When I moved into my house, I knew I’d have to invest in raised beds if I ever wanted to grow edible plants. My soil was full of weeds, broken glass, trash, and a whole host of other unappetizing and unsafe items. Plus, there is a black walnut tree growing right next door in my neighbor’s yard. So I started looking for the best budget raised beds.
My search brought me to Amazon, of course, where I found a fantastic deal on these FOOWIN Galvanized Raised Garden Beds. I was on the hunt for a high-quality, yet low-cost dupe of the beloved Vego Garden raised beds, which our Senior Editor Liz added to her own front yard a few years ago. And I found just what I was looking for in this 2-pack of metal raised beds from Amazon.
I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about these affordable raised beds before buying, from the pros and cons to installation tips. But don’t take too long to make your decision because these beds are on sale right now for Amazon Prime Day!
Price & Availability
This 2-Piece FOOWIN Galvanized Raised Garden Bed Kit is available on Amazon for $127.79 for Prime Day, which is a 33% discount off the regular price. You can also get this raised garden bed kit on sale from Walmart now for $128. It is only available online.
One of the biggest benefits of this raised garden bed is the price. Each bed costs less than $65, which is an incredible price for a metal raised bed of this size.
Setup
The setup wasn’t that difficult, but it did take quite a bit of time to complete. I did the first bed on my own and it took about 2-2.5 hours to put together.
The instructions were very limited. They didn’t include any images other than for a list of the parts and had very brief, unclear written descriptions for the setup process. But these beds are fairly simple to put together just using your own logic.
However, I still made a couple mistakes that I had to fix on the first bed. I wasted quite a bit of time undoing one of the ends of the first bed after I screwed it on because I thought I did it wrong. It turned out I did it right and ended up redoing it again.
It also took extra time putting together the first bed because I did it by myself. I was able to put the bed together just fine, but I enlisted the help of my sister and dad to assist with the second bed. That ended up going faster because I had another person helping to screw all the pieces together while I worked on other parts of the bed. It also helped to have someone hold the sides up while I screwed them together.
Thankfully all of the parts, including screws and nuts, were included in the packaging. There were even extra screws and nuts, which came in handy when a couple screws were damaged and I couldn’t use them. However, you do need to provide your own tools, which include a ratchet and wrench.
Design
These raised beds are 8 feet (2.4 m) long, 4 feet (1.2 m) wide, and 2 (0.6 m) feet deep. They are really quite large, which is exactly what I was looking for when I chose these beds. I wanted to fill as much of my yard as possible with these beds. I even put the one bed over top of an old tree stump. I’m hoping that turning these planters into hügelkultur beds filled with logs, sticks, compost, and plants will suppress the suckers that keep sprouting out of the tree stump.
I will easily be able to grow vining plants like pumpkins, butternut squash, and cucumbers in these beds as well as tons of tomatoes, herbs, and even some flowers for cutting. I plan on adding a trellis to the one raised bed as well to create a privacy screen on the patio that doubles as usable vertical growing space.
These metal raised garden beds are made of steel with a zinc alloy coating and non-toxic paint finish. They come in six different colors: silver, brown, yellow, navy, dark green, and black. I opted for the black powder-coated finish. The beds also come with plastic covers for the corners to prevent any accidental cuts or scrapes while you’re working in your garden, which is a nice touch.
These raised beds have an open bottom, so I recommend laying down cardboard at the base before filling with your growing medium to prevent weeds from coming up from the ground. They also have three turnbuckles in the center of the beds to help stabilize the sides and prevent them from bowing out when you fill the beds with soil.
User Reviews
The FOOWIN Galvanized Raised Garden Beds have over 700 reviews on Amazon with an average rating of 4.3 stars. Reviewers frequently mention the good quality and sturdiness of these beds, which I noticed as well when I put these beds together. Other reviewers on Amazon also had difficulty assembling these raised garden beds, which I did a bit at first as well.
Our Verdict
All in all, I’m impressed by these metal raised garden beds. I have not filled them or planted in them yet, so the real test of durability and usefulness is still yet to come. But I have high hopes. Because the beds are so large, I intend on filling the bottom half to two-thirds with old logs, dead brush, and finally compost and soil before planting.
I think the height of these beds will make them great for planting and tending to my garden. I won’t have to crouch all the way down to the ground like I have in the past with my in-ground beds.
These raised beds also look great around the perimeter of my patio at the back of my house. Even with nothing planted in them yet, they add privacy and make the space feel more intentional. Once they’re filled with tall green plants and vine-covered trellises, they will be absolutely beautiful.
Also Consider
I wanted affordable metal raised beds that looked and functioned like these extremely popular Vego Garden beds. If you’re willing to splurge, try these beds instead.
These metal raised beds are the same size and an almost identical design to the beds I bought, but they are even cheaper. However, they don’t come in a dark black finish.
If you want a similar look to my beds, but even more accessibility then these are a great option. They are smaller, but you won’t have to bend over at all to use them.
