20 Best Lumber For Raised Beds (2023 Updated)

Thicker cedar boards would definitely be an asset. I have them cobbled together with rope and wire. Guess I thought they would last for many years, after 5 years they have about had it. To expensive for what it is.

It looks like it is going to work perfectly and seems sturdy enough although I have not had time to get landscaping cloth for the bottom or 7. 5 cubic feet of raised bed soil yet. The downside, since I am temporarily handicapped and had to have my daughter (adult) put it together is that the grooves in the posts are not cleaned out enough.

She had to hammer and hammer and hammer. It took the better part of the afternoon. Then the caps do need a pilot hole for the screws. Otherwise, great.

They made it good by standing behind their product. I purchased 2 products from Timerland and noticed 2 small splits it the wood. I simply proved the issue with a picture and 2 additional sections were shipped immediately.

The product now looks great and is in the condition I hoped for. I can’t wait for the spring so I can setup my raised vegetable beds.

As you open up the quickly shipped package you can smell the Cedar. The cuttings are masterful, precise. Easy to assemble in 15 seconds, I was impressed. It is long and wide. I will have a very good raised bed.

There is nothing on the market as comparable. I am buying two more.

This is a simple elegant planter. It goes together in minutes effortlessly. The wood is beautiful. There is attention to detail and quality. You can stack or separate the two 4×8 sections. Very pleased with this.

Easy to put together, all the pieces were there and even some extra to make it a full rectangle and not a U shaped. Some of the boards were cracked a little but it doesnt affect the integrity currently.

I plan on getting another one to add on top of the current one i have, or maybe add to it. Who knows. It was cheaper then buying the wood separately.

The kit is easy to assemble, but is roughly cut, so there are a lot of rough edges and splinters. They did do a good job with the dovetail joints, so it does fit together without much effort. Recommend picking up some pavers to keep the posts/sides off the ground, some weed fabric for under the beds, and some 3-3.

5 mil plastic sheeting to line the interior to reduce moisture on the interior of the wood.

Very pleased with product overall, but oone piece was defective, but we made it work anyway. Just ordered a small 8′ x 4′ and it was missing a piece so we can’t complete what we wanted to on the weekend since e it is missing a corner post!.

This garden bed is the perfect height. Easy to put together and i stained it with a water resistant stain protector. I’ve gotten so many compliments on them. ( I have three) and I’d love to have four, the wheels are so convenient for moving them from excessive sunlight.

We even rolled them into my house when we had two weather advisories and back out after the severe storms. They also shipped extremely fast. Only had one problem putting the three together and it was one bolt that held the lower shelf in place was not threaded but a trip to Lowes fixed that.

They’re deep enough so my peppers and herbs are doing great. Again I love the mobility !.

We think this Elevated Wood Planter is one of the best – and a great price for the quality. I think we paid $150 for it in April 2020, so for $100, it’s a great deal. All the parts are well made and fit together well.

No parts or screws missing. I did a lot of research on these Elevated Wood Planters from Best Choice Products and others. I read almost every review on this one and many others, so I have advice about what some people’s issues have been.

– ASSEMBLY – If you use a hand screwdriver (not electric) for all the screws except the lower storage shelf, it should be solid and you shouldn’t have any problems with it coming apart, even if you roll it.

It takes longer, but it’s worth it. You can use an electric screwdriver for that bottom storage shelf. If you’re an expert with the electric screwdriver and very careful, that might be OK. – TIME – It took us about 2 1/2 hours and it helps to have a second person (adult or child) for some of the assembly to hold it in place.

Take your time and do quality work. – WHEELS – If you want to move it, install the wheels. They seem to be good quality – but when you move it, realize when you get all the soil in it and it’s heavy.

My friend (& some of the other reviewers) tried to move it over a rough surface and pushed hard on it, and one of the wheels broke off. Just be slow and gentle moving it – maybe have two people on each end, if possible, and the wheels should be fine.

