DIY Skinny Deck Gardening Beds
DIY Skinny Deck Gardening Beds are perfect for gardening in a small space. Made with 2 tiers, you can plant up to 20 plants in each bed.
Our family loves fresh vegetables, herbs, and flowers, and so does central Oregon wildlife. Because we had 12 raised garden beds back home (where we moved from a year ago), when spring arrived this year, we were longing for a garden!
Secretly, our favorite spring crop to grow is fresh lettuce! There’s nothing quite like a lettuce wrap with garden butterleaf lettuce!
Because of the deer, there’s no way we could plant a garden on the forest floor, so we decided to make a garden in the sky (our wrap-around deck). Along the length of the south side of our upper deck, where the sun hits the most, my hubby built these perfect DIY Skinny Deck Gardening Beds.
DIY Skinny Deck Gardening Beds
Our 2 DIY Skinny Deck Gardening Beds are made out of cedar, 9.5 inches wide, 12 inches tall, and both 64 inches. They reside on both sides of our chimney on the upper deck.
Paul saw a picture of something similar in a magazine (probably Sunset Magazine, where we got our Sunset Magazine Inspired DIY Outdoor Sectional idea), so he used it as his inspiration.
We both especially liked how it was a double-decker: One bed was higher than the other, allowing for more sunlight to hit each plant, yet keeping the entire bed as skinny as possible.
There were no plans, so he made it up as he went. One problem was that it was hard this time of year to find any cedar that would work. So we bought 2×10 cedar that was on sale at Parr Lumber, in Bend, Oregon.
Paul cut it into 4×6 inches, then milled both those sections in half. He stacked the pieces on top of one another to create a 12-inch high bed with an 8-inch high bed in front of it, with a total width of 9.5 inches. This allows plenty of space to walk by the beds on the side deck.
Next we filled the beds with a special mixture retaining saving potting soil (we bought it at Costco) and central Oregon soil, which is very loose and somewhat sandy. Perfect soil to retain moisture very well.
The former owners left us a gallon of stain that matches the house perfectly. So we made sure not to put stain on the inside of the bed, to keep it away from the soil.
Up to date there has been no sign of even one insect (or slug), unlike our last garden!
What’s inside the beds
Just look how pretty they are!
Yes, these are long garden beds.
Beautiful chives.
Favorite zinnias are growing.
Baby lettuce plants are taking off.
On the other side of the chimney we planted lavender, tomatoes, Thai basil, red rubin basil, oregano, dill, and yummy lettuce! (We just planted these this week.)
Last night we planted red gerbera daisies!
We’re ready for summer, friends, with fresh produce, and beautiful cutting flowers!
Ready for hosting and mingling and getting to know new people in our neighborhood!
What kind of hosting will you be doing this summer?
More gardening posts: Square Foot Gardening ($50) – Bless This Mess Please. Our greenhouse at our old house (which we left behind, sniff-sniff). Tomato Growing Tip – Wine and Glue.
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I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
Did you include any drainage? Is it needed?
Hello! No drainage, we didn’t feel it was necessary. :)
My dad just helped the kids with their first garden box and they are so excited to see the plants grow! :)
Fun! I planted containers on my porch because we have a multitude of bunnies and deer and I was tired of feeding them…lol. My containers are doing really well. I might need to plant more lettuce, kale and carrots as those aren’t doing quite as well. I love being able to step onto my porch and pick what I’ve grown