The most challenging part of gardening is getting started—but we’re here to show you just how easy that can be. Why? Because there's a certain kind of joy you get from caring for a plant that just can’t be replicated, and it's just a DIY project away.
In this blog post, we’ve gathered our favorite garden projects to help you get yours up and running. No matter how big or small your yard—or if you don’t have a yard at all—these beginner-friendly garden projects and planting guides will help you find your green thumb.
Setting up your garden
Before you can sow your seeds, you need to give them a good place to grow. The projects below offer a variety of growing venues, from raised beds to vertical trellises. If you already have a place to grow, skip down to the second section to check out our planting guides.
How To Build a Planter Bed
Planter beds might look complex, but they’re an easy weekend project that can improve the look of your yard and provide good drainage for your plants. Not to mention, there is nothing quite as satisfying as growing your own garden.
Cedar, Juniper, or Pressure-Treated Wood: What To Use When Building a Raised Bed
You have a lot of options when it comes to choosing what material to construct raised beds out of—so many that it can be a lot more difficult to choose one than it is to build it! In this guide, we walk you through the pros and cons of three of the most popular types of lumber.
How To Make a Vertical Planter
Gardening is a great way to get outdoors, enjoy nature, and get some fresh produce in your life. But it can be challenging to garden if you don’t have a yard—or if your yard just isn’t in the right place to get that much-needed sun. This DIY vertical planter creates more space by growing up instead of out, and, even better, it’s easy to move to wherever the sunshine is. It can even be used for an apartment balcony garden!
How To Build a Garden Trellis
If you’re like so many of us in Seattle, your outdoor space is a stoop or balcony—but don’t let that stop you from growing! This trellis is a classic design for growing a climbing vine that looks great against the side of your house, end of your balcony, or standing out in the garden.
How To Build a Potting Bench
A potting bench is a perfect project for those of us who love to garden but don’t have a workstation to do so. This garden potting bench keeps everything tidy and in one place—and it works just as well living in a backyard as it does in a garage (or even an apartment balcony).
How To Build a DIY Garden Storage Shed
Building a garden takes a lot of work—and a lot of tools. This DIY garden storage shed is designed to make the most out of your small space. It’s complete with a fold-away table and half-shelf, so you can store your tools in the same place as you work. If you’d like more space for tools, customize the storage shed to your needs by adding shelves or leaving off the fold-away table.
Planting your garden
Once you've found a space to grow, it's time to decide what you want to plant. The guides and how-tos below will help you decide what, when, and where to plant different fruits and vegetables.
How To Garden in Planter Boxes
There’s a common misconception that you have to have a yard to grow a garden. In this post, our friends at Swansons Nursery show us how to create a vibrant garden in balcony-friendly planter boxes with this planter box growing guide. (To make the boxes, check out the accompanying project plan.)
How To Grow Your Own Strawberries
In our temperate Seattle weather, strawberries are a great plant to start in the winter as a bare-root plant that will come alive in spring. You can also wait to plant until late spring when the weather has warmed up to accommodate growth. This strawberry planter is a great way to start a small crop of berries without taking up too much space.
How To Build a DIY Potato Planter
Did you know you can grow 100 pounds of potatoes in just four square feet? We did a bit of research and learned that Fingerling, Pontiac, and Yellow Finn potatoes actually grow much better vertically than horizontally—so of course, we had to DIY a vertical potato planter!
How To Grow Vegetables in the Pacific Northwest
It might seem kind of intimidating, but growing fresh vegetables in your garden isn’t really that hard at all. In fact, if you play your cards right, you can have fresh veggies growing year-round. Because of the fairly mild winters and pretty short summers we get here in the Pacific Northwest, a lot of the vegetables that would die in other climate's extreme heat or extreme cold can thrive here. Find out what to plant and when in this bookmarkable guide!
Growing a garden is a lot easier than it seems, and we hope these projects help you get yours started. For even more garden projects and tips, be sure to check out our full gardening project archive.
