Raised garden beds are super convenient and a fantastic way to grow food on almost any type of land. But filling them with soil can get pricey, especially if they’re really deep. The good news? You can use all sorts of materials to fill them cheaply and save money on soil.
Types of Raised Beds
Raised garden beds are basically mounds of soil where plants grow, instead of using the native soil like in traditional row gardening. There are tons of ways to make them.
- Wooden Boxes – Building wooden boxes is a popular way to create raised beds. Most of ours are made from wood. One big plus is that they’re pretty easy to assemble—just grab three 8-foot boards, cut one in half, and you’ve got a 4’x8’ bed. You can also make them as tall as you want by stacking more wood. The downside? They’ll eventually break down over time.
- Cinder Blocks – We’ve got several beds made from cinder blocks. The best part? They don’t deteriorate, so it’s a one-time purchase. They’re also simple to set up—no tools or building skills needed. On the flip side, getting them level can take some time, and you can’t easily make them taller.
- Metal Beds – Metal beds are getting popular, and for good reason. They won’t rot, last for years, and are a breeze to put together—seriously, one person can handle it. We’ve got an Olle Gardens 32″ rectangle bed that we use for low-growing crops like herbs and greens. Over time, we’ll probably add more of these since they make gardening easier as we get older.
- Hugelkultur – Hugelkultur beds are built by layering logs, compostable materials (like old hay, leaves, animal bedding, compost, and soil). They can be huge (up to 5 feet tall), but they don’t have to be. Even though “hugelkultur” is a German term, this method is used in many cultures. A friend from Kenya told me that in her village, when they build a house, they dig clay soil from the future garden area to make bricks. Once the house is done, they fill that sunken garden space with logs, branches, leaves, animal bedding, and other compostable stuff. By the next year, it’s ready for planting.
Filling a Raised Garden Bed
I’m a big fan of the hugelkultur method for filling raised beds on a budget. I always use chicken bedding, leaves, and pine needles to cut down on soil costs. Since the Olle Garden bed is so tall, I also tossed in some old logs and branches we had lying around.
The trick is to stack items with the slowest-to-break-down materials at the bottom. For a deep raised bed, the layers (from bottom to top) might look like this: rotted logs, branches, leaf mold, animal bedding, old hay, lawn clippings, soil, and compost.
Here’s a list of things you can use to fill your raised beds—no need to use them all, just whatever’s easiest to get:
- Cardboard/Newspaper – Great for the bottom of the bed (especially if it’s under 18″ tall) to help with weeds.
- Logs – Perfect for filling space. Rotted logs are best since they use less nitrogen as they break down.
- Branches – Break down faster than logs but can be a bit messy. Cutting them helps them lay flat. Fresh branches with leaves still on are fine—they’ll add nitrogen.
- Leaf Mold – Decaying leaves are packed with microbes and worms that help break down bigger materials. We collect neighbors’ leaves in winter and let them decompose before using them.
- Animal Bedding – Livestock bedding works, but most types need to age first. Our chicken coop bedding sits for at least six months before we use it.
- Rotting Hay – Adds structure to soil. We use old hay in lower layers and fresher hay as mulch.
- Pine Needles – Won’t make soil acidic, despite what some think. We use them to build soil in our beds.
- Lawn Clippings – A nitrogen-rich layer that helps prevent nitrogen loss in the soil above.
- Coffee Grounds – Another great nitrogen source. Many coffee shops give them away for free.
- Soil – You’ll want at least 6 inches (or more, depending on the plants). Choose a light, loamy soil for drainage—heavy topsoil compacts too easily.
- Compost – A top layer of compost boosts nutrients. Bagged or homemade works!
- Mulch – Helps with weeds and moisture. We use leaves, hay, straw, or wood chips—whatever’s handy.
Review of Olle Gardens Metal Raised Beds
Like I mentioned earlier, we have an Olle Gardens 32″ metal bed. We got it because my husband has cancer, and bending over gets harder for him as it progresses. The taller bed lets him harvest without straining.
The Olle Garden came with everything needed to assemble it—panels, bolts, nuts, washers, a wrench, and clear instructions. I put it together solo, though the height made it a little tricky (I had to lay it sideways to attach the bottom bolts). A shorter bed would’ve been easier.
Since it’s so tall, we’re growing low plants like herbs and greens. Tall crops (okra, tomatoes) would need a shorter bed, like their 17″ version.
We love our Olle Garden bed and think you will too! In fact, here’s a 10% discount code—just use [this link](insert link), and the code will auto-apply.
