Good, Better & BEST Raised Garden Beds

Get 10% OFF the BEST garden beds w/ code: wineberry10

Raised beds have become an increasingly popular way to garden. There are a lot of different ways to do it.

Here are the three methods I use. And I rank them from good, better and best, by which ones last the longest.

First up the GOOD wooden raised beds.
Wooden beds are probably the most common. In general they are probably some of the easiest to make. There are also a LOT of different ways to assemble them. You can use a lot of different types, and sizes of lumber. The reason I classify these as GOOD, is because they will only last so long. Eventually the moisture on the inside will damage the structure. On top of that if you live in a wetter environment, the outside of the wood will also be slowly rotting away.

I’ll talk about the protective cage in a minute.

Next up BETTER.
If you have access to plastic food grade barrels then you have a great source of raised beds. Now, I think they are ugly by themselves, and so I make a pallet wood box around them to hide the ugly barrel. The pallet wood box is going to last longer because it isn’t in contact with wet soil all the time. The plastic food grade barrel will also last much longer than all wood raised beds.

The surrounding wood box also means there is less UV light hitting the plastic, thus extending its life.

Now about these protective cages.

I live in the woods, and there are a lot of animals that would LOVE to get at my garden. This is why I made these simple hinged boxes to protect them. I make them by ripping 2x4’s and screwing them together. I then wrap them on 5 sides with poultry wire.

…and here’s a tip. Don’t use staples when covering a protective box like this. Use zip ties. The wood will eventually need to be replaced, the wire will last many years longer. Using zipties makes the process of saving the wire for future uses, that much easier.

…and one other tip. Mount a kickstand on the box, this makes it super easy to open and close the cage.

…and Finally, the BEST.

Metal has become the gold standard in raised bed gardening. They come in lots of colors and can be configured into numerous different shapes and sizes.

Unlike wooden beds they are very easy to ship.

The beds I chose are made by Vegega are super easy to assemble.

But really the durability of metal raised beds is what makes any additional upfront cost worth it. These things last decades.

So there you have it, my take on the GOOD, BETTER, and BEST of raised garden beds.

If you like this video, you might like these.

[milttollin]

I use Cement Cinder Blocks. They are long lasting, made of materials already found in the ground, doesn't rot, and beds are easily customizable with them. The only down side I have noticed is that during the dry summer, the soil/growing media doesn't retain water near the edges and shrinks from those edges. To avoid this affecting my plants, I just don't plant around the edges.

[AndreaDiMauro-ttzb]

That cage kickstand is great! Definitely working on that once the snow melts. ❄️

[isabelladavis]

I do raised beds in metal Birdie beds sent out of Epic Gardens the USA rep for this metal bed company out of Australia… love them great service always a sale going on I do wish they had accessories like a high top to keep pets out ….

[vegegagarden]

Amazing presentation on comparison of wooden raised beds, food grade barrels and Vegega raised garden beds. I would choose vegega metal raised garden beds. 😛Spring is here. it's time for preparing your garden.

[ericfrancis]

What did you do to make the kickstand and hinge pivot smoothly? It just looks like they're screwed on in the video. Would love some tips!

[kathyhenson]

Did you build the the fence around your Vegega planters? I have a dog that loves to get into my plants both roses and veggie beds. I need to find a way to keep her from doing that.

[wrongfullyaccused]

Where are the metal beds manufactured?