The 5 Best Raised Garden Beds for Every Gardener

Gardening requires the right space for successful results. From planting crops in the ground to growing in raised beds and containers, you can use various garden beds for gardening. The best garden beds are long-lasting and designed to suit your garden space. You can make your own garden beds using wood, metal, bricks, stones, or other materials.

When looking for the best garden beds for gardening, raised garden beds made of wood (particularly cedar or cypress) are generally considered the top choice due to their natural durability and aesthetic appeal. However, metal raised beds are a great option for longevity and a modern look, depending on your preference and garden conditions. Whether you're looking for a weather-resistant raised bed or a large vegetable garden container, this guide will help you choose the best garden bed for your space.

Benefits of Growing in Garden Beds

Growing plants in raised garden beds offers multiple benefits, including an extended season, healthier plants, better soil quality, an enjoyable gardening experience, and many more. Let's look at the details of these benefits.

High-quality Soil: Raised garden beds provide greater control over soil composition, which promotes proper drainage, improved soil structure, and root growth. Additionally, you can work on the soil without walking on it, which helps maintain aeration and structure.

Better Drainage: Healthy soil promotes better drainage. Proper drainage dries out the soil faster and prevents waterlogged soil, which allows earlier planting in yards with poor drainage.

Easy Access: Raised beds can reduce back strain and make gardening more accessible for gardeners with mobility issues. They are also easier to maintain due to their elevated height, which reduces the need for continuous bending.

Extended Growing Season: Raised garden beds warm up soil quickly in spring and keep heat longer in fall, which extends the growing season and enables earlier planting.

Healthier harvests: The combination of healthy drainage, greater soil quality control, fewer weeds, proper plant spacing, and pest management leads to healthier plants and higher yields.

Aesthetic Appeal: Raised beds are amazing hardscaping elements that can add beauty to your garden and enhance its aesthetic appeal. Garden beds made of different shapes and materials allow you to choose the right garden bed.

1. Raised Metal Beds

Metal raised garden beds are long-lasting and require little care. They look sleek and modern, offering a contemporary aesthetic. Metal beds crafted from galvanized steel are more durable and can withstand harsh weather conditions. Its curved, oval, and round shape and smooth and rounded edges protect you from accidental cuts.

They come in various shapes and colors to help you choose the one that best suits your space. Unlike wooden beds, they can absorb heat and impact soil quality.

These garden beds can be an excellent choice for gardeners looking for long-lasting and elegant beds. However, it is important to consider their weight, potential for heat retention, and the need for basic maintenance to prevent rust.

Pros

• High-quality material
• Customizable size and shape
• Warms the soil faster
• Provides better drainage
• Weather and rust-resistant
• Less maintenance

Cons

• Retain heat in hot climates, which can affect heat-sensitive plants.
• Influence soil temperature
• Upfront costs can be high

2. Wood-framed beds

Wooden-framed garden beds are raised structures made of natural or treated wood. They can be constructed from multiple types of wood, such as cedar, cypress, redwood, pine, or composite wood. Cedar and redwood are considered the best wood options for raised beds because they resist rot. They are the perfect choice for gardeners who want a natural appearance because they blend well with most gardens.

Wooden beds lack longevity compared to metal and brick beds, but choosing the right type of wood can let you enjoy your raised bed gardening for about 10 years or so. Whatever wood you use, we recommend using untreated wood to prevent chemicals from leaching into the soil and plants you will eat. Wood-framed beds are cheaper, but require regular upkeep, like staining or sealing, which adds to their cost.

Pros

• Provide natural aesthetic appeal
• Blends well with most landscapes
• Less expensive than metal beds
• Easy to assemble wooden garden bed kits
• Offer design flexibility

Cons

• Limited lifespan compared to metal beds
• Susceptible to rot
• Requires regular maintenance
• Can attract pests

3. Ground Beds

This is a traditional gardening method where plants are grown directly in the native soil or after preparing existing soil by tilling, amending, and mixing organic matter. Ground beds are a separate planting area from the rest of the yard. These gardens are usually planted in a row.

Setting up a ground bed is less expensive, and you'll need fewer materials to create it. However, you'll need to purchase some gardening tools, rent some large tools to prepare soil, and buy soil amendments. In-ground beds work great in hot climates or when your soil is well prepared.

Pros

• Less expensive than raised beds
• Simple and faster initial setup
• Allows you to use the existing natural soil

Cons

• Require seasonal upkeep
• More risk of weeds and pests
• Difficult accessibility
• Limited garden location

4. Brick Raised Beds

These garden beds can be made with various types and sizes of bricks and can be customized to fit your specific needs. Brick raised beds are a permanent, beautiful landscaping feature you'll love. They are also the best choice for durability and longevity, and they resist rot and weathering.

To prepare these beds, determine the bed's shape, size, and height and choose high-quality bricks. Use mortar for a permanent and appealing bond. You can build a square, rectangular, circular, or your desired-shaped raised bed from bricks.

Pros

• Durable and long-lasting
• Easier accessibility
• Better pest management
• Extends the growing season
• Increases garden aesthetics
• Requires less maintenance

Cons

• High upfront cost
• Requires basic construction skills and tools
• Limited shapes and curve options

5. Container Beds

Container beds are pots, planters, and containers in different sizes, materials, and shapes. They allow you to grow plants in space that you might consider impossible to plant.

Container beds can be moved easily and are suitable for smaller spaces. These portable beds allow you to grow plants in areas with poor soil, limited space, or where in-ground gardening is not feasible. You can place them on a patio, garden, deck, rooftop, windowsill, balcony, or anywhere you need. Try placing a combination of different sizes, forms, and colors to give your space an aesthetically pleasing look.

Pros

• Saves space
• Easy to move
• Easier to maintain

Cons

• Limited size depending on the container
• Requires frequent watering
• Risk of improper drainage
• Large plants can't reach their full potential

The Bottom Line

Choosing between metal, wooden, brick, ground, and container garden beds involves weighing durability, longevity, costs, and the specific crops you want to grow. Each garden bed material has pros and cons, so look for one that suits your unique gardening needs and goals. If you grow vegetables in your raised garden bed, choose food-safe material. Visit DripWorks to learn how our high-quality gardening tools and irrigation supplies can help you transform your garden.