Raised beds are ideal for a home garden because they drain well and give the gardener full control over soil quality, but they aren't cheap. That said, one way to save money is to build your own — and one TikToker has just demonstrated an easy way to do it.
The scoop
Guru Earth Child (@guru_says) posted a video of her trip to the hardware store earlier this year.
@guru_says #melanatedgrowers #raisedgardenbeds #blackgirlsgardening #urbanfarming #diygardenbed #gardeninginthecity #smallspacegardening #microfarming #gardeninginthecity #girlswhogrow ♬ original sound - Guru Earth Child
"You're going to get you one of these little taco carts, you're going to go over to the wood section, and you're going to get you some 2" by 4" by 8-foot boards — pressure treated," Guru Earth Child says.
After demonstrating how the boards fit in her ordinary hatchback car, she cuts to a shot of her garden, where she's built two new square garden beds from the wood.
But there are no saws, nails, or screws involved. Instead, she focuses on the corner of one bed, where a square brick with notches on each side holds the boards perfectly in place.
"That's a planter block," the TikToker says. "You just slip the boards down into those planter blocks, and that's it … you don't even need a tool."
How it's helping
Using planter blocks takes all the construction out of constructing raised beds, saving time and hassle. To use this hack, gardeners don't need to know any woodworking skills or even own tools: all it takes is a few standard, uncut boards and the blocks themselves.
This method is also much more affordable than premade planters, which makes home gardening more viable for more and more people.
What everyone's saying
One commenter was concerned about Guru Earth Child's choice to use pressure-treated wood.
"The preservatives may become a component of food," they point out. But another commenter replies, "True for older treated woods like railroad ties, but now the methods are as safe as anything." Guru Earth Child adds, "They are pressure treated with copper, which is totally safe."
Another TikToker also endorses the planter block method. "Exactly what I did," she says. "If the boards go bad it's easy to change whichever one out."
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