There are many benefits to gardening in raised beds or planter boxes: the improved ergonomics, make clean appearance, power to fill them with quality soil and compost, and it'south easier to block out pests. I love raised beds! Yet one of the few drawbacks is that they don't last forever (and, they aren't exactly cheap). And so, protect your precious investment and follow these vii ways to make wood garden beds concluding longer! Nosotros'll talk nearly how to seal garden beds, lumber choices, drainage and more than.

I'll admit, nosotros never sealed our garden beds in the by. They're made from super durable center redwood, afterward all! However, one time nosotros moved to our new homestead and began edifice our "forever garden" (and felt the rude enkindling of not beingness in our 20'south anymore during the laborious process) I thought to myself: I want to make these garden beds last a LONG as physically possible.

In fact, we seriously contemplated getting some awesome Birdie's galvanized metal raised bed kits instead. Those things should last forever! (And you can salvage 5% with lawmaking "deannacat3"). But in the end, my love for the await of rustic wood won that boxing, and so here we are: nosotros just finished building 19 new redwood garden beds, sealed and siliconed this time. Do it once, and do it right.

After reading these tips, pop over and follow our step-by-stride guide on building woods raised garden beds!

A large gravel garden area that is lined with large rocks on the border with many wood raised garden beds evenly spaced throughout the area. There are oak trees in the foreground and background as well. The beds are full of soil but have yet to have anything planted inside.
Our brand new garden. I can't wait to see her planted and full of life!


WAYS TO EXTEND THE LIFE OF GARDEN BEDS


ane) Choose woods that is naturally long-lasting


One of the best means to extend the life of raised garden beds is to employ quality, long-lasting lumber right from the offset. Cedar and redwood are 2 excellent choices, equally they are both very dense and durable. Thanks to their high tannin content, both cedar and redwood are naturally resistant to rot, mold, and insects – including termites. Middle redwood lumber (what we use to build our raised beds) is even more indestructible than mutual redwood boards.

Garden beds congenital from untreated cedar or heart redwood tin can last well over a decade on their own – likely much longer, depending on the climate and other conditions. The 7-year former untreated heart redwood beds in our old garden are still in fantabulous condition. I've as well heard stories of friends' redwood beds lasting well over xx years! Then, if you follow the other means to make garden beds terminal longer as described below, you can extend their life by several years more.

In comparison, garden beds fabricated of softer woods like Douglas fir or pine tin can rot out and decay inside just a few years. Don't be tempted to use force per unit area treated lumber (usually treated pine) to make garden beds final longer either! In addition to containing undesirable chemicals not ideal for organic gardening, the lifespan of treated woods is less than cedar or redwood anyhow! Peculiarly when it is in abiding contact with soil and wet – as it will be in your garden.

Three garden beds of varying ages and color are sitting atop gravel hardscape. Two of the older beds are planted out with bok choy and various greens. The smallest and newest garden bed has just been topped off with soil. There are various salvia, cacti, fruit trees, and other perennials in the background.
Eye redwood garden beds at various ages in our old garden. The big bed in back (virtually gray) is near vi years old in the photo. While the color has faded with age, it is still perfectly structurally sound. The bed in the foreground is 1-ii years old, and the smallest i to the left was make new.


2) Apply broad planks and thick boards


Choosing wide lumber planks is another excellent way to extend the life of wood garden beds. For example, a raised bed constructed out of 2×vi" boards will terminal longer than one made from 2×four"s. 8, ten, or twelve-inch wide boards are even meliorate! Raised beds are almost susceptible to rot in the seams between the boards, where wet collects and air is scarce. By using wider planks (and thereby reducing the number of seams in the bed overall) it is reducing surface surface area and places for water intrusion.

The same idea applies to board thickness. While 1-inch thick boards are often more affordable (such as cedar fence boards, which are really only ¾" thick), the raised bed will not last as long every bit one constructed with 2-inch thick boards. Plus, thinner boards are more likely to bow or even scissure over time under the pressure of heavy moisture soil pushing confronting them. Last but not least, thick 4×4" corner supports will concluding far longer than using 2×4's or other smaller wood in the corners.

A concrete patio is being used to construct garden beds. There are pieces of 2x6 boards and 4x4 boards as well. One bed is laying on its side, fully constructed. The patio is lined with older garden beds that are filled with various vegetables. Two chickens stand in the yard beyond, visible between two of the beds that create a gate. Using cedar or redwood help make garden beds last longer.
We make our heart redwood raised beds with 4×4 corners and ii×6″ boards. These beds were extra tall, just now we normally brand them 3 boards loftier. We haven't been able to discover 8″, x″, or 12″ tall boards here easily – but we'd apply those if nosotros could!


three) Seal wood garden beds (with not-toxic sealer)


Sealing forest garden beds can help extend their lifespan many years beyond unsealed woods. Applying a sealer volition protect the wood from moisture intrusion, mold, and decay. Nonetheless, you don't want to use but any wood sealer on your garden beds! Many sealants and stains comprise toxic chemicals – stuff you don't desire around your healthy homegrown nutrient and soil.

