Introducing Our Easy-to-Assemble Corten Steel Raised Garden Beds

I loved how Corten steel raised beds looked in my clients' gardens so much that I started searching for a supplier to create steel raised bed kits that I could ship right to my doorstep (and yours!). Once I finally found a great supplier, I knew I had to test these beds out for myself in my own kitchen garden. One year later, they're looking incredible.

I love the super modern finish on these raised garden beds. Steel is a durable raised bed material (far more so than wood), especially if you live in a humid or rainy climate. It's also sustainable, which is something I care about.

Let's look at more details about these raised garden bed kits to help you decide if these could work in your space. I'll even show you how easy they are to assemble after delivery. I put mine together pretty quickly with my kids as assistants.

More on Corten Steel as a Raised Bed Material

Corten steel is the brand name for a type of steel that rusts to a certain point and then stops. Check out this article for answers to common questions about gardening in steel raised beds.

Most Corten steel products arrive to you pre-weathered. What that means is they'll have a bare steel finish, which will look a lot grayer and smoother than the characteristic rust of the material once it's finished weathering.

In the picture below, you can see the bare steel finish on my own Corten steel raised garden beds after I first assembled them.

After exposure to rain and sun, the material will weather, or develop that classic golden brown color pictured below. This process initiated very quickly in my own garden and was completed within a couple of months.

While your beds are weathering, it's a good idea to place them on grass or gravel, rather than a driveway or porch, to avoid permanent staining. If you'd like to speed up the weathering process, you can spray the steel with a solution of vinegar and salt.

Our Corten steel raised beds are made of 16-gauge steel that's 1/8" thick.

There's no welding involved in the manufacturing process so that these beds can be shipped in a flat box. The four side panels assemble into a bottomless rectangle or square.

Dimensions of Our Corten Steel Raised Garden Beds

We have three different size options to fit your garden space. Our steel bed kits currently come in the following sizes:

-Small

Dimensions: 40" x 40" x 14" high

Weight: 62 lbs.

-Medium

Dimensions: 48" x 48" x 16" high

Weight: 130 lbs.

-Large

Dimensions: 48" x 96" x 16" high

Weight: 210 lbs

I have four of the large beds (4’ x 8’ x 16”), two in the front of my space and two in the back. Your favorite edible plants will love the depth these beds provide.

Then I have four of the small beds (40" on each side and just 14" tall). With just over 10 square feet of growing space, this size still offers you plenty of available room for your favorite herbs, leafy greens, roots, and fruiting plants thanks to the thin profile of the sides. In just one of these beds, you can grow 30 pepper plants, 90 garlic bulbs, 150 carrots, or 135 lettuce plants.

What's Included in Each Corten Steel Raised Bed Kit?

The kit for a small garden bed includes:

• 2 side panels
• 4 corner brackets
• 2 end panels
• 24 screws

The kits for medium and large garden beds include:

• 4 side panels
• 4 corner brackets
• 2 end panels
• 2 brace brackets
• 1 brace
• 38 screws

Some Tips for Assembly

Each of these kits ships in a box that's really heavy. I recommend grabbing a helper when lifting and assembling.

All holes on the brackets are threaded to ensure precise alignment of each panel. Keep your screws in a little container or baggie so you don't lose them during assembly.

You'll use a hex key to tighten each of the screws.

If you're going to assemble your raised bed on a hard surface, roll out some type of towel or blanket so your panels have a soft surface while you're working. This will prevent scratching. I recommend assembling on a grass lawn, if you have one.

Step One

Spread out all of your pieces on a soft work surface. Sort into categories.

Step Two

Grab an end piece and attach a corner bracket to each corner using three screws on each side. Corner brackets go on the inside of the raised bed. You can start each screw by hand and then use a hex key to tighten. Note that the head of each screw will be on the outside of the bed.

Repeat for the other end piece.

Attach each side piece to a corner bracket using three screws on each side.

If you're building a small steel raised bed, the assembly is already complete!

Step Three

If you're building a medium or large Corten steel kit, you now need to install the brace brackets and center brace. You should currently have two U-shaped pieces created by assembling each end panel to two side panels.

Pull the two U shapes together in the middle. Use the screws to attach each brace bracket; this will connect both sides of the raised bed.

Lastly, use the remaining screws to attach the middle brace to the inside of the raised bed for added support.

Your raised bed is now fully assembled and ready to be installed in the kitchen garden.

Tips to Install and Grow in a Corten Steel Raised Bed

• Don't forget to keep your Corten steel raised garden bed on grass or gravel while it's going through the weathering process to avoid staining any adjacent materials, like a concrete patio.
• Level the ground underneath the garden space before installing the raised bed. Spread a layer of gravel underneath where you're going to place the raised beds. Gravel ensures excellent drainage under and around these bottomless raised beds. Use a leveler to ensure each side of the raised bed is level. Adjust gravel as needed to raise or lower a corner of the bed.
• Put a layer of weed barrier cloth at the bottom of the bed before filling it with soil. As you can see in the picture below, I also added hardware cloth to the bottom to keep burrowing animals from coming up the bottom of the raised beds.
• Fill this raised bed up with good soil and plant it intensively the Gardenary way.

Add These Corten Steel Raised Beds to Your Garden Space

You'll be able to enjoy these beds for decades of planting, tending, and harvesting in your kitchen garden space. If you have any questions about the kits, feel free to reach out to us at shop@gardenary.com.

Thanks so much for making the garden an ordinary part of your life alongside those of us here at Gardenary!