Why Your Old Bathtub Is The Perfect Container For A Raised-Bed Vegetable Garden

If you didn't think your backyard was big enough for a garden, think again. There are plenty of tips to follow if you're a beginner vegetable gardener, but it turns out all you need to grow your favorite vegetables is a little sunlight and a bath tub. Bath tubs are heavy, so you'll definitely need some help placing it in the yard, but once it's positioned properly, you can grow the raised bed garden of your dreams. Besides being a confined area to add dirt, bathtubs also come with built-in drainage, which helps make gardening easy.

The first step: Don't make the mistake of not properly planning your garden. Once you know what you need, you should find a bath tub. If you're doing a remodel, then problem solved, but if you don't have one at your disposal, check Facebook marketplace and local town forums to see if anyone's getting rid of theirs. For the most visual appeal, try and find a clawfoot tub. You might have to pay a little extra, but if you dig hard enough, there are likely a few for sale under $100. Add a quick coat of paint if needed, and you have your new backyard centerpiece.

The biggest benefit of setting up a bathtub garden is creating a small garden confined to one area that still lets you grow the fruits, vegetables, or flowers you love. But a raised bed garden has other benefits, too, especially for your back. You can avoid the constant bending over by bringing a lawn chair over to the tub and tending the garden without being on your hands and knees. Plus, bath tubs offer deep soil space, letting those roots expand as needed and improving garden growth.

The raised beds also let you bring in your own soil into the mix; you're not confined to the soil in your yard. Head to a garden center, find the best soil for what you want to grow — maybe stick with veggies that can be grown in a smaller area — and fill that tub. The higher beds will also deter small animals that can't easily climb the tub, keeping your garden safer from pests. And, of course, a claw foot tub garden will be quite the conversation starter when you have guests over.