Back in 2010, I espied a couple of old palettes in a neighbour’s front garden and thought these might make wonderful raised beds for my own front garden. I spent an afternoon deconstructing the palettes and building the beds (here’s a ‘How to’), and then filled them with a mixture of topsoil and lovely rich compost as the soil below is rather heavy clay.
A year later and the beds were flourishing. In fact, they’ve been wonderful spots for experimentation ever since, and I’ve loved growing heaps of salad leaves, herbs, tomatoes
and my annual tulip display (grown in the front garden as squirrels decimate these bulbs in the back garden).
However, this wood doesn’t last forever, and despite a bit of mending here and there, these beds are now well past their best and in need of replacement. The question is, what with?
I visited Deb Nagan’s very inspiring garden in Brixton in 2013 as Part of the Chelsea Fringe,
and her lovely metal raised beds have always stuck in my memory. Such gorgeousness combined with such great practicality.
So where to get some metal raised beds?
In the past we’ve used Everedge to supply us with metal edging for our street tree pits,
and they also have a large range of other products for raised beds and planters. Following some very helpful discussions, I plumped for two (very reasonably priced) custom-made raised beds, 20cm high in Cor-Ten Steel. This naturally rusts over time, but they also supply galvanised steel which won’t rust, and powder coated steel which can give you different colours.
I love the deliciously warm colour of the rusted steel and its rather industrial look sits well in our urban setting. Peter from Everedge has added, in the comments below, that you can also have rolled edges if you’re worried about safety, but I can’t say that this crossed my mind when I was planning the bed.
It took a little while to construct as you have to bolt various lengths and corners together, but these raised beds should last for many years to come and I’m eager to see how my red and white Arsenal tulip display will look in this rusted bed come April.
P.s. I’ve also noticed that Harrod Horticultural sell a cream 30cm high snazzy ‘Retro’ raised bed. Not rusted steel, but groovy nonetheless.
Metal frames will indeed last forever but I worry about sharp metal edges where people will be walking, espcially if there are children about.
Hi Deborah, my raised beds are set back from the garden path so I can’t see anyone tripping up over these (except myself!).These metal beds do have hard edges, but not sharp and the corners are rounded. If full of plants, would they be more of a hazard than raised wooden beds? Hmm. Worth thinking about…..
I hope you do not plan to add soil inside your edging around the tree. This is not a good thing for the health of the tree.
Hi Carolyn, These metal surrounds for tree pits were originally installed by Islington Borough Council around 15 of our street trees 4 or 5 years ago. We’ve probably added another 10 or so more, and we keep the raised soil away from the tree trunk. We haven’t had any problems with any of the trees so far. V.best Naomi
I think I’d still rather use wood for these, albeit something stronger than pallet timbers – and recycled, if at all possible, rather that anything new. I’d feel safer falling onto a thick wooden edge than a narrow metal one, even if it weren’t also sharp.
The classic material is old (no longer safety-fit) scaffold boards, which have a much longer life than pallet timber.
I’ve also acquired a couple of similarly chunky long and thick planks from having new outside doors made (for the shed etc). Joiners use door and joist offcuts to reinforce the new door and frame in transit.
Hi Diana, Scaffolding boards are another great option, and I have used a couple of these to mend my beds with over the years. I’ve used these at previous allotments, and although their longevity is greater than palette wood, they still do eventually rot.
So, as it’s only for a couple of beds in my front garden, I’m very happy with the new beds.
Hi Naomi. I would have thought you’d make ceramic frames! Or cover your steel frames with ceramic tiles! Love your blog and I hope you’re well. Jane S.
Hi Jane, Lovely to hear from you. A pottery raised bed would be quite a feat! Really do love my steel beds though. Should be there for some while to come. Hope all well with you. Still making ceramics? Nx
Last year, we took out five wooden raised beds that had just exceeded their life span like yours. We explored all kinds of options just like you did and ended up with tanks that look a lot like the ones in your Harrods link only they are not painted. I haven’t decided if I want to paint them or not. Here’s to your new beautiful beds and mine producing all the fresh veggies we can consume. 🙂
Hi Judy, Yes, after years of patching the beds up, I thought I just needed something a bit more permanent and I love the beds that I’ve chosen. Here’s to growing delicious veg in our lovely beds indeed! V.best Naomi
Fabulous idea, I’m looking forward to see the transformation of your raised beds.
