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Raised bed frame gardening


13 best raised garden beds to grow plants anywhere in 2022

Gardening is often associated with planting flowers and vegetables directly in the ground, making it seemingly inaccessible for people without a large piece of property at their disposal. But raised garden beds allow you to plant a garden almost anywhere, from a small patch of grass to a patio. Carmen DeVito, founder of garden and landscape design company Garden Cult, said raised garden beds are also great for beginner gardeners since they allow you to control the size of your garden, as well as factors like soil conditions.

“Raised-bed gardening is an easy way for new gardeners to get their feet wet, experiment and try new things without being overwhelmed,” DeVito, a certified New York State landscape professional, said. “It’s like gardening with training wheels.”

SKIP AHEAD Best raised garden beds to shop, how to shop for raised garden beds and benefits of raised-bed gardening

We talked to experts about the benefits raised garden beds offer and compiled some tips for planting in them. We also rounded up highly rated raised garden beds across different sizes, styles and price points based on our experts’ guidance.

Types of raised garden beds

Before shopping for a raised garden bed, you need to decide which type is right for you and your outdoor space. Venelin Dimitrov, senior product manager for gardening company Burpee, said there are three types of raised garden beds: raised ground beds, supported raised beds and containerized raised beds. All three work to lift plants and their root systems above ground.

  1. Raised ground beds are flat-topped mounds of soil that are 6 to 8 inches high and do not have support frames. Dimitrov said they’re the simplest above-ground gardening option since they only require soil, and they’re sometimes referred to as built-in raised beds. He noted that they’re specifically useful for gardeners who have large areas for planting but do not want the added expense of building support frames.
  2. Supported raised beds consist of a mound of soil surrounded by a supportive edge or frame. Dimitrov said these beds are especially useful for sloped or uneven ground — you can build a flat surface on top of an uneven surface with this type of raised bed.
  3. Containerized raised beds are what most people typically think of when they talk about raised garden beds, experts told us. DeVito said they’re essentially large planters or pots. Containerized raised beds have taller sides and a base, and they can be used on lawns, walkways, decks, patios, driveways and porches. Dimitrov said you should be sure wherever you put the raised bed can tolerate its weight and the moisture it may give off. He noted that you may need to use more soil to fill a containerized raised bed, but they’re versatile and work well in high-traffic areas.

Best raised garden beds to shop

To recommend the following raised garden beds, we used our experts’ guidance and rounded up highly rated supported and containerized options. We included raised garden beds across various styles, sizes and price points to help you find one that best fits your outdoor space, ensuring that all of the wood options we recommend are marked as warp-resistant. In line with experts’ advice, all of the containerized raised beds we recommend have drainage holes.

Containerized raised beds

Best Choice Products Raised Garden Bed

According to Best Choice Products, this wood raised garden bed is weather- and warp-resistant. It comes with a liner that separates the wood from the soil, preserving the structure’s condition over time, according to the brand. It’s available in two sizes — 5 cubic feet or 8.4 cubic feet — and Best Choice Products also makes a similar raised garden bed on wheels if you’re looking for portability. This raised garden bed has a 4.5-star average rating from more than 7,100 reviews on Amazon.

Jumbl Raised Canadian Cedar Garden Bed

Jumbl’s raised garden bed is made from cedar wood, which the brand says prevents warping and wood rot as well as damage from insects. The bed comes with all the parts and hardware you need to assemble it, and it stands 30 inches above the ground. A liner is also included with the bed, which is available in four sizes. The bed has a 4.4-star average rating from more than 1,900 reviews on Amazon.

FOYUEE Raised Planter Box

This raised garden bed is a highly portable option that equips two wheels and a handle to roll it like a wheelbarrow when needed. The bed features a shelf on the bottom and hooks on the side to store your gardening tools and other items. The brand says this garden bed — which stands at 31.5 inches tall — is made from stable galvanized steel with an anti-rust gray coating. The bed has a 4.6-star average rating from more than 4,300 reviews on Amazon.

