DIY Tiered Herb Garden

This easy-to-build DIY Tiered Herb Garden project took me less than half a day to complete. This is a simple design that is effective for adding more planting room for the vegetables and herbs you want to plant. Luckily I had some great helpers to fill them up when complete!

Check out this short video for an overview of the DIY Tiered Herb Garden Project.

Step 1: Decide on the best location for the tiered planter

I had this bare side of my deck that faced out into my back yard. I thought this would be the perfect spot to add the DIY Tiered Herb Garden along with a kind of raised bed along the remaining length of the desk just to clean it all up, add some color to the yard, and grow some great herbs and vegetables!

Step 2: Decide on the best size for the tiered herb garden

I’m not going to go into too much detail on the exact measurements I used, as you should just evaluate your space and decide on how big or small you want the tiered garden to be based on your needs and constraints. I decided to just utilized the space on the ends of the deck stairs for the tiered section of the garden and utilize the rest of the space extending to the end of the deck for a slightly raised planting bed.

Step 3: Purchase and Cut your boards

A rough idea of measurements would be something like below:

• Bottom box: 4′ wide x 3′ deep
• Middle box: 3′ wide x 2′ deep
• Top box: 2′ wide x 1′ deep

These measurements are close to what I used for the top and middle tiers, but I made my bottom box a little deeper just to utilize all of the wood from my two 8′ boards.

I used 2×12’s for the bottom box and 2×8’s for the middle and top boxes

I used 2×4’s for the cross bracing that the middle and top boxes rest on

I used pressure treated lumber from the local big box store, but you could use Cedar or another similar rot-resistant wood suitable for outdoor ground contact.

Step 4: Build your boxes

If you cut your boards correctly, this should be a quick and easy process.

All boxes are joined with simple butt joints using 3″ deck screws.

After your three boxes are assembled, cut a 2×4 to the inside depth of both the bottom and middle boxes.

Place the middle box on top of the bottom box, mark where you need the 2×4 support brace and attach the 2×4 brace using decking screws again. Repeat this process for adding the support brace to the middle box that supports the top tier box.

I then cut small ~6″ pieces of the leftover scrap just to attach the boxes to each other, this may or may not be necessary.

Step 5: Fill with Dirt

I used a combination of garden soil and compost to fill these up. Once full, soak the soil with water and tamp everything down with a rake or shovel. You will then likely need to add some more soil to each level. Once everything is full you are ready to plant.

Step 6: Plant herbs and vegetables in your new tiered garden

We planted herbs, vegetables, and flowers in the new tiered section of the garden to give a variety of function and add some much needed color to the back yard. I am not gardener, so I left that part to my wife and daughters. They had a blast getting dirty and contributing to the project. A garden is a great activity to do with children that serves many learning opportunities throughout the year.

Bonus Step: Add a raised bed to the DIY Tiered Herb Garden

I came off the corner of the tiered herb garden and made a raised bed extending to the end of the deck. I then used decking boards to hide the under side of the deck. This part used to be the plastic white trellis material that I have always despised. There is still some on the other sides of the deck that I plan to replace as well one day.

I hope you enjoyed this simple project that can be completed in a half-day and involve the entire family!

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