Thanks Charlie. Looking forward to filling these beds over the next few months.
Lovely, I am busy converting my scaffold board raised beds to permanent ones using lovely concrete interlocking roof tiles, some green, some terracotta. Easy to construct and very simple to make. You can make beds any size as you build up the sides with the modular system is single tiles.
Often find discarded piles of them when roofs are reinstated with slate tiles
Hi Deborah, Your interlocking roof tiles sound like a great idea and recycling is going to be cheaper than my Corten Steel. Can I come and have a look in Spring (or do send a pic and I can add it to the post)? Nx
Hi Naomi, I think they look great, especially against the brickwork behind… lovely bit of colour and textural design.. as well as the practicality, of course! Love reading your posts and hearing what you’re up to. Hope all well with you. Jenni x
Hi Jenni, Glad you like them. As you say, really pleased with their colour, texture and solidity. Are you gardening at the moment? Had dinner with Sarah, Penny and Lindsay last week. Lovely to catch with Sutton gels! Nx
Aah, the Sutton gels! Was only thinking of them all a couple of weeks ago.. hope they’re all OK.. do say Hello from me next time you’re in touch with them. Just finished a Planting Design course at Capel Manor.. excellent course… and gardening my own new (to me) garden. Would be lovely to catch you at one of the garden shows/events if you’re doing anything at any of them this year (Ally Pally??) Jx
Hi Jenni, A new garden! How exciting. What sort of size is it? (or can you send pics?). The Edible Garden Show is no longer at Ally Pally, and has now returned to its original venue up in Stoneleigh Park in Coventry. Hoping to get up there- poss on the Saturday. Nx
I love them, they look so up to date and smart. As you say, perfect for an urban garden.
Hi Chloris, Yes, I think I’m ready for a bit of ‘smart’ in my garden! I’m never going to be completely neat and tidy, but I love the solidity and structure that they bring to the space (and the muted colour).
They look beautiful – pricy?
Hi Lizzie, they’re a little more than similar sized wooden beds from Harrod Horticultural, but both have been custom made to fit my front garden (allowing for bin store etc.) and will last for years, so in the long term, probably cheaper than wood?? N x
Hi Naomi, they look lovely, very current and lovely colour! The actual photography is brilliant too! Different but still effective with the metal too! What made you want to use that?
Hi Kevin, As I mentioned in the post, I loved the metal beds in Deb Nagan’s garden and I was looking for something more permanent than wood. Rusted steel has been used for some time now in garden design. Its rich warm tones sit well alongside natural tones in the garden. What’s not to love!
Thank you for sharing your latest project. Your photos are the best! I love the colour and look of the rusted steel and it blends in nicely with your garden space. And I’m a little envious of the range of gardening paraphernalia available in the UK. Kx
Thanks Kerry! Which part of the world is your garden in? V.best Naomi
Hi Naomi, I love your new corten steel beds! Would you mind giving me the details of who made them for you? Thanks, Clare.
Hi Clare, Alex Hall at Everedge (alex.hall@everedge.co.uk) was really helpful in getting the beds made and shipped. V.best Naomi
Hi Naomi,
At EverEdge we always love your blog, especially when you’ve got some of our products!!
I hope you don’t mind us posting but I wanted to reply to the couple of comments from people concerned about the sharp edges.
Because the beds are custom made we can build in some safety features that should mitigate the risk somewhat. Sadly they do increase the price but some people might thing that the little extra money is worth it.
The cheapest option would be a do-it-yourseldf job. Rubber trim is pretty widely available and could be simply fitted around the top. Personally, I’m not sure I’d like the look of the rubber against the Cor-Ten though.
Another option would be for us to build in a rolled top edge which would give you a much smoother finish.
Anyway, we always try and take account of everyones individual needs so I hope that people aren’t scared off by sharp edges.
Excellent blog as always Naomi.
Thanks Peter. Didn’t even think about rolled edges, so good to know about this. Delighted you like the blog! V.best Naomi
I love the new-look beds Naomi, and wonderful to know you won’t ever need to replace them because they will never rot. My timber beds are still in good nick because I used quite heavy duty timber, but I will certainly think about steel beds when the time eventually comes to replace them, worth a bit of fiddling about initially for trouble free gardening thereafter. Mind you, I do find myself leaning on the edges of my beds on occasion, and quite like the look of the chunkier sides… Not something I need to worry about for a few years though, and in the mean time, your front garden looks fab.