Giantex Raised Garden Bed

Adding a pop of color to your deck or yard, this bright green raised garden bed has a 4.4-star average rating from more than 400 reviews on Amazon. It’s available in three sizes and is constructed from steel panels with reinforced corners. It comes with all the hardware you need for assembly, the brand says.

Keter Urban Bloomer 12.7 Gallon Raised Garden Bed

The planter box of this raised garden bed features divided sections so you can separate different types of plants. It stands about 30 inches tall and has a storage shelf on the bottom, plus comes with a seed sprouting tray. The raised garden bed boasts a built-in watering system with a water reservoir, which the brand says helps keep soil moist. Its water gauge indicates how much water is in the reservoir, and a drainage tap removes excess water when needed, according to the brand. This raised garden bed has a 4.6-star average rating from more than 2,300 reviews on Amazon.

Apipi Fabric Raised Garden Planter

These fabric garden beds from Apipi are made from a water-resistant polypropylene material and feature drain holes to prevent water buildup. Each garden bed has four divided sections so you can organize the different flowers or vegetables you’re growing. The brand’s planters are sold individually or in a pack of two, and they have a 4.4-star average rating from more than 2,900 reviews on Amazon.

Supported raised beds

Foyuee Galvanized Raised Garden Bed

Measuring 8 feet long and 4 feet wide, this bed provides you with space to plant a large garden. It’s built with thick galvanized metal and the brand says it features crossbars with an anti-rust coating to stand up to the elements season after season. The bed has a 4.7-star average rating from more than 4,000 reviews on Amazon.

Greenes Fence Raised Garden Bed

Made from pine wood, Greenes Fence’s garden beds come in over a dozen different shapes and sizes — you can choose the one that best fits your property. All beds can be assembled without tools as their walls slide into posts to create the frame. Beds can also be stacked on top of each other to add height, or arranged next to one another to create longer and wider areas to garden in. Green Fences’ raised garden beds have a 4.4-star average rating from more than 700 reviews on Amazon.

Lifetime Raised Garden Bed Kit

This bed from Lifetime measures 4 feet long by 4 feet wide and its walls stand at 9 inches high — two beds can also be stacked together to make the edges taller and accommodate more deep-rooted plants, according to the brand. The garden bed is constructed from UV-resistant polyethylene and has an easy interlocking design that can be assembled in under an hour, the brand says. It has a 4.7-star average rating from more than 800 reviews on Amazon.

King Bird Reinforced Card Frame Raised Garden Bed

This bed is constructed from 2-ply galvanized steel and can be assembled without tools. It comes with two pairs of gardening gloves and gardening tags, and has a 4.5-star average rating from more than 1,900 reviews on Amazon. The bed is sold in two sizes: 17 cubic feet and 31 cubic feet. The smaller bed is available in Grey, Ivory and Jade-Green, while the larger bed can be purchased in Charcoal-Grey and Green.

Clean Earth Earth Works Vinyl Raised Garden Bed

Made from white vinyl, this square bed slides together without tools. The brand says it’s lightweight, too, so you can move it around your yard or deck between seasons if you want to change the location of your garden. The bed has a 4. 5-star average rating from more than 150 reviews on Amazon.

YaheeTech 3 Tier Raised Garden Bed

You can stack the boxes of this garden bed to create a three-tier structure, or use each box individually on the ground. The bed is made from fir wood and comes with all the hardware needed for assembly. It has a 4.6-star average rating from nearly 1,200 reviews on Amazon.

Oldcastle Planter Wall Block

If you’re looking to customize the size or shape of your raised garden bed, Oldcastle’s Planter Wall Blocks help form the border of a supported raised bed when you slip 2-foot-by-6-foot wooden boards into their side slats. The brand says you can also stack wall blocks if you want a raised bed with higher walls. The blocks — which can be purchased individually or as a 24-pack — have a 4.8-star average rating from more than 1,200 reviews at Home Depot.

How to shop for raised garden beds

Before shopping for a raised garden bed, survey your outdoor space and think about how much of it you want to dedicate to a raised garden bed. Raised garden beds of all types come in a variety of sizes, so there are options for small patios and decks or larger yards.

