Cheap Outdoor Gardening Ideas for Small Yards (No Digging Required)

Spread the Love

Not all gardening has to be complicated, expensive, and a lot of work. Some are just a matter of adding dirt to the correct container. This post shares practical outdoor gardening ideas to help you create another temporary bed and add more vegetables to your garden. Recently, I set up a potato garden for my ever-growing vegetable garden.

Quick Answer: The cheapest way to expand your outdoor garden without building a permanent structure is a fabric grow bag (~50" diameter, holds 400 quarts of soil) - no tools (affiliate), no digging, and it folds flat for storage in winter. For under $30-40, it works as well as a raised bed for potatoes, beans, and other root or vining vegetables.

Jump to:

Key Takeaways
Supplies Needed for this project
Our project this weekend
Outdoor gardening for small spaces.
After Raised Garden Bed
How long did it take me?
Update 2023:
How to Make a Two Tier Raised Garden Bed
Outdoor gardening ideas
Organizing Raised Bed Garden
Vertical Garden Bed Types
Which Outdoor Garden Type Fits Your Space?
FAQ Affordable Garden Bed

Key Takeaways

Affordable outdoor gardening ideas include using fabric grow bags for easy and cost-effective vegetable gardening.
Setting up a potato garden and string bean garden involves using soil effectively and creating separate sections for different plants.
Vertical and large (affiliate) container gardens are great options for using small spaces to grow vegetables.
DIY projects like raised beds and grow bags offer flexibility and can be easily moved or stored.
Always consider drainage and light requirements when planning your garden layout to ensure healthy plant growth.

Supplies Needed for this project

Below is the list of supplies I used for this project. Feel free to click through and buy on Amazon (affiliate).

100 Gallon Grow Bag
Organic Outdoor Potting Mix - this depends on how large (affiliate) your grow bag is and what you are planting.
Shovel for adding and smoothing out the soil.
Garden Tags for labeling the area for the vegetables

Our project this weekend

Here's what I did this weekend. If you have read my blog for a while, you know I dismantled my garden last year and replaced it with this one. We decided to expand our garden because we enjoyed having fresh veggies over the summer. Our addition this year was our potato and string bean garden. While researching, I found it necessary not to put certain veggies together in the same garden; some veggies complement each other. For example, potatoes and string beans complement each other. And, since we love string beans, we wanted to make more of them. So we moved the string beans out of the three-tier garden into a garden bag. Here is the link to check out the different veggies complementing each other.

If you want to see how we set up the raised bed garden, here's the link to the post.

If you are wondering what a garden bag is, I found it at Gardeners.com. (not an affiliate) It is made of BPA-free (affiliate) polypropylene, measures 50" in diameter x 12" deep, holds 400 quarts (13.7 cubic feet) of planting mix, and is made in the USA. It's pretty affordable and comes folded, so it doesn't cost much to ship.

Outdoor gardening for small spaces.

Below is how I set up this new garden.

First, I added dirt to the center. We used garden soil (which I bought extra-large (affiliate) bags at the wholesale store). To change the dirt in the three-tier garden, we took some of that soil and transferred it into the center of this bag after we laid it out.

Add soil

I then added the soil until it was a little more than halfway full because I needed room to make a ditch.

Create straight-line ditches

But it turns out the circle-ditch idea wouldn't work because I wouldn't have enough room for the string beans. So, I changed the configuration of the potatoes and started all over again. The instructions for the red potatoes said that I needed to make a ditch, then add compost into the ditch and then the potatoes, and more dirt to cover the potatoes, then add more soil every few weeks while it grows, so I needed to be able to have a lower level of dirt on one side so I could add to it. Here's what I have now.

Divide the section of the bed for your different vegetable seeds

The potatoes are to the right, and the string beans are to the left. It works a lot better now. I was able to put more string beans into the bag this way. Plus, the string beans instructions said it needed a lattice, and I could add two smaller lattices to use on both sides. Hopefully, it will hold the weight of all the string beans.

Placement of the string beans and the potatoes

After Raised Garden Bed

Here is the finished garden. You can't tell, but the right side is lower than the left. The bag held together pretty well; I hope it will grow potatoes. Only time will tell.

How long did it take me?

It took the entire day on Saturday and part of Sunday, but it's finally done. You can't see it in the picture, but we have hanging baskets for strawberries this year. I never grew them before. Hopefully, they will do well in the baskets. What do you think?

And just so you can see that I actually did the work, here is a photo of me shoveling the garden soil into the fabric raised bed.

This year's raised bed garden consists of two types of lettuce: kale, spinach, swiss chard, broccoli, and beefsteak tomatoes. In the pots in the back, there are spearmint and flowers.

Update 2023:

Since I created this post, I updated it to a larger, two-tiered, more permanent double-bed garden. But when we removed this one, it was still in good shape. The bottom wasn't at all broken from the weeds. And we were able to reuse the dirt for the new tiered beds. It is a wonderful product to use in a small space when it can't be permanent.