STAINING – If it will be outside some of the year, it’s best to stain or paint it to protect the wood. You can stain the pieces before assembling or the planter after. We have two raised garden beds that we keep inside in our all-windows sunroom year around.

We have potting soil about half way up in one since we’re growing herbs in it and they don’t need deep soil. We decided to grow some veggie and herbs in pots in the other one, instead of using the liner and filling it with potting soil.

We can trade plants out if they aren’t doing well or want something different. Mint can take over, so we wanted it in a large pot of its own. We’ve lost a few plants, but most of them are doing well.

We’ve really enjoyed growing veggies and herbs for the first time during these Covid Stay-at-Home months. Hope you’ll enjoy the planter as much as we have.

Junk! almost every piece of the wooden slats had cracks. The screw holes did not line up for the slats either. And I purchased two of these sub-par raised garden beds. I had to glue several piece that were cracked.

The pine was so dry that it would immediately crack when assembling. I had to use a bar of soap to lubricate the screws. So the instructions say 20 minute assembly time. In the real world it took 4 hours for one and 2.

5 hours for the second one. They will not last. My wife will be lucky to get one growing season out of these. Also, I put on two coats of boiled linseed oil to try and preserve and increase the longevity of this kindling wood.

My wife and I just assembled a 4’x8′ and 2′ tall raised bed using these cedar boards and the Gardener’s Supply corner brackets, which required eight 4′ boards and eight 8′ boards in total (each approx 4″ wide).

The predrilled holes in the brackets seem designed for 12″ wide boards (not available) but did align well enough for one screw in each board at every corner. The bed looks great, and the boards were well-cut and smoothly sanded and fit perfectly into the brackets.

I can’t say how long they will hold up at present, having just made the garden bed. I was unable to find any similar cedar lumber at the local big box home improvement stores or local lumber suppliers, but these boards were ready-to-use to build the raised planter and made assembly fairly easy.

I would recommend these boards (4′ and 8′) for raised bed gardens using Gardner’s Supply corner brackets–high quality and well-finished lumber.

I bought this along with the raised bed corners offered at Gardener’s Supply about 5 or 6 years ago. They are holding up fabulously! I have 3 large and one medium sized one and an elevated raised bed.

I oiled the wood with some oil that I also bought through GS the season that I set them up and this year I remembered to oil them on the outside for the first time since setup. The wood still looks great and not breaking down at all on the outside or inside yet.

It seems these will be super long lasting investments! Worth every penny!.

I bought 11 boxes of these cedar planks to make a lob raised bed and I am SO happy with my purchase. Aesthetically, they look beautiful. I’m going to apply oil on them for protection as well, but right out of the box there were very few minor imperfections that did not affect the overall functionality or looks! The boards are straight and strong – I was able to get everything drilled together with no cracking or bowing.

And for cedar, I thought the price was quite fair.

I wanted to install a few raised garden beds but didn’t want to buy lumber and screw it together. I wanted something that looked a little nicer but wasn’t super expensive. This product fits the bill perfectly! It’s made quite well and it very easy to assemble, and it’s made in the USA!!!!! I used a rubber mallet to gently tab the boards in place, and used a tape measure to make sure it was square and level.

Once filled up with dirt, it is very solid and will meet my needs. I’m very happy with this product! Tip: Before assembling the product, I put clear wood sealer on the exterior of the boards with hopes of extending the life of the boards.

I did not want to put chemicals on the inside of the boards since I’m growing vegetables but you could if you’re growing flowers etc.

I was enthusiastic about buying a product made in the US but my enthusiasm quickly fell. The quality is poor. The boards cracked and the top decorative cap completely cracked in half. The wood is rough.

For the cost of this product, it does not meet my expectations. I will comment that the product is easy to assembly. Unfortunately, I purchased two other beds from a company that produces them in China.

These beds are sturdier and better quality.