After you decide the size of the raised garden bed you’re looking for, consider what the garden bed is made out of as well as additional features like drainage holes and liners.

Material

DeVito said raised garden beds are usually constructed from wood, metal or plastic. DeVito said metal and plastic beds usually last longer compared to wood, which may rot over time. Some people may prefer wood, though, and if you plan to make your garden permanent or live in an area where you can garden year round, she suggested investing in a pressure-treated or rot-resistant wood bed, looking for types such as Ipe or Cedar.

Some companies also sell raised garden beds made from fabric, which DeVito said are a more affordable option. If opting for fabric, she recommended using smaller sized beds, which are easy to move. Fabric raised garden beds should be put on top of gravel, soil or stone — DeVito said they would make a deck too wet.

Drainage holes and liners

While researching raised garden beds, we saw many options that are built with drainage holes or come with liners.

Like indoor pots, outdoor planters such as containerized raised garden beds need drainage holes to allow extra water to drain out the bottom. This ensures that water does not gather at the base of the planter, which can cause plant roots to rot or fungus and bacteria to build up. DeVito said a lack of drainage puts plants at risk of staying wet for a long period of time — and too much water is just as harmful to plants as too little.

DeVito said she typically does not suggest using liners unless there’s a reason for it, which can range from soil contamination and tree roots to aggressive weeds on the surface you plan on housing your raised garden bed on top of. Liners can also come in handy if you’re putting a raised garden bed on a wood, stone or concrete surface — DeVito said this can help protect the surface from staining.

Benefits of raised-bed gardening

Dimitrov said raised garden beds are popular because they allow gardeners to control the soil quality they’re planting in. When you’re planting in the ground, it’s hard to know the exact composure of the soil or if it has the proper nutrients your plants need to thrive. But you fill raised garden beds with the soil of your choosing, and you can be sure it’s not contaminated or stripped of essential vitamins and minerals. Dimitrov added that in a raised garden bed, the soil is able to thaw and warm up faster than it is on the ground.

Additionally, DeVito said raised garden beds are beneficial if your property is filled with tree roots, large shrubs or aggressive plants that make it challenging to dig in certain areas. Planting in raised garden beds is essentially a blank slate — you can start from scratch and avoid some of the challenges that come with in-ground gardening. DeVito also noted that raised garden beds make gardening easier for people with physical challenges or disabilities that make it difficult to bend over, work on their knees or squat down close to the ground.

How to fill and water a raised garden bed

The first step to preparing your raised garden bed for planting is filling it with soil. DeVito said what you’re planting often dictates what type of soil you should use, but as a general rule, she relies on screened topsoil — soil without any rocks, sticks or clumps — mixed with compost. Dimitrov said you can also purchase soil that’s premixed with compost, and to look for options that feature 50% soil and 50% compost.

Dimitrov said there’s no special way you need to water plants in a raised garden bed. In fact, raised garden beds are able to drain excess water from heavy rains away from plants’ root zones, which ensures that they don’t get over-saturated. DeVito said raised-bed gardens tend to dry out more than in-ground gardens, which may mean plants need to be watered more often, especially during the hot, dry summer. Overall, she recommended hand-watering plants using a garden hose with a shower nozzle attachment, or, for larger raised garden beds, setting up an automatic soaker hose system.

What to plant in raised gardening beds

Raised garden beds are most often used for growing food like vegetables, herbs and fruit. You can also use them for a cut flower garden or small shrubs. DeVito said the only plants she would not put in a raised garden are large trees or shrubs that require a lot of space for their root systems, leaves or branches.

Devito also noted that raised garden beds are a great way to introduce kids to gardening. She said the contained area gives kids their own space to explore working with dirt and seeds, and she recommended starting kids off with growing easy, low maintenance vegetables like radishes and beans.

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The Best Raised Garden Beds of 2023

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Photo: Glenda Taylor

Raised-bed gardening is a popular option for many backyards. It allows users to put a garden practically anywhere, even if the yard isn’t suitable for installing a traditional ground-level garden. Raised beds are touted as back savers since they reduce the distance the gardener needs to bend to tend to the plants. But how helpful are they, really? Without personally testing the beds, we couldn’t tell whether they contained quality materials, were designed for optimal plant growth, or if they would be overly challenging to assemble.

