How My Vego Garden Raised Beds Have Held Up After Two Years of Weather and Wear

Tested by Morgan Faulkner

When my husband and I bought our first house a few years ago, I immediately knew that I wanted to grow my own cut-flower garden. As a former florist of six years and long-time follower of Floret Flower Farm, these flourishing gardens have a way of bringing instant happiness — via the beautiful blooms as well as the pollinators — throughout the summer season. Plus, there's truly nothing better than displaying or gifting a vase filled with flowers you grew yourself.

So began the process of researching how to grow a cut-flower garden. I knew from the beginning that I wanted a contained space. My small suburban backyard, paired with less-than-ideal clay dirt that's very rocky, led me to raised bed gardening. Plus, raised beds warm up faster than in-ground soil, often resulting in earlier crops. (Let's face it: No gardener wants to wait longer to see their plants sprout and bloom.)

As I researched raised garden beds I could buy online, the brand that kept popping up again and again was Vego Garden. I was immediately drawn to the modern metal designs and customizable configurations. After digging into the brand and real-life reviews, I determined Vego Garden beds were exactly what I wanted for my cut-flower garden. Now, two years later and in my third gardening season with the beds, I couldn't be happier with my decision. While my experience has been positive, there are just a couple of things to keep in mind before purchasing.

What Are Vego Garden Raised Beds?

Vego Garden's Classic Garden Beds are modular raised bed kits made from a corrosion- and rust-resistant metal blend that consists of zinc, aluminum and magnesium. The steel core is coated in a USDA-compliant paint that's both nontoxic and food-safe, making these beds ideal for growing vegetables and edible crops. The brand claims the beds are built to last 20+ years in all outdoor conditions. They are available in an array of nature-inspired hues, such as dark green, olive green, terra cotta, sunshine yellow and sky blue.

While most raised garden beds have fixed shapes and can't be reconfigured, the main appeal of Vego Gardens beds is their modular design, which allows you to customize the layout to your space. Some beds boast up to 10 configuration possibilities, from long and narrow to a simple square. My Classic Beds are 17 inches tall, but for those who suffer from back pain or have limited mobility, Vego Garden offers beds that are 26 and 32 inches tall, as well as elevated garden beds and wheeled beds.

My Review of Vego Garden Raised Beds

Assembly and Filling: While assembling the Vego beds was not necessarily difficult, it was time-consuming — especially because I was assembling two beds at once. The six-in-one model I chose comes in 10 pieces, and each piece has a plastic film on the front and back that needs to be removed. Each bed also includes 50 bolt/washer/nut sets for assembly, so I recommend using a power drill to speed up the process. I also highly recommend wearing protective gloves while assembling, as the pieces are very sharp, and I nicked myself quite a few times. Luckily, the beds are finished with safety edging to avoid injuries in the garden.

In addition to the price of the beds themselves, another upfront cost to consider is filling materials. Since the beds are bottomless, Vego Garden suggests using the hugelkultur method to fill the beds, which involves layering cardboard, logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, compost and soil. Even with using a lot of free matter from my yard, I still needed two bags of compost and four large bags of raised bed soil to fill one bed. Also keep in mind that after each gardening season, the bottom layer will decompose, and the previous soil will compact down, so more soil will likely need to be added each year.

Appearance and Design: One of the main selling points of these beds for me was the design. They boast a modern, sleek appeal thanks to their ribbed corrugated metal panels, while still feeling at home in any garden or backyard. The beds have rounded corners and a protective rubber edge trim along the top, which gives them a more polished appearance and eliminates sharp edges (ideal for yards with kids or pets).

Their modular design allows them to be assembled into a variety of shapes, from long rectangles to squares and rounded configurations. As mentioned above, I love that the beds come in several nature-inspired colors, including dark and light greens, terra cotta, sky blue, pearly white, sunshine yellow and gray, making them blend easily into both cottage-style and contemporary landscapes while still offering visual appeal.

Quality and Durability: Over the past two years, my Vego Garden raised beds have withstood just about every kind of weather East Tennessee can throw at them: blazing summer sun, heavy rain, sleet, snow and even hail. I've pressure-washed them multiple times and routinely filled, emptied and replanted them each year. They have not warped and have maintained their original shape and structure. They still look nearly as good as the day I assembled them, so I can attest to the quality of these beds as being exceptional.

When it comes to durability, Vego Garden beds are in a class of their own. Unlike wood raised beds, they won't rot, splinter or attract pests. And unlike plastic beds, they won't become brittle from UV exposure or potentially leach materials into the soil as they age. Their rust-resistant metal construction is designed for long-term outdoor use, and after two full seasons of gardening in them, I'm confident in saying that my Vego Garden beds will last many years to come.

Upkeep and Maintenance: One of the few maintenance considerations with Vego Garden beds is keeping the exterior panels clean. Grass clippings and debris tend to stick to the metal sides after mowing, so I usually give them a quick spray-down with a garden hose so the debris doesn't bake on in the sun. I also pressure-wash the beds in the fall after I clean them out and winterize them to ensure no gunk is caked on come springtime.

Like most raised beds, Vego beds will need fresh soil added each year as organic matter in the lower layers breaks down, and the soil naturally settles over time. I haven't encountered any structural issues after two years of use, but it's still a good idea to check the hardware occasionally and tighten any screws if needed. Overall, the maintenance requirements are relatively minor, particularly considering the beds' durability and long-term performance.

How My Vego Garden Beds Have Held Up After Two Years

As I mentioned above, my Vego Garden Metal Raised Beds have been through all weather elements over the past two years, from 100-degree direct sun to pouring rain to eight inches of snow, and they still look good as new. There are no major flaws or scuffs to the exteriors that I've noticed, only minor nicks from the string strimmer. I've noticed only a slight fading of the paint (though my husband says he doesn't notice any fading at all). The darker-colored beds may be more prone to obvious fading, but the sage green of my beds makes it so it's not really noticeable. My Vego beds have not warped, cracked or changed at all. All in all, the beds look practically the same today as they did two years ago.

Bottom Line: Are Vego Garden Beds Worth Buying?

For the gardener looking for customization and longevity with their raised beds, the Vego Garden Classic Beds are a great option and one I highly recommend. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just beginning your journey, these beds are a durable and reliable anchor to have in your yard or garden. They won't rot like wood, and they can be reconfigured year after year to best fit your needs.

These raised beds are also a great choice for those with mobility problems or who easily suffer back pain from traditional in-ground gardening. While they can be time-consuming to assemble and require quite a bit of matter to initially fill, these are mostly upfront, one-time downsides that don't need repeating year to year. From vegetables to herbs to cut flowers, the Vego Garden beds are attractive, practical and durable planters that are worth investing in.

Why You Should Trust Our Tester

The writer and tester of this article, Morgan Faulkner, is a shopping editor and lifestyle writer for HGTV. She has been creating gardening content for the brand for over eight years, including container gardening tips for beginners, shade-garden plant ideas, must-have gardening tools and much more. She is an avid gardener who enjoys filling her home with fresh-cut flowers she lovingly grows in her raised beds. Before her time in the digital lifestyle space, Morgan worked as a florist for six years.

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