What is the least expensive/best way to make a raised bed garden?

Free pallets make wonderful raised garden beds. If you have a few of them you can break them down and use them to a comfortable height. Any screen or chicken wire laying around can make a nice way to have some needed drainage. Good luck

I actually made two last year at no cost to me other than the paint that I used on the outside. Like the comment above, I broke down some pallets that I got from a local car dealership. First thing I did was look for pallets that weren't treated. I just wanted the wood, not the chemicals they sometimes use. I did get some cedar fence (it was the widest and cheapest for what I needed) to put around the outside so I could paint it and not continue to get the "omg" looks from my neighbors. This year I'm planning on putting lattice around the bottom to cover up the base In hopes of making it much more appealing. After breaking down the pallets and building them to the height I thought would work the best, I took some cheap landscaping fabric to line my new raised beds. I can't stress how much to use the cheapest you can find because some of the better quality fabric will keep the water in just a little too long and increase the chance of rotting the wood as well as the roots of the plant. Then I decided to paint the outside of the cedar wood trim with an outdoor stain that I had laying around in the basement. This year I'm hoping (actually going today for it) to put up some vinyl lattice to cover the base that I made out of some heavy duty pallets (they called them pallets but nothing like a typical pallet). Last year I planted tomatoes, pole beans and some zucchini. The pole beans took off and produced more than we could possibly eat. The tomatoes were a hit or miss. Personally I think (know) I planted too many for the box. But even with them planted close together, we still got more tomatoes than a family of 3 could handle. The zucchini, well the best way I can put it is, I have no clue what I'm doing with gardening and I believe my soil may have had too much of one thing or another because I only got about 3 zucchini and boy were they small. This year I skipped the zucchini until I can research some more and amend the soil accordingly. But I did plant my tomatoes, pole beans, one eggplant, one jalapeño pepper plant and two Brussel sprout plants.

This year I also added quite a bit of compost to the garden in hopes that it would help even more.

Jokingly I've called my raised beds numerous things around friends because I usually see the look on their faces when they see them. I always thought it was a look of disgust at what I built. But as one of my friends said to me, we're jealous because you don't break your back and still get the vegetables you want. Truth of the matter is, I don't enjoy weeding nor could I ever plant a typical ground garden because of the roots in my yard from my 80+ foot sugar maple tree. Hey, what works for me doesn't have to work for others and what works for others doesn't have to work for me. Plain and simple.

I'll get the desired look for my raised beds over time. I'll add the lattice this year and maybe even splurge a little more and put in some PVC irrigation so I don't over water or waste water. Either way, it works for me and that's all that really does matter.

I've attached two pictures so you can see what I did to meet my needs. Again, it works for me lol.

If you don't have access to free pallets, try a nearby "Re-Store"! If you've never heard of it, it's all building/housing/lawn, etc. 2nd hand items sometimes that has been donated to Habitat for Humanity, and they can't use it, or is leftover from a project. These stores are run by volunteer, and the $ they make goes towards their cause! Everything is suoer low cost! I was looking for cabinet drawer pulls, found them brand new in the package for $0.25/each! The similar type at Home Depot were several dollars each! So you save $, give to a good cause- its mutually beneficial!