So, we decided to test them. We assembled nearly a dozen raised garden beds (no, they don’t come assembled), and then we put them through a battery of gardening-specific tests. Unfortunately, not all the raised garden beds survived our stringent testing; you can find out about one that didn’t make it just ahead.

In general, we discovered that raised beds offer several advantages. They provide better drainage than ground-level gardening. They also are less prone to soil compaction, but this depends on the soil mix used to fill the raised bed.

Since every garden can be different, there is no “standard” when it comes to raised garden beds. Picking the best raised garden bed will depend on space limitations, physical comfort, design, and the type of plants grown. Keep reading to learn how to pick the best raised garden bed for your backyard, and find out why the following models all earned a spot in this lineup of some of the best raised garden beds for backyard plants.

  1. BEST OVERALL: Greenes Fence Cedar Raised Garden Bed
  2. BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK: City Pickers Patio Raised Garden Bed
  3. BEST WITH COVER: Vegepod Raised Garden Bed
  4. BEST FOR PATIO: Jumbl Raised Canadian Cedar Garden Bed
  5. BEST HERB GARDEN: Kdgarden Raised Garden Bed Kit
  6. BEST FOR BEGINNERS: Keter Urban Bloomer 12. 7 Gallon Raised Garden Bed
  7. BEST WITH WHEELS: Best Choice Products Raised Garden Bed
  8. BEST FOR TALL SPACES: Outland Living Raised Garden Bed – Vertical
  9. BEST FOR BACKYARDS: Sunnydaze Raised Metal Garden Bed Kit

ALSO TESTED

Photo: Glenda Taylor

Types of Raised Garden Beds

While some of the designations can overlap, there are four basic types of raised garden beds: raised ground beds, supported raised beds, containerized raised beds, and elevated raised beds.

What to Consider When Choosing the Best Raised Garden Bed

With so many options on the market, it can be tough to decide on the right raised garden bed. Comparing some of the key features such as material, size, and assembly requirements that most garden beds offer and considering your gardening goals, space, and design scheme can make wading through the options easier.

Materials

Traditionally, raised garden beds are made from rot-resistant timber such as cedar or fir. Nowadays, raised beds are also made from stone, woven willow, plastic, and concrete. The material chosen will depend on personal preference.

However, for vegetable gardens, it’s recommended to avoid using pressure-treated lumber because it can leach heavy metals into the soil. Fortunately, most easy-to-assemble raised beds tend to be made of food-safe, rot-resistant wood or plastic.

Size

When it comes to the length and width of a raised bed, consider the space constraints. Length is limited by the size of the yard and the building materials. Width, on the other hand, is determined by how far the user can reach. Gardeners need to be able to reach the center of the bed from either side of the frame without having to step into the bed, which would compress the soil. For most people, the ideal width is 4 feet.

Most raised beds are between 6 and 12 inches tall. Bed height can go as high as 36 inches or more. Raised beds with taller sides will require more soil, but they are easier on a user’s back because there’s no need to bend down as far to reach the plants.

Ease of Assembly

Assembly is where raised garden bed kits outshine DIY raised garden beds. Building one requires shopping for materials and cutting them to size. However, raised garden bed kits come with everything needed to put them together, and some can be ready to go in just a few minutes. Depending on how much work is desired, there’s a kit to match almost every skill level.

Some raised garden beds require no special tools to assemble—they just slide and click together—while others require the use of a cordless drill or screwdriver. Some take less than 15 minutes to complete, but some can take as much as an hour or more.

Special Features

Raised garden beds can come with myriad features. Some have wheels for portability; others have built-in trellises, removable greenhouse covers, storage shelves, legs that elevate the bed, or built-in irrigation systems.

Another unique feature is stackability. Some raised garden beds can be stacked to offer more depth or a different configuration. No matter the growing environment, there’s a raised garden bed that will work for most every situation.

