15 Unusual DIY Vegetable Gardens
Updated on January 4, 2019
We know that spring isn’t quite ready to, well, spring just yet where we live, but we’re such avid green thumbs that you can bet we’re already planning our garden plots and strategies for the year! We’re still pretty new to the whole concept in the grand scheme of things, so we’re always learning and changing what we’re doing and how we’re doing it, but that’s never a bad thing. This year, we’ve decided we’d like to use gardening as a practical hobby (since we love growing herbs and vegetables) and and opportunity for a little bit of yard decor! That’s why we’ve been looking up different ways to make our own fantastically unique vegetable gardens once the weather is right.
Just in case you’re as interested in the idea of getting a little bit creative with this year’s vegetable garden plots as we are, if not more, here are 15 of the very best ideas, designs, and tutorials we’ve come across so far!
1. PVC pipe standing garden
Are you hoping to plant several different things this year but you’re worried that you have limited space in your tiny backyard and you don’t want to put roots too close to one another that really shouldn’t be? In that case, we think you’ll benefit from the space efficiency (and generally just the awesome look) of this fantastic PVC pipe standing garden outlined step by step on Ugrosystems.
2. Counter height garden boxes
Garden boxes are a great thing for keeping weeds and natural crawlers from making their way into your garden and rooting next to your herbs and veggies where they’ll steal nutrients from your plants. What’s even better (and often more convenient to work on, not to mention gentler on your bad and knees) are these counter-height garden boxes! See how these ones were made from scratch on Ana White.
3. Garden in a boat
When you started looking for creative and unique ways to plant and display your next vegetable garden, were you actually hoping for something really unconventional that can act almost as a statement piece in your yard? In that case, we have a feeling you’ll get a huge kick out of the way The Gardening Blog planted their entire vegetable garden inside an old wooden boat!
4. Hanging pallet herb garden
Were you a huge fan of the vertical rack garden but you’re just not sure that you have enough things in mind to plant to warrant making that entire piece you saw earlier on our list? In that case, we’d absolutely suggest taking a look at how Messy Art made this adorable wooden pallet wall garden instead! We love the idea of using this if you only have a few herbs in mind.
5. Anti-gravity tomato garden
Besides looking totally awesome and creating a veritable green curtain in your yard, these awesome anti-gravity tomato planters, which are large buckets hung from a tall wooden frame, actually help your tomato plants thrive with lots of space to grow, since they can grow downward instead of having to climb out and up! Find out how they’re created in more detail on 1001 Gardens.
6. Wire bean house
Speaking of plants that often climb upward, here’s an awesome solution for those of you who’d like to plant beans this season but want to make sure they have lots of vertical space so they can thrive instead of falling into the dirt where they can’t get sun and air! Check out how Fiskars made a house-like structure from chicken wire that their bends can scale at leisure all the way around the outside.
7. Repurposed supplies raised bed
Were you a huge fan of the idea of making your very own raised garden beds so your plants can be safe from weeds and you don’t have to spend a lot of time down on the ground but you’d actually prefer to do at least a little less woodworking than you saw in the option we showed you earlier on our list? In that case, we’d absolutely suggest taking a look at how Design Sponge made this table from repurposed supplies instead! They give you several suggestions for things you can use for the top or the bed itself.
8. Tin can garden wall
Are you still thinking about the idea of a space-saving vertical garden wall like we showed you a little earlier but you’re not sure a reclaimed pallet is quite the look you’re going for? In that case, we’d absolutely suggest taking a look at how Ewa in The Garden made an entire herb wall using upcycled coffee cans!
9. Hanging basket garden
Believe it or not, some vegetables can actually be grown in quite small spaces, which is why hanging vegetable gardens work so well. If you’re hoping to grow cherry or grape tomatoes this year, we’d urge you to consider how nicely HGTV displayed theirs in a hanging basket. Just keep an eye on them so they don’t drop off the spreading vines as they ripen!
10. Retracting window garden
We’ve done a lot of talking about plants as they can be organized for space and function, but what if you’re kind of hoping to get really innovative with your design? Then we think you just might be the person to give this fantastic retracting window garden a try! It’s kind of like the Murphy bed of herbs and veggie gardens. See how it’s done in more detail on Gardenista.
11. Garden roof dog house
If you ask us, one of the best ways of saving space is to create something that serves a dual purpose, that way you’re kind of killing two birds with one stone. You can imagine, then, how amused we were when we found this hilarious tutorial from Savannah How that shows you how to build your dog a new house that is also a garden bed on top!
12. Cinder block vertical garden
Have all of these garden wall ideas got you thinking about whether or not you might actually build yourself an entire green wall from scratch? Well, if you’re feeling up for a real challenge and you love the way industrial inspired green spaces look, then we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how Penick built this one using cinderblocks.
13. Wire and wood frame vertical vegetable wall
Perhaps you were rather intrigued by the wire climber idea we showed you above because you actually do plan on planting some climbing plants this season but you’re just not sure you have the space to build a structure in the middle like that? Then maybe you’d prefer to build yourself a veritable living wall of greenery that sits flush against your house or fence instead! Check out how this one was made by DIY Net using wood and wire.
14. Stacked crate vertical garden
Were you actually a huge fan of the cinderblock wall in theory but you’re just not sure you want so much concrete in your green space, since the rest of your home is a more natural, slight rustic aesthetic? In that case, we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how Little Green Dot made this fantastic wooden crate wall, stacking them solidly but decoratively and making each one home for a different vegetable or herb.
15. Vertical clay pot garden ropes
Are you actually working with a very limited space indeed and you’ve been scrolling through hoping to find something even more uniquely space efficient than what you’ve seen so far? Well, if you’ve got a balcony, then all you need besides your plants to make this fantastic vertical hanging garden featured on The Horticult is some terra cotta pots, some rope, and some screw hooks!
Do you know another gardening lover and DIY enthusiast who adores getting creative with their setups and displays whenever they can, but who could also use some inspiration? Share this post with them so they have all kinds of new ideas to try!