I was going back and forth between buying a garden bed and making one. For me and my skill level, it made sense to purchase this year! This bed came in good condition, a little splintery in places but nothing a small sand wouldn’t fix.

My main question/concern is getting the decorative corner pieces on. There is no way to connect them from the kit itself. Maybe wood glue or a double ended screw? Purchased a second bed regardless, I have many more plants to get outside.

We bought four 4 foot by 4 foot raised garden bed planters, and immediately checked for cracked and broken pieces. From the four sets we were able to collect intact pieces for three sets. We exchanged the box of cracked/broken pieces for another box which, surprisingly, had all pieces intact.

Staff at Canadian Tire were very accommodating and pleasant. The description of the boards says the “composite wood is made with 60% recycled plastic,” which is what we wanted and what the product seems to be.

The frame went together fairly easily, though some of the screws did not hold well. We are hoping that, now that the frames are staked and filled with soil, the loose screws will not pose a problem. These frames do not seem to be quite as well made as the Frame It All frames we bought several years ago.

The old frames have held together well and have not cracked in the weather. We hope these ones last as well.

I bought two of these last season and my college age kids put them together in about an hour in an “L”. We had the best results we’ve ever had! A glut of both cucumbers and tomatoes and more peppers than we’ve ever gotten (which totalled to a half dozen).

We also planted strongly scented flowers (notably marigolds) around the outside to discourage rabbits and such. This year I am deciding whether to double the height of the whole thing or just the area with shorter plants.

The ease of set up, stackability, the look, the flexibility, accessories available directly from the company (for example a mesh perimeter to keep out large animals, what is needed to make a greenhouse, single extra boards to change the shape or get a custom size), versatility and quality (looks brand new even after a Chicago winter!) make this the ideal starter garden for a complete novice.

What is even more exciting is the ability to grow it and change shapes and depth from year to year. The hinges that hold the boards together have about a 270 degree swing so stars, hourglass shapes, even letters or kaleidoscope designs are possible.

Obviously we love ours and look forward to adding to it annually. Do not wait too long as the manufacturer tends to have limited supplies later in the season, plus you want to start planting as soon as you get past the “final” frost.

I know this may sound a bit over the top, but I love homegrown tomatoes and heirlooms more than almost any vegetable (don’t care for store bought) and my daughter can go through a half dozen cucumbers in a day.

Having a productive garden saves us loads of time and money over the summer/early fall. Bonus is we don’t use pesticides. Have fun and enjoy your homegrown vegetables and beautiful flowers.

I cancelled my order for a 2nd one after putting this one together. I have 12 other raised beds,this is the only one that isn’t well designed/put together easily/sturdy. It’s great that the stakes actually go into the ground as anchors vs just a post.

However there are plugs that go in at both ends for every slat and these don’t fit. When forced it actually cracked the slat. This was not truly no tools needed either. It’s also not as configurable as led to believe.

Definitely wouldn’t get again and will go somewhere else to get my last set of raised beds.

Everything starts with the soil. It doesn’t matter how fancy your container is, you need to fill it with good soil. Tp soil is not good soil. I am lucky enough to live in an area where they grow mushrooms.

Mushroom soil is magic. Th cedar bed is wonderful. Never use treated wood. It will leech poison into the soil. The cedar will last about 12 to 15 years. having your garden elevated from the ground will help keep weeds out and give you good drainage.

I bought one of these last year and it was perfect and has been outside in the elements since then. I bought three more this year and honestly would have to look at photos to determine which one is older.

They are nice and sturdy and deep enough to grow so many things. I’d buy more if I had the room.

Very lovely raised beds. I purchased the 3’x6′ size and it’s the perfect size. Cedar wood in great condition (and smells so good!) and the beds go together SO EASY. If you need the corners to be super secure for moving the bed around, you’ll need to do some McGyvering.

But once in place and filled with soil, the beds are sturdy and seem like they’ll last awhile. Crossing fingers!.