We recently used this nontoxic wood sealer on our new redwood garden beds. If you know me, then you know I do my homework before choosing materials to employ in our dwelling and garden! This particular product is food-safe, fabricated in the The states, won't leach, has no VOCs, carcinogens or endocrine-disrupting compounds, and is nontoxic to wild fauna. Plus, information technology gets keen reviews!

We ended up applying 3 coats of Garden Seal to the within of our beds (where rot is most likely to occur) and had enough left over to do just i coat on the exterior. It goes on milky white, soaks into the forest well, and dries clear with a slightly satin end. However, the tertiary coat inside the beds did leave a bit of a visible remainder, and then one or two coats for the exterior would be best. Exist sure your forest is totally dry out before application.

Hope's Natural Tung oil is some other nontoxic pick to seal garden beds, though I've heard information technology's best to reapply it annually – which is why we chose the other sealer. This would be a good option to seal the exterior of garden beds where routine application is possible.

A 5 gallon bucket of Garden-Seal sits inside a raised bed. A paint roller is upside down, leaning against the bucket.
The nontoxic woods sealer we used on our new raised beds. We got a 5-gallon saucepan since nosotros were sealing xvi 4×8′ beds (plus a few smaller ones). After applying three coats to the interior only, we went through about 3/4 of the bucket. And then, the smaller one-gallon option would encompass most home garden projects.
DeannaCat is using a paint roller to apply the sealant to the inside of the garden beds.
Applying the sealer with a paint roller. If you program to seal both (all) sides of your forest, it is MUCH easier to seal the boards before assembling your raised beds. We didn't decide to seal our beds until later on they were already built (and merely did the insides at first), so we practical the sealer to the already-assembled beds.
The inside of a garden bed is shown, half of the bed has had an application of sealant where the other side is still natural. The sealed side is slightly darker than the unsealed side. A paint tray and roller sit in the foreground with some milky colored sealant in the bottom. Seal beds to make garden beds last longer.
Unsealed redwood on the left, and after one coat of sealer on the right.
5 wood raised garden beds, full of plants and with gravel around them. In front of the beds sits a 5 gallon bucket of nontoxic wood sealer and a paint roller. Three of the beds are sealed and appear darker in color with the knots in the wood showing through more, where the two unsealed beds are lighter tan.
We were in a bit of rush to get our new beds filled and ready for jump, so we initially only sealed the insides. Then one time things settled downward, I went back and practical one coat of sealer to the outside of the beds too. You can see how much it makes the color and wood grain pop (sealed on the top/correct, unsealed on the left).


iv) Seal garden bed seams


In improver to sealing the forest itself, consider sealing the gaps between the boards. Again, forest garden beds are nearly decumbent to decay in their deepest nooks and crannies, including the corners and horizontal seams between the wood. When building our newest raised garden beds, nosotros applied clear silicone to all the seams – which is waterproof, inert, and nontoxic once information technology dries. My friend Steve has been professionally installing and maintaining organic gardens for over 25 years, and he claims that this single step can extend the life of garden beds by 5 to 10 years!

Nosotros used a class fifty premium exterior silicone (or this similar option) to seal our garden beds along the within seams merely. Form 50 silicone is far more than durable, flexible, and resistant to temperature swings than lower-rated classes. This is important since garden beds are exposed to varying temperatures, and the forest constantly swells and shrinks with wet.

Use silicone to seal garden bed seams just similar y'all would caulk. Get-go, squeeze it deep, thick, and evenly into the cracks. And then while information technology is withal wet, tuck your finger within a newspaper towel and gently smooth information technology out – removing gaps, air bubbling, and excess. Pay special attention to sealing your corner supports! I too added a dab to any open knots, holes or cracks in the bed interior.

DeannaCat using a caulking gun with a tube of silicone inside to add silicone to the seams of the raised beds.
Applying silicone to all the board seams with a caulking gun. For reference, I needed most i x oz tube of silicone to seal each garden bed measuring 4 x 8' and 3 boards alpine.
DeannaCat is using her finger and a piece of paper towel to smooth out the silicone that was applied to the seams to help against water intrusion.
Squeezed a skilful corporeality in at that place, then smoothed information technology over with a paper towel/finger.
The corner of the inside of a raised bed is shown, the seams in between the 4x4 and 2x6 boards are sealed with sealant.
The final effect. All sealed and waterproof!