How to Make a Two Tier Raised Garden Bed

If you've followed me for a while, you know that I love gardening from spring to fall. I live in Pennsylvania, so we have true seasons here, and when it's time to go outside, I'm ready for the fun my garden brings to my family and me. I have three gardens on my property. All

Outdoor gardening ideas

There are several options for outdoor gardening ideas. From raised beds on the grass to containers on a deck, there are plenty of ways to get your outdoor gardening fix. Below are the ones I found useful for smaller homes.

A Raised Bed

Like the one above, they are freestanding and easy to assemble. The only downside is that you may kill some grass if you place it on the lawn. For smaller homes, pick a corner that is not used. For us, it was right in front of the patio. If you pick the center of the garden, you will need to mow around things, which could add to the weekly chores.

There are a variety of raised garden beds to choose from. I prefer the cedar wood gardens. Below are other options.

Metal garden beds (affiliate) - there are a variety of sizes. Measure the width, length, and height of your space before buying one.
Wooden garden on the ground (affiliate) - these beds can be super large (affiliate), but you can find smaller ones.
Elevated wood garden planter box beds (affiliate) - these beds are raised up to waist height to help minimize lower back issues.

The above links are from Amazon (affiliate) (affiliate). If you want to see these beds, feel free to visit the links. I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase on Amazon (affiliate) through my links on this page. Thank you for supporting my small business.

Large Container Garden

Large (affiliate) containers are another outdoor gardening idea for patios, decks, sunrooms, entryways, and any area that has plenty of sun for the vegetables to grow.

Containers can be low to the ground or raised up to waist height, depending on your needs. Just be sure that there is a way for drainage and that it will not damage where you are placing it.

Vertical Garden

In another of my posts, I took baskets, hung them with chains, and attached them vertically to my deck above my raised-bed garden. It worked great to add another area to support more plants. I used several types of hanging plants in this vertical space. Tomatoes and strawberry plants were my go-to options to allow plenty of growth and fill the space between the baskets. Check out the image below to see how I made them.

Organizing Raised Bed Garden

I had to revamp our garden this year, so I decided to share the process if you are interested in organizing your raised-bed garden. Below is how I organized this raised bed and other information about companion planting, and you can see my end result. Let's begin. We have done

Vertical Garden Bed Types

There are many different types of vertical garden beds. Below are just some of them.

Plastic framed vertical garden - these are freestanding. It may be wobbly when it is not filled with dirt. It can be placed inside and outside.
Wood-framed vertical garden - these gardens are pretty stable and can be placed inside and out.
Fabric with pockets vertical garden - These fabric ones are great for unused walls in a small backyard or balcony area.

These links are from Amazon (affiliate)(affiliate). If you click through, you can see the variety that is available.

Which Outdoor Garden Type Fits Your Space?

Not sure which option is right for you? Here's a quick side-by-side based on what I've actually used:

Garden Type	Best For	Setup Effort	Approx. Cost
Grow Bag	Renters, small yards, seasonal crops	Low – no tools (affiliate) needed	$20–40
Raised Bed	Permanent garden, better soil control	Medium – some assembly	$75–200
Large (affiliate) Container	Patios, decks, sunrooms	Low	$15–50 each
Vertical Garden	Small footprint, tomatoes/strawberries	Medium	$30–80

If you're just testing whether you enjoy growing your own vegetables, start with a grow bag or a large container - you can always upgrade to a raised bed later, as I did.

I hope this DIY project and these outdoor gardening ideas help you make a wonderful garden for your family to enjoy.

FAQ Affordable Garden Bed

What is the cheapest way to start an outdoor vegetable garden?

A fabric grow bag is one of the most affordable options. It requires no building, holds a large volume of soil, and can be reused or stored flat each season.

Can you grow potatoes and string beans in the same container?

Yes, but give each enough dedicated space and consider separate sections within the same bag or bed rather than mixing roots together, since they have different watering and depth needs.

Do grow bags need good drainage?

Yes. Look for bags made of breathable, BPA-free fabric with built-in drainage rather than solid plastic, which can trap excess moisture and rot roots.

How much soil do I need for a large grow bag or raised bed?

A 50" diameter, 12"-deep grow bag holds about 400 quarts (13.7 cubic feet) of soil. For smaller raised beds, measure length × width × depth (in feet) to calculate cubic feet needed.

What's the difference between a raised bed and a vertical garden?

A raised bed is a single ground-level or waist-height container for planting directly into soil. A vertical garden uses hanging or stacked planters to add growing space without using more ground footprint - ideal for tomatoes and strawberries on a deck.

Do I need a permanent structure to have a real vegetable garden?

No. Grow bags, containers, and vertical planters all support the growth of full-size vegetables and can be broken down or moved at the end of the season.

Now it is your turn. Do you have a vegetable garden? What is your favorite vegetable to grow? Please leave a comment below. I would love to hear from you.

Please note that these are affiliate links through Amazon (affiliate), and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.

Feel free to visit my other outdoor organizing posts!