Whether you were born with an instinctual green thumb or have had “get into gardening” on your New Year’s Resolutions list annually without ever getting around to your local Home Depot for supplies, there’s something magical about watching a seed sprout into a plant and knowing you helped make it happen. Similar to other hobbies, gardening can be made simpler when you cultivate the proper setup. Using raised beds, for example, offers improved soil drainage, easier weed control, and ease of access to your plants, among other advantages.
That’s why we tapped Nick Cutsumpas, AKA, Farmer Nick, a gardener, landscaper, and “plantrepreneur” who knows choosing the right raised bed can make all the difference in your garden’s success. Below, Cutsumpas offers advice on raised beds based on environment, living space, and more; plus his personal the best ones to shop.
Best raised garden beds, at a glance:
- Best metal: Vego Garden 9 In 1 Modular Metal Raised Garden Bed Kit, $190
- Best wood: Gardener’s Supply Company Deep Root Cedar Raised Beds, $270
- Best splurge: Eartheasy Deer Proof Cedar Complete Raised Garden Bed Kit, $2,125
- Best for small spaces: Lettuce Grow Small Outdoor Farmstand, $574
- Best tiered: Goplus Gray Plastic Raised Garden Bed, $95
- Best aesthetic: Williams Sonoma Raised Garden Planter in Moss Green, $300
- Best for herbs: VegTrug Herb Garden, $120
What to look for when shopping for raised beds
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to finding the best raised beds for your garden. It’s important to consider the setting in which you’ll be gardening and what your end goal is. How much space do you have? What’s the climate like? Are you looking to invest in a piece that you’ll have forever? What kind of plants do you plan on growing? Of course, aesthetics matter when adding a new structure to your backyard, but when buying raised beds Cutsumpas notes that “the most important thing you should evaluate is the material.”
Material
Although a wood finish looks more natural, it won’t last forever; especially in humid climates where “they’ll degrade faster than in dry environments.” However, if you do live somewhere that doesn’t experience muggy summer days as often, lumber options like “cedar and redwood are naturally rot resistant” for the gardener who favors an organic approach and is fine with needing to replace their garden set up in a few years. Nonetheless, If functionality is at the forefront of your raised bed wishlist, “metal beds will last for much longer,” and with the recent cost increase of lumber the two materials price out to a similar amount.
Size and shape
In addition to material, the size and shape of your raised bed are critical factors to consider because with more space comes more maintenance and work. If you have the square footage available in your yard to run with a large bed, so be it, but Cutsumpas says new gardeners will be “amazed at how many plants can fit in a standard three-foot-by-six-foot bed” for those who are working with a small apartment balcony, or simply don’t want to bite off more than they can chew. The shape of your beds is an important, yet usually underrated, element to consider but choosing dimensions that “allow you to reach all areas of the bed and allow for proper walkways between them” make for a more functional garden overall.
Drainage
Stagnant water pooling around your precious plants can drown their roots and attract pesky pests and diseases, which is why you should opt for raised beds with proper drainage. Some materials, like cedar, are naturally rot-resistant and allow excess moisture to drain away more effectively than other types of wood. If you opt for a metal or plastic raised bed, however, you’ll want to make sure they have proper (and effective) drainage holes to give water somewhere to go.
Shop 7 raised beds for all types of gardeners
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