Vego garden Aluzinc Raised Garden Bed Kits, 17" Tall 6 in 1 Modular Metal Raised Planter Bed for Vegetables Flowers Patio Ground Planter Box-Modern Gray

This was honestly pricier than I'd wanted to go for a raised bed, but I was also hoping for one that wouldn't start rotting apart in a few seasons, and this looks like it'll do the job well, as it's unblemished after a solid year and a New England winter. I like the clever design, where it can be sized in various ways just by assembling the panels in different configurations, but bear in mind, you'll want to plan that out before you actually load it up with soil and start planting. The sections are held together with stainless steel bolts... a lot of bolts. This makes assembly easy, but fairly time consuming, so bear that in mind. Given how sturdy it is, it's surprisingly lightweight and easy to move around once assembled. I do strongly recommend only installing the rim guard after you finish filling it with soil, however. Honestly, given how well it's holding up, once I clear some trees out of my front yard and get some more sunlight, I can definitely see getting a second one to expand my garden space. It may not be as classical looking as a wood frame bed, but it should hold up a lot better over time if you value function over form.

Very attractive and high quality - I'm very pleased with the bed and how easy it was to put together. My only "complaint" is how long it took to remove all the shrink wrapping from the pieces! :-)

Easy to build and make a great planter

I have tried various other methods to have raised garden beds, mostly wood-based, but no matter what material I used (treated as well as cedar) they all eventually rot and need replacing. Now that I am in to my 70s, having to bend down, let alone get on my knees, to garden was no longer an option (I didn't like getting on my knees when I was a kid!). So I bought their tallest 3.5x3.5 model and I love it. Just the right height for me (6'3" - I have shrunk an inch as I aged). The panels come covered in a type of plastic sheeting to protect the outside of the panels. But, boy, is that plastic hard to remove. It isn't as easy as the plastic film you find covering plastic or glass surfaces to protect them from scratching that just lifts right off. Nope, this stuff has to be slowly peeled away from the panel. After getting it started on one edge, I eventually found the best way is to use both thumbs and push the plastic away from you, sort of rolling the plastic up as you go. The first panel took me about 20 minutes to remove the sheet (remember, the kit I bought has the tallest panels), gradually figuring out which was the best way to do it, but once I got that panel done, each succeeding panel took me less and less time and the last panel (there were 8), I had the process down to less than 5 minutes. Yes, putting the panels together, especially on this tall model, really does require two people. I managed to get it done by myself, but what a chore it was. Also, I started putting it together inside, attaching a straight panel to a curved panel (I created a square bed), I decided I'd better check the width of my exterior doors. Good thing, too, since my doors were an inch smaller than the narrowest dimension of the completed bed. So I finished the build outside on my deck and then carried the completed bed to where I wanted it. I used the carton the kit came in as a base, setting the bed on top of the unfolded box. The cardboard box was slightly larger than the 3.5x3.5 bed and after getting some compost inside the bed to keep it from moving, I used a utility knife to trim off the cardboard that stuck out from beneath the bed. It took over two dozen bags of compost, some were larger than others as I used different brands (I will warn you that Miracle Grow brand compost has a lot of sticks and stones and just doesn't seem as well composted as the other brands I used). That almost filled it, to about 6 inches from the top of the bed, but it has since settled and next year I will need to add several more bags of compost. Overall, I am very pleased with the bed itself. I found it very sturdy, it looks nice (love the dark green color I chose), and there have been no problems. There was no "blow-out" or panels bowing due to the weight of so much soil such as one comment noted. The 3.5x3.5 square seems really solid and sturdy; possibly creating other sizes with longer sides is what creates that problem.

I am a huge fan of these raised beds. I did a lot of research before ordering a Reese bed, and I have not been disappointed with this choice. It seems a lot of thought went into designing this. Even down to the bolts that face inside have rounded edges. Which I didn’t think it mattered until I’m digging in the dirt, and my hand brushes against it, but it’s totally smooth, so they definitely have the user in mind. It was very easy to put together, and has held up to so much weather where I live. It did take quite a bit of dirt to fill it, but that is to be expected. I think I did about 12 giant bags of soil from the hardware store, in addition to filling the bottom with the cardboard, used to create the box, and branches we cut down from a tree. My plants are doing well, and I couldn’t be happier.