Garden Bed of the Month — Durable Garden Beds That Also Look Nice

In early 2020, Guy and his wife, Kristen, purchased two 10x10x2 Durable GreenBeds in a U-shape. Kristen says she wanted to order more, but there just wasn’t enough room in their Hood River, Oregon, garden, surrounded by tall trees in a woodsy mountain setting.

Kristen discovered Durable GreenBeds while searching online. Guy says they were seeking raised garden bed kits that would be both durable and look nice. “We had been considering some other options that we had seen around,” he says. “Some were made out of wood or sheet metal. But she found these, which come in a kit with dimensions, and it’s less trouble. I was all for it!”

Replacing old wood with something that will last

Kristen is an avid gardener, and used the wooden garden beds that the previous owners of their home had installed. But, Guy says, they were “completely falling apart, and it was time to do something.” Not only that, they were very low to the ground, which made it difficult to bend down far enough and reach into the center of the beds. Since they envisioned their new home as their “forever home,” they also wanted “forever garden beds” aka durable garden beds that also look nice. “I didn’t want to have to replace wooden garden beds every couple of years,” Guy says.

So far, the couple have planted tomatoes, onions, peas, strawberries, and potatoes. Since it’s their first growing season with the beds and Kristen is more of a flower gardener traditionally, they’re enjoying experimenting to see how things turn out.

Filling 2-foot Deep Garden Beds

The couple dug down a little bit to place their beds in a level spot, so they had some piles of soil to kick-start filling their new two-foot deep raised garden beds. Guy was able to fill the beds up about halfway with that, then they topped it off with purchased soil, compost mix they got from their local garden store, and worm castings donated by a friend.

The deeper beds are a boon to growing vegetables that have deep roots, such as tomatoes and beans, but the tall garden beds are more to Guy’s liking because he doesn’t have to bend over as much. “It’s pretty hard to bend over and reach the center of a bed that’s only six or eight inches high,” he says. “These are much better.”

Easy Installation

According to Guy, installing their new Durable GreenBeds was easy. “It went together very well,” he says. “I didn’t have to do anything other than assemble it.” They left the panels, composed of a composite wood fiber and cement mixture, unfinished, and they like the look, but it can be stained if so desired.

“I like it the way it is, and by not finishing it, that’s another thing I don’t have to worry about having to replace,” Guy says. “I don’t have to worry about the durability of the way it looks.”

Once the raised vegetable beds were complete, the gardening came easy. “They’re awesome,” Guy says, “and we’re happy with them. You know, it seems like it’s going to last for as long as we’re in the house and probably decades after that. We’re very pleased. And, everybody who looks at it goes, ‘Wow!’ so that’s really cool.”

We think that’s really cool too, Guy and Kristen!