Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsEverything I wanted and more. Not the most expensive, but better than the cheapest.
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2022
I got the 6x3x2. I plan on ordering a second one right away. Plus we're gonna do two of the 8ft now on the other side. How much soil do you need? ALOT. Somewhere around 15x 40lb bags. So be prepared for that. This is not going to fill up easily. We're talking two feet deep and it's big. You can fill it with logs and shredded paper at the bottom layer if you don't have straw.
Pros:
Cheap but not too cheap(and yes, there is cheaper)
Metal so it will never rot
Sturdy once you've got every screw in place
The increased depth makes it possible to grow anything in it
Holds a HUGE amount of crops by square foot gardening methods
Looks beautiful. Can't complain when it looks this good for sheet metal.
Wing nuts makes this job easy, no socket required to hold the nuts.
Rubber ribbing that fits the top comes with it if you want it installed, it's not on in my pictures. If you need to replace it, it's the same stuff used as ,"car door protector u shape rubber seal."
Cons:
Cheaper than the big brands that come with crazy angle brackets and crossmembers and riser blocks so there's not a tremendous amount of quality from this.
The stakes that come with it are garbage. Get some round head plastic stakes and drive them into the peg holes on the corners or this thing is going to fly away out in a field if it's not densely filled.
Layer your soil like pictured.
1)Throw down cardboard, not plastic underneath this thing. Lots and lots of cardboard. Plastic will break down and turn into muck, you don't want that. Just use degradeable cardboards. If you ever have to remove this bed, you can just drag it all out. No picking up plastic pieces.
2)Take round 2 inch logs or branches and layer them everywhere so this thing drains. Do not put soil on the bottom of this raised bed!!! The bed will shift and raise up above the soil line and look stupid with time.
3)Add sticks, lots of sticks of all shapes and sizes or straw. If you don't have straw, use shredded paper mulch like I do. This creates an air layer that will break down with time but allows air and water travel at the start of an ecosystem.
4)Add composted manure(it is way cheaper than bagged soil and has a nice sand mix to it, to fill this thing with topsoil would be quite alot of money)
5)Add your own compost(the clumpier the better)
6)Add garden soil
7)Top with topsoil and vermiculite, pack it gently with a 2x4. Don't fill your bed with ,"potting," soil or the sides will collapse in wind or your plants will fall out from soft root systems, just the top layer should be topsoil. Spread mulch over this as your plants come up.(optional, some people like to see the topsoil)
Tip, never empty this bed. You'll destroy whatever ecosystem you've built. If your soil looks dead then remove final crop of plants, remove one to two inches of soil and throw it into your compost. Replace that same depth with fresh soil. If you're using this as a raised bed for ferns and flowers, use your flower mix in place of garden soil. If you don't want to remove any soil in the future, use a powdered water soluble fertilizer and you're done.
Raised beds are alot easier than digging ever was.