What exactly is upcycling?
Upcycling means nothing else than that you simply misuse old things that are no longer needed for their actual purpose and thus find new uses. This requires smaller, sometimes larger, renovation work, after which something new has always been created. In German, this trend could simply be described as “make new out of old”. In fact, the upcycling movement, which has been on the rise for a number of years, has a few tangible advantages:
- old, no longer used items are not simply thrown away
- but given a new purpose
- this creates less waste
- and we protect both the environment and our wallets
- the materials required for an upcycling project are available for free or very cheaply
also read
- How to build a great raised bed from old bricks
- Which border is the best for the raised bed?
- The best tips for raised beds
Upcycling also has the great side effect that you can really let your personal creativity run free. We have put together a few suggestions for you to make it easier for you and to keep the ideas flowing.
Where can I find materials for upcycling raised beds?
You can find materials for a great upcycling raised bed practically everywhere, you just have to keep your eyes open and maybe deviate from conventional methods. Look around in attics, in basements, in your garden shed or in the neighbour's bulky waste (with their consent, of course!). There are lots of great things here that can be turned into a raised bed in no time - even if it doesn't look like it at first glance.
Nice ideas for upcycling raised beds
An almost classic upcycling is, for example, raised or table beds made from euro pallets or fruit boxes, which can be quickly implemented with little effort. You can also build such a bed from old potato sacks or manhole rings. Further possibilities are for example:
- an old bookshelf or cellar shelf as a raised bed frame
- a brick raised bed made of old terrace or paving stones
- a raised gabion bed filled with broken roof tiles and / or stones
- a raised bed made of old slatted frames
or, or, or ... you see, there are many options. Perhaps you will find new ones, depending on what your personal resources have to offer.
Tips
No matter what your upcycling raised bed is made of: Always make sure that excess water can drain off somewhere. Otherwise waterlogging will quickly develop, which the plants will quickly resent.
