube, pond liner, vermiculite, and peat moss |
Tools | Miter saw, power drill, Kreg jig, tape measure, staple gun, utility knife |
Difficulty | Hard |
We’ve got a solution for those of you who constantly forget to water your plants, no matter how low-maintenance they are. We included a DIY guide for building a self-watering vegetable garden. You may need to put in some time to craft this innovative planter, but it will be worth it. It will do all the work for you by watering your vegetables automatically when needed. Place this vegetable garden in your backyard, and enjoy harvesting vegetables with minimum effort.
15. Hydroponic Vegetables
Materials | Two trays, a see-through lid, Rockwool cubes, grow lights |
Tools | None |
Difficulty | Easy |
Hydroponic gardening is a method of growing plants without using soil. This is an effortless technique to grow your plants, and the best part is that you can place your hydroponic garden almost anywhere since it doesn’t require much space. This DIY guide is very easy to follow and can be done in less than an hour and with minimal investment. By using the hydroponics method, your will be able to control the speed of your plants’ growth by adding nutrients to the water and get better results faster than if the plants were grown in a regular garden.
16. Vertical Garden Pyramid
Materials | 4” x 4” x 6” cedar planks, 1” x 4” x 6” cedar planks, 2” x 2” x 8” cedar planks, 2” x 2” plywood, wheel casters, deck screws, wood glue, gravel, dirt, varnish |
Tools | Drill, table saw, clamps, brush |
Difficulty | Hard |
This pyramid vegetable garden is a great way to grow a larger quantity of vegetables in a smaller and limited garden space. Even though it will not take up much of your garden, it will still be the absolute centerpiece. Besides growing vegetables in this creative and innovative way, you will also have a vegetable garden be a part of your outdoor design. This vintage style will fit in with any space that you place it in.
17. Cinder Block Raised Bed
Materials | 12 cinder blocks, 12 concrete top caps, garden soil, vegetables of your choice |
Tools | No tools are required for this project |
Difficulty | Easy |
If you were thinking of adding a raised vegetable bed to your garden, or you already have a wooden raised bed and are thinking of upgrading it, then we have the right garden plan for you. Making a cinder block raised bed is a perfect solution to adding more charm to your garden while also making a practical way of planting vegetables. Other than giving your garden an elegant look, this raised bed will make it easy for you to harvest vegetables once they grow.
18. Large U-Shaped Raised Bed
Materials | Two 4′ x 8′ plywood planks, three 4×4 8′ treated planks, 13 2×4 8′ treated planks, nine 2×4 8′ cedarwood, eight cedar deck boards, galvanized wood screws, galvanized assembly plates, spruce strapping, welded mesh, geotextile |
Tools | Electric screwdriver, miter saw, drill, tape measure |
Difficulty | Hard |
This U-shaped raised garden bed is perfect for people looking to add some innovative design to their gardens. This plan is ideal for people who don’t want to do gardening while bent down on the ground, hurting their back, instead of gardening gracefully while standing up. You may need to invest more material to make this plan, but it is easy to make. You can fit this vegetable bed almost anywhere, and it will add elegance to your garden, backyard, or patio. You can go out and harvest plants daily with minimum effort.
19. Milk Crate Vegetable Garden
Materials | A milk crate, landscaping fabric, soil, seeds, or already grown vegetables |
Tools | Scissors |
Difficulty | Easy |
This milk crate vegetable garden is a great way to keep more vegetables stacked in one place. This is a clever way to grow vegetables if you live in a smaller space since you can place them anywhere around your house. You can sort them in your garden as you desire, build them to have higher and lower levels, and design them in any way; they will always look great. This DIY plan is very easy to make and doesn’t require many special tools and materials, as you can find used crates anywhere for free.
20. Potato Garden Tower
Materials | Around 6′ of fencing wire, tying wire, straw, soil, potato seeds |
Tools | None |
Difficulty | Easy |
This DIY potato planter is a great way to add uniqueness to your garden. This planting technique is gaining more popularity because it is available for anyone, even those with smaller and limited gardens. This is an excellent, space-saving method, and it works by stacking seed potatoes one on top of the other. While this may sound confusing, it works in an ingenious way. You will allow all of them to reach the sun plus and add an original and innovative design to your garden.
Final Thoughts
This article has summed up 20 creative and original ways to craft a vegetable garden. These plans will give any garden a unique charm. These ideas are available for anyone to make on their own, and you can even get started today after gathering all the supplies needed.
Featured Image Credit: Bambang F Indarto, Shutterstock
Contents