Photo: Glenda Taylor

Our Top Picks

The following models passed our stringent performance tests to earn a spot in this lineup of some of the best raised garden beds. They had to be durable enough to support the weight of the soil mix, and they had to be designed so that plants had both root space and adequate drainage. Each one also had to live up to the seller’s claims, for the most part.

While the following raised beds differ in size, material, and design, making some better suited for specific growing situations, each one was a standout in our tests and has earned its place among the best raised bed gardens available today.

Photo: homedepot.com

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We were excited to open the box that Greenes Fence Cedar Raised Garden Bed came in and put it together. Cedar is a naturally weather-resistant wood, and there was no question that it was natural cedar—the fresh aroma of the wood confirmed it.

The side and end boards slide into the corner posts via dovetail-type slots. Most went in fairly easily, although a few required tapping with a mallet to get them to slide in the slots. Cedar caps added a nice finishing touch to the tops of the posts—and the screws are included—but we found they were slightly large and prone to split the wood, so we used #8 self-tapping screws to reduce the risk of the wood splitting.

The kit features durable 11/16-inch-thick boards, which we found to be about the right thickness. We placed the 4-foot-by-8-foot Greenes garden bed on a level section of the yard and then filled it with potting soil. The bed held up well to the pressure of the soil even after we wet the soil, which increased its weight and lateral pressure.

Since this raised bed is open on the bottom, it drains freely, making it well suited for fruits, vegetables, and flowers that require ample drainage. The sides are 14 inches high, which is just about right for pulling an occasional weed or picking a ripe green pepper without back strain. We were impressed with the quality of this raised bed, and it looks sharp, too.

Product Specs

Pros

Cons

Get the Greenes Fence raised garden bed at The Home Depot or at Lowe’s.

Photo: homedepot.com

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The City Pickers Patio Raised Garden is designed for growing a couple of tomatoes, a few lettuce plants, or a handful of herbs. Right off the bat, we loved the price, which is very affordable compared to the other beds we tested, and the design is well thought out. Even better, there’s minimal assembly with this raised bed.

The City Pickers garden bed comes with a one-piece molded-polyethylene tub that holds a drain rack in the bottom and has a spot for a watering tube on one inside corner (rack and tube included). The only actual assembly involved attaching the caster wheels to the bottom, but a quick push and they were in place. They roll smoothly, and it was simple to push this garden bed from one spot on the patio to another.

Next, we filled it with potting soil and saturated it. The bottom of the tub holds 2 gallons of water, and the rack keeps the soil mix from falling into the water reservoir. At first, we were unsure whether the tub had drainage holes, but then we saw water trickling out the sides, near the bottom. The holes are there—the tub design just camouflages them.

The City Pickers tub is 2 feet long by 20 inches wide and 9.5 inches deep. That’s a bit on the shallow side when growing plants that require ample water (because it can evaporate quickly), but the manufacturer figured out a way to reduce evaporation—with a fiber-mulch liner that fits neatly over the top of the tub and ties to secure it in place. The fiber keeps the soil from drying out quickly, which is a big plus. While it’s the least expensive of the models we tested, we were impressed by the level of detail that went into designing the City Pickers garden bed.

Product Specs

Pros

Cons

Get the City Pickers raised garden bed at The Home Depot or The Build Club.

Photo: amazon.com

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The Vegepod is more like a mini-greenhouse than a simple raised bed. While it claims to be “self-watering,” it isn’t. At the bottom of the bed is a water reservoir that is made to be filled with perlite. The perlite acts as a wick to transfer the water to the soil above, which is what the company means by “self-watering.” We were concerned about plants getting “wet feet” due to soggy soil at the bottom because the Vegepod doesn’t drain well. We found only a couple of tiny drain holes.

Assembly is relatively complex on this one. No tools are needed, but the product comes in more than a dozen sections that must be aligned and connected. The instructions are pretty inadequate, so we had to use some trial and error until we finally got it right.

Buyers should know that the legs that elevate the bed to waist height must be purchased separately—they were not included with the small model we tested. However, it’s still a robust raised bed, and with the protective cover, it can easily extend the growing season.