Hi Janet, Glad you like the new beds. Yes, it’s lovely to have a more permanent solution. I’ve always gone for slim wood in the front garden as chunkier wood would take up precious space and this is another thing I love about the rusted steel. The frame hardly occupies any ground at all. However, I think chunkier beds made from railway sleepers are great, both in looks and longevity, if you have the space!
What do you use to fill your raised beds Naomi ?
Good question Susie! Originally I used some soil from the back garden as there was excess after making way for some paving. Ideally adding your own garden compost (if you have enough) into this would be great and then mulching every year with a hefty 2 to 3 inch layer of really well rotted manure. I think I added some recycled green waste as a mulch one year too. So a mixture of topsoil and compost, roughly 50:50 (mine originally was probably more 60:40) plus an annual manure mulch.
Charles Dowding on his ‘No Dig’ farm uses a 50:50 mixture of recycled council green waste and very well rotted manure for all his raised beds.
Gustavo Woltmann likes the way you have created raised beds.
Thank you Gustavo Woltman!
Hi Naomi,
Another great post!
We’ve just replaced all our rotted raised bed with recycled plastic lumber made from old milk bottles and the like… It’s made from food grade plastic and should last forever…
See: https://hencorner.com/2016/02/06/round-and-around/
Happy Gardening,
Sara
Hi Sara, Many thanks for the link to your post.
I’ve just checked out Plaswood. It’s a great idea to used recycled plastics (that will last forever).
I spoke to the very helpful Steve Foster at Earth Anchors who are stockists of Plaswood and other recycled materials.
A raised bed similar in size to my metal bed is roughly £320 (incl VAT), so not too bad for a product that will last forever, but unlike my metal beds that come in sections, the 3m lengths are one piece of Plaswood and shipping would be somewhere around £140 +VAT (which covers 3 palettes (which ironically you could recycle to make a raised bed!).
This seems like a good option if you’re going to order quite a few raised beds at one time, but probably too expensive for just one or two.
Yes, it’s a shame about the transport costs. We had to pay £70 for two compost bins to be delivered, but now that they are in place, and will not need replacing, we think the cost was worth it!
Hi Sara, Yes, good to know both (Plaswood and Corten Steel) won’t need replacing and we can get on with growing delicious veg. Whereabouts in W.London are you? Would love to see your chickens (and raised beds and compost bins!) sometime.
We are in Brentford, let me know if you are ever in the area Naomi!
Will do!
Love these – might get some if I do a new vegetable garden. V contemporary and love the rusted look x
Hi Alex, As the season goes on, I’m really enjoying looking at these new beds every time I pass them. V. definitely worth it if you’re designing new beds…..Nx
I recently replaced my gate (useful guide here; http://www.gardenoasis.co.uk/blog-headlines/blogart11) but the old gate was upcycled into the edging for raised bed! Looked really good until after winter and the wood had faded more. Would have liked to have sanded and painted with protection paint before using but lesson learned.
Keep up the great work! Loving the blog
Hi GO, Always fun to recycle/upcycle, but this doesn’t always provide longevity. Good to experiment though….
Hi Naomi – This was a great read for me as I’m currently exploring ideas that allow me to grow in my garden, I’m looking to live off the land as much as I can. Can you tell me what grows well in hanging baskets please? I bought some of these – http://www.cherry-lane.co.uk/products/gardening/grow-your-own/hanging-baskets-/aztec-wall-basket-14.html – and would like to utilise them for growing, is there anything fruit/veg that will grow well in a hanging basket?
Hi Dale, I’d probably go for tomatoes and strawberries in hanging baskets. They’ll need plenty of watering and feeding though to get good harvests. Good luck with the growing…
I love tulips, what a great display and a good idea to transform your front garden.
Hi Steve, yes, tulips are a wonderfully welcoming sight to come home to in spring. Just about over now though, so soon to be replaced by runner beans and sweet peas…
I am looking for 3 raised beds made to measure.. one 1.5×2.5x35cms, one 1mx1.5mx.25m, and 2.5mx1.5x.5m.Where is best place to get these, I am happy to put together myself. many thanks. I have to use wood or metal as the neighbour has big tree with roots , so retaining wall will ot do. It is a semi shade and full shade area. I was going to leave about 1 foot gap between beds and fill gap wit6h ferms.