Reese Witherspoon’s Garden is Full of Raised Beds That You Don’t Need to Build

The idea of raised beds is always a great one until the time to build them rolls around. Measuring…buying wood…building? Uh, no thank you. Reese Witherspoon has an awesome alternative to the standard DIY raised bed faux pas. Rather than beds, go with bins.

On July 17, Witherspoon showed off her growing garden, which she planted in 2’x4’ metal tubs.

Beginning her caption with a Confucius quote: “If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of 10 years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people,” Witherspoon added, “How we raise our children is also planting seeds and sometimes the greatest gift we can give the world is kind children who are open hearted and aware of how they can effect change.”

A beautiful sentiment, and an even more beautiful herb garden.

Perhaps the best thing about Witherspoon’s unique raised bed situation is that it’s totally customizable and there’s no building involved whatsoever. As mentioned, Witherspoon opted for the large-and-in-charge 100-gallon metal tub—also called a stock tank—which is sold at many farm stores.

However, if your space is smaller than Witherspoon’s, there are a wide variety of different sized metal tubs available. A 17-gallon tub, for example, would fit perfectly in the corner of a backyard patio.

And this even smaller 10.5-gallon tub could be a great fit for an apartment herb garden.

Because this raised bed alternative is an enclosed container, you’re going to want to make sure you have plenty of drainage for your plants. So, either drill holes into the bottom of the tub or line it with gravel to make sure excess water has a place to go.

And unless a stray seed wanders into your soil, weeds are a rare occurrence in these tub beds. So not only are you avoiding the hassle of building the things, but the gardening process becomes a breeze, too.