We’re pleased with the quality of the components, packaging, and assembly instructions. The delivery person didn’t love the weight of the 3 boxes (and they *are* heavy), but things arrived intact and undamaged thanks to efficient packaging.

Individual panels were well made and everything went together in about 4 hours. Please note, though, that I have a lot of experience with this sort of project. Note also that it would have been difficult for me to replicate this raised bed on my own/with my own materials for this price (including my labor costs) and thus was worth the expense.

An extra pair of hands might be useful for some folks, but I found that Quick-Grip style clamps held things together just fine for assembly on my own. The directions do not include information about the importance of squaring everything up before installing final braces, so be aware of this detail before trying to install the gate at the end.

Took one star off because a 2×2 piece came broken. and the hinges are plastic. otherwise it’s a 5 star garden. I’m glad they had an 8×8 size. Would have loved the 8×12 if our yard could have fit a garden that size.

Easy enough to put together. We had two drills set up. one with the drill bit to predrill holes as needed. and one drill set to screw the screws in. One 2×2 top piece came broken and they are sending a replacement piece.

For being so well built, I was surprised that the hinges on the flip up trellis are black plastic. They won’t last even a summer of use here in Arizona. I’m replacing the plastic hinges with metal ones.

I love that I don’t have to bend to the ground to tend the garden. I can also control my soil conditions. and the extra depth helps roots grow deeper into the garden. We added the Titan Squash Tunnel and look forward to when the squash leaves have covered the tunnel creating a more shady spot for vegs to keep growing during our very hot sunny weather this summer.

I might try sitting out there in the shade! I’ll try to post progress pictures later this season, and add additional comments as I discover them. We are really pleased to have purchased this raised garden!.

Put it together alone in about 6 hours – another hand to steady parts in the early stages would have been useful, but not required. FedEx ground “lost” part of the shipment, but EarthEasy helped push FedEx to complete the shipment.

The instructions for connecting the inner wall pieces could be clearer, but nothing we couldn’t figure out. I had some metal hinges lying around that I thought looked nicer than the ones EarthEasy supplied for the gate, so I used those instead.

All in all, we are quite pleased with the product. The wood looks great and we would not hesitate to recommend it to others looking for a raised garden kit.

I bought a number of these units over the past two years. The first ones I got were easy to put together and all pieces were intact. The ones I bought last year are different. Several of the long boards were cracked or broken and some of the connectors cracked within days of being installed.

I am having to figure out how to make them work with other methods. I am very disappointed with the change in quality from one year to another. If I could have returned the faulty units, I would have but it was not possible.

I wasted a ton of money on something I through would work and it has not.

Easy to put together, best to build right in front of where you intend to put it then just flip it over (you put it together upside down). Some pieces had large slivers/defects on the edge so I just put those boards in first & at the back of my bed so they’d be hidden with soil.

Easy to finish with the brand’s protective citrus wood oil on your own. I threw some gloves on and used an old dishcloth which worked well. The oil is pricy but cheaper then purchasing pre-finished. One container allowed 2 thin coats on two 3ft x 8 ft beds.

I plan to do another coat for the exposed areas each year.

Cheap quality, this product as advertised was 4’x8′. When it arrived, it was only 4’x4′, even though the instructions claimed it was the bigger size. Not an isolated error either, as I ordered six of them, all defective in this manner.

The joints were very weak and the wood chipped easily. They were at least cut properly to fit, but putting them together caused more wood degradation. I doubt if they will last more than a season or two which, at the price, is outrageous.

I’m definitely not the handy type, but I timed myself and I managed to put it together in 15 minutes and 12 seconds by myself, occasionally using a rubber mallet to get the boards in. I was easily able to flip it over and wiggle it in to position alone, too.

For context, I’m a 47 year old woman who uses a butter knife for a screwdriver and struggles to carry more than 30lbs.

It is a great product as I am a new gardener. I didn’t place my vegetables correctly but I will this year.

