DIY A Budget-Friendly Raised Garden Planter With A Kiddie Pool

Gardening doesn't have to be difficult or expensive. You can still grow a wide variety of plants, even if your budget, available space, or energy doesn't quite match up with your dreams. For example, Roots and Refuge Farm on YouTube shared a tip for making an easy, inexpensive garden out of an unexpected item: a plastic kiddie pool. Not only does this idea save you from the exhausting work of digging garden beds, but it also upcycles an item that often ends up in the trash.

Jess from Roots and Refuge Farm took a standard plastic kiddie pool and prepared it for planting by drilling several holes in the bottom for drainage. She notes that the most expensive part of this project is the soil. The pool can be free if you're upcycling one you already have or find in the trash, or will cost under $10 to buy new (like this one from Walmart). It's important to fill the pool with good quality potting soil. Jess mentioned that three 50-lb. bags was enough to fill her pool, and the brand she used cost around $10 per bag. All in all, depending on pool size and which brand of soil you choose, this garden should cost less than $50, plus the cost of plants or seeds.

Put the bed in place before you fill it with soil, since it'll be heavy. Place it in an area that gets at least eight hours of full sun per day.

Certain plants are ideal for growing in a bed like this, and others might work better either in the ground or in deeper containers. A kiddie pool is around 10 inches deep, so you can plant a good variety of edible and ornamental plants. Plants that need heavy staking, such as large, indeterminate tomatoes or certain squashes that need to be trellised won't work as well because the stakes won't be able to be pounded in deeply enough. Large root crops such as potatoes and sweet potatoes aren't a good fit here, either, since they need more than 10 inches of soil depth to grow well.

But that leaves a whole range of other plants to grow! Leafy greens such as lettuce, kale, spinach, and arugula would all work perfectly. Smaller root crops like radishes, turnips, beets, and short carrots would also be a good fit. As Roots and Refuge Farm shows, growing tomatoes (determinate or dwarf varieties are best) and peppers works well. This would make an excellent strawberry garden, too. Plant annual flowers such as zinnias, marigolds, cosmos, or petunias if you want a splash of color. Make it into an herb garden by planting basil, oregano, chives, thyme, and rosemary. Or plant a combination of all of the above!