Raised Garden Beds – Galvanized Steel vs. Wood (Which one is better for you?)

by Becky Decker · October 18, 2023

What are Raised Garden Beds? The raised beds are the surface that is made at the elevated level making planting and watering the plants effective and easy. The raised beds are for protecting the plants from pests and weeds. Using a good soil mix, water them consciously in the raised beds for growing a variety of plants from flowers to herbs and veggies.

Nowadays you might have noticed that raised beds are getting popular for the beauty they give to the garden plus the benefits. Let’s look at the raised beds and the comparison that you should know between the galvanized and wooden raised beds.

Basic differences:

	Wood	Galvanized Steel
Cost ($-$$$)	free to $$$	$$ to $$$
Lifespan	7 to 10 years (avg.)	20+ years
Ease of Setup	7/10	9/10
Availability	10/10	6/10
Customizability	8/10	7/10
Thermal Insulation	9/10	2/10

Table of Contents

What are Raised Garden Beds?

The raised garden beds look like garden boxes and that’s how they get this name. These small areas made by using different materials are great protective barriers as well. They are actually the plot in which the soil is enclosed and the plant bottom stays protected, and plants don’t get to compete with the weeds. There are many raised kits in the market that you can go for. These kits will have all the stuff that you need. Anyway, If you are confused between galvanized steel and wooden raised beds then keep reading this article for you.

Advantages of Raised Garden Beds

The soil in the raised area has better drainage than the beds. The raised beds avoid spilling sand or dirt from the corners.
The raised beds with no bottom provide the directed space for the roots to grow or extend depending upon the plant.
The raised beds give beautiful, elegant, and organized appease in the house or garden.
There will be the least soil compaction and weeds when you grow the plant in the raised beds. Overall using raised beds is part of qualitative gardening.

Galvanized Steel Raised Garden Beds vs. Wood Raised Garden Beds

What are Galvanized Steel Raised Beds?

There are a lot of gardeners out there who have shown their gardens with steel raised beds after 12 years how long-lasting they are. The galvanized steel raised beds are the new hype already as they are convenient, easy to use, and have a long working period. The galvanized steel beds are safe to use for your garden and very little maintenance is needed for them.

Advantages of Galvanized Raised Garden Beds

The galvanized raised beds are made of galvanized steel which means it will take about 20 years before they rust or weather.
These raised beds need little or no replacement. You will have to worry less about the material.
The galvanized steel raised is so easy to set up and looks appealing in the home building. It is a modernized way to plant and use the soil with many benefits.
There is the least issue of bending in the garden.

Disadvantages of galvanized raised beds

The galvanized steel raised beds are more costly than the wooden raised beds
The metal raised beds get too hot and easily heated, which can harm the plants or even burn them.
The galvanized steel beds cannot be mobilized easily, they stay stationary and are too heavy and fixed to move.
The galvanized steel raised beds are not conveniently found. In the cold weather, they will not heat that easily being made of metal they will get cold quickly too.

Get Galvanized Steel Beds:

You can get the Galvanized Steel beds from several options so that you can add it to your garden. These Galvanized Steel beds do come in different styles but never use the plastic post or fitting Steel for raising the Garden as the plastic will degrade or start breaking down before the galvanized Steel. You can use an all-steel design with a wood frame as it will be easy to replace for a raised garden bed.

What are Wooden Raised Garden Beds?

The wooden raised garden beds are made of wood so you have to understand how easily they will be available in the market. Any gardeners love simplicity and those who love to go for wooden raised beds. The wooden garden raised is not that costly, though also they are not long-lasting.

Advantages of wooden raised garden beds

The wooden raised garden beds keep the soil from washing away when there is heavy rainfall.
These raised beds are cheap and readily available in the market. The durability of wooden raised beds is lower than that of metal raised beds.
They last up to 10 years only depending on the type of wood used. (cedar wood- 12-20 years or redwoods– have a high life). High-quality wood demands high cost as well.

Disadvantages of wooden raised garden beds

The wooden raised garden beds being all-natural will weather with time and don’t last longer than metal ones.
If the weather is humid or rainy for a long time, the wooden raised beds’ lifespan will keep reducing.
The wooden raised beds need more frequent replacements than the metal raised beds.
The woods that stay for long are highly pricy and not easily available.

Types of Wood for Garden Beds:

Talking about the Woods for Garden beds are one of the cheapest materials but it all depends upon which type of wood you are using.

Most commonly a wood of untreated Pine is used because they are very affordable but it won’t last as long as other types of wood. When we talk about the line wood does last for 7 to 10 years and if you live in a humid climate then this lifespan gets shorter.

If you want a durable wood for Garden beds then you can choose either cedar or Redwood. These would be more expensive. They are able to last for 10 to 20 years.

If you want to raise Garden beds on a budget then I suggest you use the repurposed wood pallets. They are available freely if you search for them from various distribution centers large stores or local online ads. They are also available in local recycling centers which will allow you to take them for free. In the case of using this Woods make sure to avoid any color pallets having MB stamped on them as they stand for Methyl Bromide which is a toxic chemical to be used for Garden beds. So you can use the wood Pallets stamped with HT, DB, or KB which would be safe for your garden.

Final thoughts on the context

So I hope you have understood the difference between the wooden raised garden bed and the galvanized raised garden. We have written all the advantages and disadvantages related to these two options that you should be knowing before buying any of them. The raised garden beds are costly but worth buying to add elegance and plant vegetables, herbs, flowers, etc. Wooden raised garden beds have almost similar benefits to metal but metal raised beds are costly yet extremely long-lasting. Go further through the information and let us know in the comments about any queries. We are happy to help! Happy planting!

FAQ

What is the safest material for raised garden beds?

If you are using wooden raised beds make sure you use woods that are decay-resistant. Avoid the woods if you have too humid a climate or rain. The woods like black cherry, oak, redwood, and cedar have high durability.

What are the disadvantages of raised garden beds?

The raised garden instead of giving beauty to the garden and house is the costly option. They make gardening super easy and convenient, keeping the quality of the soil. But the raised beds kits are too pricey for some gardeners. Even you might need to water too frequently in raised beds as the soil gets dry too quickly having high drainage.

How deep should a raised garden bed be?

The raised garden beds should be 8-12 inches deep so that the roots get proper air and space to grow.