After building my own vegetable beds in rented spaces with any recycled wood we could find, we finally bought our own home and are committed to keep growing our food so we decided to invest in quality, durable and beautiful beds.

So excited to get them started. It was an investment but we took advantage of the sales and feel like it will be worth it well into the future. The beds will also look beautiful in our new home and it was so easy to have them already cut, ready to slide into the metal corners and delivered to my door instead of us hauling them home from a store!! Glad to also support other businesses besides large home improvement stores.

I purchased 4 2’x6′ beds and after setting up, I think they look great BUT. some of the boards were slightly warped and had a little splitting of the wood along the ends (sees pics I attached) so that made it a little more challenging to assemble but my husband and I made it work.

I did not want to go through the return/exchange process because that would have been a hassle to return a big and heavy item and then having to wait for the replacements so we decided to keep them and we’re really careful with assembling them in their warped state.

Note that if you receive boards in ideal condition, assembly will go quickly and you’ll love the product even more. Definitely use a rubber mallet and towel when gently pounding the boards into the corner connectors and using an powered screw driver will help make the assembly go much quicker.

The screws that come with it are not the best quality so I hope these beds will hold up over the years. I may consider ordering another if it goes on sale again or with a coupon code one but if I get another warped board, it will get returned this time.

#sweepstakes.

We have purchased 13 of these raised beds and couldn’t be happier with the product. Makes gardening easy. Pretty much weed free gardening. Fast shipping. Easy to assemble. I’m ready to buy more.

I love my new deer proof raised garden bed. We got the 8×12 and there’s plenty of room for our family of 4 to plant 8 tomato plants, peas, strawberries, lettuce, 3 peppers, carrots, radishes, and herbs.

With room left over. We had our lawnmowers build it for us and they completed it in one day which included clearing the grass, putting down chicken wire, landscaping cloth and gravel first. We filled the beds with a layer of gravel before filling with soil/compost/peat moss mix.

We also replaced the plastic hinges as other reviewers mentioned. My one complaint is the irrigation kit. That should be clearly labeled to indicate to drill holes before filling the bed. The irrigation kit is plastic and a piece broke while installing.

Hoping it will work with our fix of glue/silicone. But disappointed with the irrigation kit for the extra cost.

Received all five boxes over an eleven day period. Came FedEx ground, driver needed help with three of the five boxes as they were quite heavy. Once I got all five, I had a landscaper come out and level the area.

All pieces were verified and accounted for, with a few extra pieces. Applied Thompson’s Water Seal with roller and brush to all pieces and let dry for a week. Assembly took about three hours with two drills and three people.

The ground MUST be perfectly level! Plenty of leftover hardware. One lower facing piece was split by pre-assembly at factory. Not a big deal, adds a bit of character. After assembly, I lined the inside where all the dirt would contact with mulch film to further extend the life of the cedar by preventing rotting from the inside.

I used scissors to size and a staple gun to apply the mulch film. Lined the planting and walk-in area with rock for drainage. Had three cubic yards of dirt delivered for the garden bed (used every bit) and had to fill using multiple trips with a gorilla cart.

This part was grueling as it had to be loaded/unloaded by hand (shovel). There is not an easier way unless you don’t install the deer fence prior to fill. Either way, you need to have a way of getting the dirt over the raised sides.

Planted vegetables near Mother’s day and all is growing well! I plan to re-apply the water seal each spring before planting season, probably with a sprayer. Very happy with the raised garden bed and recommend for anyone thinking about getting one.

It is definitely an eye catching addition to our yard. Let me know if you would like pictures!.

I purchased the 8×12 deer-proof garden and put it together over the course of a weekend. The instructions weren’t in the first box, so I had to open everything and pull it out to get to the instructions.

(Box 4 maybe?) The most time-consuming part was prepping the space and getting things level and square. I agree with other reviewers, two drills are a must if you want to keep the project moving, and I replaced the plastic hinges with metal ones from Lowes.