The Vegepod is a high-end raised bed that would be well suited to growing late fall or early spring produce. However, we recommend keeping it under a protected patio cover. We put it on an open section of the patio, and it rained. The perforated cover let quite a bit of the rain in, resulting in soppy wet soil that took hours to drain. We ended up drilling a couple of drain holes along the side to help the water drain out.

A handy feature on this model is a misting hose that installs along the inside top of the cover. We connected the misting hose to our garden hose, and when we turned it on, the mister evenly sprayed the plants inside. The Vegepod is 20 inches long, 13 inches wide, and with the cover installed, stands 40 inches high. It weighs 22 pounds, which was heavy enough to keep it from sliding across the patio during a storm with high winds.

Product Specs

Pros

Cons

Get the Vegepod raised garden bed on Amazon, at Kmart, or at The Home Depot (large size).

Photo: amazon.com

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Our impressions of the Jumbl Raised Garden Bed are that it is made of solid, quality cedarwood and is well designed. Some assembly is required, and, unfortunately, a couple of the bottom bed slats were slightly too long, so we had to shave off just a bit to get them to fit. All in all, though, this is a good-quality raised bed for the price. Be aware that natural wood can swell or contract slightly due to humidity changes, and this is normal.

The legs are milled from a single post of cedar, which eliminates joints between the bottom of the bed and the legs. This makes the unit sturdy and solid. We positioned it on the paved patio, and it didn’t wobble, not even a little bit. The Jumbl bed is 18 inches wide and is 34 inches long. The inner bed depth is just under 9 inches, offering satisfactory room for root development of herbs, many types of flowers, and leafy-type veggies.

The bed came with a fiber-mulch liner that helps retain the tiny bits of potting soil that would have otherwise washed out the bottom between the wood slats when the water naturally drains away. One of the nicer features is the dowel assembly that holds the top post caps on. Without the need to insert screws, there is less risk of the screws corroding and discoloring the cedar. The Jumbl bed is large enough to grow various small veggies or flowers, and it looks good enough to put out in the open.

Product Specs

Pros

Cons

Get the Jumbl raised garden bed on Amazon, at Target, or at Lowe’s.

Photo: amazon.com

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The Kdgarden Raised Garden Bed is slightly different from the other beds we tested in that it’s made from heavy-duty white PVC, and all the pieces have been manufactured to fit together perfectly. Assembling this raised bed was refreshingly straightforward.

The Kdgarden measures 48 inches by 48 inches and stands 13.3 inches high, offering plenty of room for flower and vegetable plant-root development. We positioned it on a level section of ground, and excess water drained out without a hitch from under the bottom side rails.

This raised bed could be used to grow a large crop of lettuce or other vegetables, but we found it better suited to growing smaller plants, such as herbs. It comes with a grid that fits along the top edge that provides 16 smaller growing spaces. The PVC material will not rot, and it’s impervious to insect infestations. The white color is rather bright and visually stands out in the yard, but it would be right at home in the yard of a white house or a house with white trim.

Product Specs

Pros

Cons

Get the Kdgarden raised garden bed on Amazon.

Photo: amazon.com

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One of the biggest challenges for newbie gardeners is learning when and how much to water their plants. With some raised beds, that can be an issue even for seasoned gardeners if they can’t determine how much moisture is in the bottom of the bed.

The Keter Urban Raised Bed takes all of the guesswork out of watering. It features a vertical tube that runs from the top of the bed to the bottom of the water tray. Inside the tube is a cute little plastic flower that rises with the water level. We found this to be an ingenious way of letting the gardener know when it is time to water or when the water reservoir is full and needs draining. After we filled up the bed with potting soil, we watered, and, sure enough, the little plastic flower poked its head out of the tube to let us know we could stop.

A drainage plug is located on the bottom of the bed, which makes it easy to drain away excess water. Another handy feature is the molded plastic seed-starting tray that can be filled with potting soil and then positioned on the top of the bed.

