🪴 How to Make a Small Raised Garden Bed with What You Have at Home - Homeschool Project Idea

🧰 Materials You Might Already Have:

• Wooden boards or planks (old shelves, pallets, broken furniture)

• Bricks, cinder blocks, or large rocks

• Cardboard or newspaper (for weed barrier)

• Garden soil or compost (can mix with old potting soil)

• Screws/nails + hammer or drill (optional)

✅ Step-by-Step Guide

1. Choose the Spot

• Sunny location is key (at least 6 hours of sunlight).

• Flat and easy to access for watering.

  2. Lay a Base

  • Put down cardboard or 6+ layers of newspaper directly over the ground or grass. This smothers weeds and adds organic matter.

  3. Build the Frame

  Use any of the following:

  Option A: Wood

  • Use old wood planks, broken bed frames, pallets, or leftover lumber.

  • Make a rectangle or square shape.

  • Nail or screw corners together (or just prop together and brace with bricks).

  Option B: Cinder Blocks or Bricks

  • Line them up in a square or rectangle.

  • Hollow parts can be filled with herbs or flowers!

  Option C: Large Rocks or Logs

  • Stack rocks or old branches into a border.

  4. Fill the Bed

  Layer like this if you’re low on soil:

  1. Twigs or branches (bottom layer – adds airflow)

  2. Leaves or grass clippings

  3. Food scraps or compost

  4. Top layer: soil or old potting mix + compost

     This is called a lasagna garden or “hugelkultur” mini style!

  5. Plant Your Crops

  Great starter crops for a small raised bed:

  • Lettuce

  • Kale

  • Bell peppers

  • Carrots

  • Radishes

  • Herbs like basil, cilantro, chives

  6. Water & Mulch

  • Water deeply.

  • Use dried leaves, straw, cardboard shreds, or newspaper as mulch to keep soil moist and suppress weeds.

  ✨ Tips to Stretch Supplies:

  • Reuse milk jugs or juice bottles as mini greenhouses over seedlings.

  • Use egg cartons or takeout trays to start seeds.

  • Save kitchen scraps for DIY compost.

I hope this fun homeschool project can help you and your family start their journey towards growing your own foods, learning the cycles of life, and seeing how with patience and lots of sunlight you can create abundance!

Leave a comment below if you plan to start a garden, have one already, or even plan to start a homeschool community garden!