“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.” -Alfred Austin

Gardening is indeed good for body and soul—but it can be awfully hard on the back and the knees. Enter the raised garden bed; a wonderful gardening option that makes it easier for everyone to embrace the pleasures of gardening.

Not only is raised bed gardening easier physically, but the beds can also be a beautiful design element in your landscape. Rows of raised garden boxes are formal and orderly, the paths between them an opportunity to add additional decorative materials to your yard. Scroll through our favorite raised garden bed ideas and find the inspiration to create your own raised bed garden design today.

1. Raised Garden Bed Ideas Against a Wall

If your home has a sunny wall out back, placing your raised garden against it is a good idea. Some mid-century homes included this style of built-in planter box. If you’re lucky enough to have one—and it gets enough sunlight—this is an ideal place to locate your garden bed. If not, it’s fairly simple to build a DIY raised garden bed along a wall or fence.

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Cinder blocks, stacked stone, bricks, and recycled wood are all excellent materials for creating a raised garden bed along a wall. Keep your garden bed around 24″ deep, so it’s easy to reach all the way to the back. An ideal depth for a raised bed garden is 12 to 24 inches. If you’re growing climbing or flowering vines, be sure to hang a trellis behind the bed garden so the vines have something to grab onto.