The Keter Urban raised bed stands 30 inches tall, is 32 inches long, and is 14 inches wide. Inside the bed are six 12-inch-deep planting boxes that will keep roots from becoming entangled. Another nice feature is a rack that sits under the bed and will hold an array of trowels and gardening supplies. This little gem offers everything a new gardener needs to get started.

Product Specs

Pros

Cons

Get the Keter raised garden bed on Amazon, Overstock, or at Walmart.

Photo: amazon.com

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One word accurately describes the Best Choice Products Raised Garden Bed: quality. This is another wood bed that requires assembly, but it’s made from rot- and insect-resistant fir that’s been carefully cut and milled. All of the slats, side sections, and bottom rail were easy to put together, and they fit like a glove; no mismatched wood here.

The Best Choice Products raised bed is pretty large for an elevated wood bed and is a full 48 inches long, 23 inches wide, and 32 inches tall. The inner planting bed is about 9 inches deep. At this size, it would be difficult to move the unit by hand once it was filled with plants and wet soil. Fortunately, the manufacturers included quality locking wheels that rolled smoothly but locked securely to keep the bed from shifting.

The Best Choice Products bed comes with a fiber-mulch liner that helps keep the potting soil from trickling out from between the bottom slats. It’s a great feature, but the liner probably wouldn’t be reusable after a few months. Buyers should plan on purchasing more fiber mulch to cut and make new liners each season.

This is a well-engineered raised bed, and it’s made even handier by the inclusion of a wood rack under the bed. We used the rack to hold gardening tools and a large bag of potting soil.

Product Specs

Pros

Cons

Get the Best Choice Products raised garden bed on Amazon, at Target, or at Walmart.

Photo: amazon.com

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We didn’t know what to expect when we opened the Outland Living Raised Garden Bed—the box was full of steel legs and frame members and four heavy-duty polyethylene containers.

The assembly took more than 30 minutes on this one but only because we put the braces on wrong the first time and had to take them off and then reassemble them correctly. It would have saved us at least 10 minutes if we had studied the instructions. Assembly isn’t difficult; it’s a matter of attaching the steel legs and frame members with stainless steel nuts, washers, and bolts (all included).

Once assembled, the Outland Living frame stands 50 inches tall, is 25 inches from side to side, and is 19 inches from front to back at the base. We wondered if the unit would be sturdy enough, but we need not have. It’s well balanced, and after a high-wind storm, it was still standing upright.

The four containers fit securely on the frame’s side braces, and they’re large enough to hold compact flowers and herbs. One downside is that the containers do not come with drainage holes, so we drilled some in the bottom of each container after we found the plants floating in water following a rainstorm.

Minus the drainage issue, the Outland Living raised vertical bed is a winner. It’s attractive, and it allowed us to grow multiple small plants in a narrow spot.

Product Specs

Pros

Cons

Get the Outland Living raised garden bed on Amazon, at Sears, or at Walmart.

Photo: amazon.com

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The Sunnydaze Raised Metal Garden Bed isn’t going to win any awards for its looks—in fact, it closely resembles a galvanized livestock tank—but it is a front-runner when it comes to growing plants.

Although assembly was straightforward with this hexagonal metal bed, a number of fasteners—six bolts, nuts, and washers—are necessary for every vertical support, so that took up quite a bit of assembly time. We spent probably 25 minutes putting it together. Once assembled, the Sunnydaze is strong, resilient, and made to last. The galvanized steel resists rust and corrosion, and the planter is 40 inches across. Its 16-inch depth makes it well suited for growing deep-rooted plants, such as watermelons or pumpkins.

We positioned the Sunnydaze on a level section of ground and filled it with potting soil. When we first watered the bed, we saw some drainage out of the sides where the metal sections were attached to the supports. We shoveled and tamped the growing mix in those spots and watered again. We didn’t see the water running out from behind after that.

The Sunnydaze holds a good amount of potting soil, and users can easily grow three large vining plants or up to a dozen smaller, more compact plants. We found that putting a small sprinkler in the very middle of the bed was an optimal way to water. We would avoid sticking a hose in and just let the water run freely to keep from creating a dug-out area near one of the sides that would allow the water to run out again.