I also used a pair of Irwin one-handed bar clamps; using regular C-clamps by myself would’ve resulted in swear words. Everything was labeled well, and the instructions were great. The kit was missing several brackets.

I’m sure customer service would have replaced them, but I didn’t want to wait, so I bought those at Lowes, too. I lined the sides with house wrap to protect the cedar. I put gravel in the bottom to help with drainage, then filled it with the compost mix recommended by Square-foot Gardening.

I added the gravel and dirt before I put up the deer protection panels so that I could use the tractor. I stained it with Sherwin Williams Superdeck, Natural Cedar–just enough pigment to keep it from graying.

I’m adding harware cloth on the inside as well as fencing over the top to keep the raccoons out. What I wish I’d known ahead of time: 1) I wish I had put a 1-inch layer of sand over the entire surface before erecting any panels.

Instructions recommend some sand under the perimeter, but it would’ve been easier to level the entire unit if there had been sand under the whole thing. 2) The afternoon it rained, I could’ve assembled all the ribs in the garage instead of doing every step in order.

(Also a good task for an idle helper early in the process. ) I need to add another round of 1-ft panels to the top so that the walls will be tall enough for me to stand up once I put anti-raccoon fencing over the top.

I contacted customer service, but they can’t sell me any additional panels–guess I’ll be making those from scratch. Strawberry plants are arriving soon, and I’m ready!.

I deliberated in re-ordering flimsier, thinner, less expensive I had had before in a previous garden but decided to upgrade a bit. This is not super expensive but the increase in quality is exponential.

Sturdy, thicker wood – looks very nice. It was not complicated to assemble. Excited to get my spring garden going!.

This was cheap and easy to install, but after going through the first winter and starting my garden again, I noticed that termites had eaten out a corner and it separated. This is not termite and ant-resistant wood as advertised.

Pine wood would have been just as good. Very disappointed. Not worth purchasing.

Very nice product; easy to put together; seems sturdy; maybe a bit over priced.

Directions a little confusing at first but it looks great put together. Pretty sturdy and the perfect size for what I needed.

Not the best quality but looked pretty with flowers in it. My husband had to reinforce the corners.

I really like this raised garden bed. It has stood up to all the rain we have had lately, & the weeds & grass do not grow into the bed like they used to. So much easier on keeping weeds away from the plants.

I am excited to see how well my garden does this year.

Overall good quality product. I would have preferred the option to get thicker wood.

This is a well-designed, well-made, and great looking raised garden bed. The garden beds I bought from other sources don’t come close. My only wish is that the screws were made of a tougher metal. It is easy to strip their heads when using a power drill.

It took very little time to assemble the parts. The directions were clear and the parts needed neatly packaged. I am especially impressed with the price I paid, which is so much less that what I paid for inferior products from other sources.

I should mention that the bed shipped quickly and arrived intact. I did not have this experience with other sources.

This garden kit was easy to put together and was able to do myself (although an extra pair of hands would make it much easier!) Even though cedar has natural staying power, I also painted with GSC clear waterproofer.

The 1 quart was exactly the right amount for all the boards of 4 x 8 x 16 garden kit. The boards were straight and of good quality. Some had more knots than others. None of the boards posed a problem putting in the slots of corner pieces.

One detail that was a little confusing in the instructions was that apparently some kits come as 4″ wide boards and others come with 8″ wide. Other than that, I had no problems following the directions.

Wow Ken – thank you for the quick shipment of the raised bed. The wood is so beautifully fragrant and the instructions were very precise. I’d recommend Ken’s work to anyone. I for one am really pleased!.

I have not assembled yet but my beautiful raised bed arrived yesterday lovingly packed into a custom-fitted shipping box. Can’t wait to assemble and install it. Thank you!

It’s perfect, sturdy and so easy to assemble. It arrived just in time as what the seller stated. I love it. Thank you