5) Reduce wood-to-earth contact


Clearly, your garden beds are going to be total of soil – and so a certain corporeality of "wood-to-earth" contact is a given! Yet beyond their seams, forest garden beds are also quite susceptible to decaying forth the bottom perimeter. There, they're essentially sitting in abiding moisture. So, another clever way to make garden beds last longer is to avoid setting the woods correct on the ground.

Our raised garden beds are perched on top of a couple inches of well-draining gravel. Because nosotros take a nasty gopher trouble, we too take hardware fabric and landscape cloth (permeable to water) beneath our beds. Nevertheless, that isn't to say yous can't have the bottom center area of your beds open to the native soil below if you prefer! I'm merely talking almost the woods itself.

My pro garden friend Steve installs all his raised garden beds on height of a gravel edge, similar to a french drain. To do and then, he digs a small trench (nearly 6 inches wide and deep) and fills information technology with fast-drying ¾" leach rock. Then the perimeter of the wood garden bed frame sits on top.

Three redwood garden planters lined up one after the next with pathways between. They are sitting atop gravel which will help with drainage to wick away moisture.
Our raised beds are set on top of gravel, with hardware cloth in the middle to block gophers. Nevertheless you could leave the middle of your raised bed open to the native soil below and but create a "tunnel" of gravel effectually the perimeter for the wood to residuum on.


half-dozen) Shou Sugi Ban garden beds


Shou Sugi Ban is a Japanese wood preservation technique that involves burning or charring wood surfaces. The charring procedure essentially seals the wood, making the wood more resistant to h2o and insect damage. Shou Sugi Ban garden beds should terminal several years longer (or more than) than untreated wood of the same species.

To char wood garden beds Shou Sugi Ban style, most folks use a accident torch or propane weed torch. We've never washed this ourselves, but I've heard 1 drawback is that information technology does take a lot of fuel and effort. Experts besides say it's important to not burn information technology besides heavily, since deep burns tin can really make the wood more susceptible to decay and reduce structural integrity.

This article explains more of the process. This YouTuber also shows his Shou Sugi Ban raised beds here – forth with an update showing the within of his bed i.5 years later use.

Three wood garden planters sitting on top of bare dirt. The insides and bottom of the planters have be slightly burnt using the Shou Sugi Ban method.
But as we chose to seal simply the inside of our new raised garden beds, this person applied the Shou Sugi Ban method to simply the within and bottom perimeter of their beds – the most vulnerable places. Image via Reddit.


7) Promote good drainage


Good drainage is key when growing in raised beds. Plants adopt fluffy, moist, well-draining soil with plenty of air pockets for exploring roots and beneficial microbes. They don't like soggy, heavy, compact soil – and neither does your wood! Heavy soils that hold in as well much moisture can increase the likelihood of woods disuse. On the other manus, raised beds tend to dry out more chop-chop than in-ground gardens. Information technology can be tricky to achieve the perfect residue!

Fill raised garden beds with soil that is made for containers or raised planter boxes. This article discusses how nosotros create our own soil blend with bulk soil, compost, and an "aeration" component. Aeration additives include perlite, pumice, sand, peat moss, coco coir, rice hulls, or our favorite: ⅜" lava stone. It promotes that ideal blend of moisture retention and good drainage.

Furthermore, never seal off the bottom of your raised beds with impermeable material, such as a plastic lining. Y'all want your beds to drain freely! I too do not recommend lining the wood walls with mural fabric, even "permeable" and breathable ones. The fabric will hold in extra wet correct against the wood.

Elevated garden beds or those installed on top of hard surfaces (eastward.g on a patio, driveway or deck) should have plenty of drainage holes in the bottom – just like pots. For example, we drill at least half a dozen ½" to ¾" holes in the bottom of our wood wine barrel planters.

Aaron and Deanna taking a selfie standing in front of their new garden area that is in the process of being created.
Our newest garden beds – all sealed, siliconed, and beingness filled with fluffy, rich, well-draining soil. These babies should last well over 20 years… hopefully 30+!


And that is how to make wood raised garden beds last every bit long equally possible!


All in all, raised garden beds are a fantastic way to abound food, flowers, herbs and more. I love their sleek look, and for us, the ability to cake gophers from getting inside. I promise you picked up a few new tips to help extend the life of your beautiful raised beds today. If you lot found this information to be valuable, please spread the love past pinning or sharing this mail service. We wish yous the best of luck in building and preparing your beds – with years of bountiful harvests to come!


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  • Choosing the Best Materials for Raised Beds: Forest, Metal, or Alternatives
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