Product Specs

Pros

Cons

Get the Sunnydaze raised garden bed on Amazon, at Tractor Supply Co., or at Lowe’s.

ALSO TESTED:

Patiomore 3 Tier Raised Garden Bed

Initially, we had high hopes for the Patiomore 3 Tier Raised Garden Bed. It was the only tiered bed we were testing, and we thought it would be perfect for growing strawberries. Unfortunately, we were wrong.

As we unpacked the box full of slats and corner posts, we noticed they were thinner and flimsier than those of other wood beds we’d already assembled. Plus, although the manufacturer said the wood was fir, it looked a whole lot like pine. But, hoping for the best, we assembled the bed.

Once assembled, it was precarious just moving the Patiomore garden bed to the center of the yard so we could photograph all of the raised beds together—the bottom side slats kept falling out. We finally figured out how to secure it with straps and get it tipped up on a hand truck to move it.

After the group photo, we positioned it on a level section of ground and filled it up with potting soil. The bottom slats on the back right corner started bulging slightly, but they held. We watered the potting soil and called it a day and planned to plant a few strawberries in the morning.

Morning came with an unwelcome surprise—the bottom slats on the back right corner had blown out, ostensibly due to the lateral pressure from the wet potting soil. The Patiomore bed was a loss, and we eliminated it from testing at that point.

Our Verdict

Any of the raised garden beds in our lineup are among the top options for growing plants in limited settings. However, our Best Overall pick, Greenes Fence raised garden bed, ticks all the boxes—it’s made from weather-resistant cedar, is well designed, and holds many plants.

Our pick for the Best Bang for the Buck, City Pickers raised garden bed, proves that growing plants successfully in a raised container doesn’t have to be a pricey prospect. Its solid design, mobility, and evaporation protection puts it at the top of any list—even when compared to more expensive models.

How We Tested the Best Raised Garden Beds

Our goal in testing the raised garden beds was to cut through the hype and determine each bed’s real pros and cons so readers could take advantage of our results before buying.

We used a rubric and awarded points for each feature we tested on the garden beds. The individual tests included noting the ease of assembly, judging the overall stability and quality of the materials of each raised bed, filling the beds with potting soil, and then testing to see how well they drained.

Filling them with soil and then watering them was essential because wet soil is heavy and creates a substantial amount of lateral pressure. As noted above in “Also Tested,” a flimsy raised bed is a waste of our readers’ money no matter how attractive it is. We added a few plants here and there, mainly for photos, but we tested the beds in late winter when nighttime temps were still too cold to permanently plant the beds.

We also analyzed the design of the beds and awarded extra points for helpful features, such as the water-level indicator on the Keter raised bed that made it especially helpful for those who are new to raised bed gardening.

After the testing was complete, we added the scores and used the results to assign relative awards for each product. We detailed both the pros and the cons, so our readers would have a heads-up on what to expect if they purchase one of these top-performing raised garden beds.

FAQs

Growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables is a national pastime, but for those who cannot put in or tend a traditional garden, a raised garden bed may be a solution. These beds allow growers to enjoy gardening even if the only available space is on a patio or balcony. For those considering raised-bed gardening, a few questions are likely. Below are answers to some of the most popular questions about raised garden beds.

Q. What type of raised garden bed is best for flowers?

One that offers at least 9 inches of soil depth to allow the flower roots to develop fully is best, and it’s important to get one that drains well.

Q. What do I put on the bottom of a raised garden bed?

Placing potting soil at least 8 inches deep will keep weeds in ground-level beds from coming up to compete with the desirable plants, so nothing is needed for those. However, shallower raised beds will benefit from a layer of cardboard or old newspapers that will act as a biodegradable weed barrier.

Q. How deep should a raised garden bed be?

A raised garden should be deep enough to allow plant roots to develop freely. For compact herbs and flowers, that may be as little as 6 to 8 inches, while vegetables such as eggplant and kale will do better with soil 12 to 18 inches deep or deeper.

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