DIY Raised Garden Bed (from an old sofa table!)

Reuse an old sofa table to make an outdoor raised garden bed perfect for growing herbs or greens!

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

Sometimes, I get a little bored of projects halfway through.  In fact, I have so many unfinished projects laying around because I get a new idea about something else mid-project and switch gears.  I’m really trying to improve on my DIY attention issues, but thankfully, I didn’t struggle with it one bit on this raised garden bed.  I’ve been so excited about this project ever since I dreamed it up a couple of weeks ago.

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

It started with this sofa table that was given to me by my brother and sister-in-law.  Their mom was moving, and she didn’t want the table anymore.  I certainly didn’t want to add another piece of furniture to my already overcrowded garage, but I just couldn’t pass up a solid table with good bones.

Inspiration struck when I was searching for DIY raised garden beds.  I planned to build one, because I’ve recently discovered that building stuff isn’t nearly as scary as it once was a short year ago.  Then it hit me; I have a  long, thin, tall table in my garage.  The perfect size for a raised garden!  It was off to the races to figure out how to make it all work.

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An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

I started with an IKEA bin that I stole from my kids’ basement storage racks.  Oh, too bad, I now have to make another trip to one of the greatest stores on earth.  And, the kids will probably be hungry and I’ll just have to stop and eat.  I guarantee we’ll ride the elevators at least 5 times.  Happy kids = happy mom.

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

After drilling holes into the bin, I used it as my guide to trace the size of the bin onto the top of the dresser.  These bins have these little nubs on each corner, so although I traced rounded corners, I ended up needing to make them square.  Thankfully this made the cutting much easier!

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

I used my compact circular saw (like this one) and cut into the top.  The trick to starting the cut is to place the front guard onto the piece, pull the trigger to get the blade going, and then slowly lower the blade into the wood.  From there, it’s just straight cuts. I did need to use my jigsaw to get the small corner pieces cut out.

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

This table had a small drawer, but since the bins were going to be lower than the drawer, I knew it had to go.  I just sawed off the drawer pieces from the front, and then wood glued and nailed the front plate in place from both the top and the bottom.

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

After the holes were cut, I sanded it down before painting.

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!
An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

This DecoArt Outdoor Living is made for projects just like this!  It has a sealer right in it that makes it suitable for painting pieces that will be left outdoors.  I used Frosted Glass, but check out all these other colors that I had such a hard time deciding between.My girls come running every time they see my with a paintbrush in my hand.  Since this piece was staying at our house, I let them help me paint it.  The control freak in me still made sure to give my three year old the task of painting the underside of the table.

This is probably the easiest DIY raised garden bed I've ever seen. This would work great for lettuce and spinach.

I added three coats of paint because I wanted to be sure that any of the little imperfections were completely covered with paint.

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

This guy sits under a fairly large roof overhang, so it actually doesn’t get drenched when it rains.  So far, the paint it holding up beautifully.

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

Of course, I’ll definitely make sure to bring it into the garage or covered area for the winter.  I don’t like snow on me, so I’m guessing this guy won’t either.

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

The poor bunnies don’t stand a chance at eating this lettuce! (At least I don’t think they can jump that high.  Can they jump that high?  Maybe use those pots as stair steps?  Uh-oh.)

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!
This is probably the easiest DIY raised garden bed I've ever seen. This would work great for lettuce and spinach.
An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

Want to make sure you don’t forget about this idea?  Pin it for later!  (Many thanks!)

Think someone else might like this idea?  Pin it! (Again, thank you!)

An old sofa table can be reused as a DIY raised garden bed! This is such an easy outdoor project!

Do you like to refinish furniture?  Check out my post about the best kind of paint for furniture.

Here are a few other gardening DIY projects:

Jenny at Refresh Living (dev.refreshliving.com)

Post by Jenny Leads

Jenny is the voice behind Refresh Living. She has a passion for helping people to create a home they love without spending a lot of money.

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23 Comments

  1. You did a beautiful job! I love it! Hope the deer don’t come over for a quick salad. Happy weekend, Bev

    1. You are totally right, Bev; it’s the perfect height for deer, isn’t it?! I think they generally stay out of our yard with our two big dogs, but now with this lettuce bar right at their height, who knows!

  2. A ‘Salad Bar’ … that’s just too clever!! And the colors of the lettuce contrast so nicely with the paint. As far as I can see, the only things missing are the plates, forks, and vinaigrette. What time is lunch?

  3. Very clever idea. It turned beautiful. What a nice way to teach children about gardening

  4. Unconventional is quirky, and in my book quirky is cool! Love it Jenny, it’s always great to reuse what you have on hand! Inviting you to share it at #FridaysFurnitureFix over at my place!

  5. You gave me an idea! I wonder if this can be accomplished with an old school desk?

  6. I love the repurpose of the table. I wish I had a way to cover it. I would definitely be searching for a table to upcycle for my lettuce. Thanks for sharing on Sunday’s Best. I’ll be Pinning this post.

  7. Such a clever repurpose project! I love the color. This post will be Featured at the new Merry Monday party. Can’t wait to see what you share with us next. Love your creativity.

  8. This is so adorable, it’s my feature, it’s also perfect for Earth Day. I too am making a raised bed for Earth Day!. Great minds think alike.
    Maria