The 15 Best Raised Bed Gardens for Every Type of Outdoor Space (2024)

Whether you're dealing with heavy clay soil, hungry bunnies, or limited space, raised bed gardens solve all kinds of gardening challenges. The best raised garden beds make growing anything from flowers to herbs to vegetables easier, more productive, and more enjoyable.

You can use raised beds to make productive use of even a tiny patio, deck, or a balcony. Some raised bed gardens are elevated so you won’t have to bend over, which is helpful for seniors or anyone with mobility issues. The additional height also keeps your plants away from hungry, uninvited dinner guests, such as bunnies and digging rodents. Because you fill raised garden beds with quality potting medium, you'll also overcome any issues with sandy, heavy clay or rocky soils.

Many raised garden beds also are available with a self-watering feature, which allows you to fill a reservoir so your plants take up the amount of water they need when they need it. You’ll also be able to water less frequently, though as the plants mature and their roots fill the planter, you still may need to fill the reservoir daily.

Another thing to remember when shopping is to ensure you have enough planting depth. Some raised garden beds are too shallow so that plants quickly become root-bound, which impacts flower power and productivity. Generally, you’ll want planters that are a minimum of 6 inches for shallow-rooted plants such as lettuce, baby kale, sweet alyssum, or marigolds. But you’ll need a bed with an open bottom or that’s 12 inches or more for deep-rooting plants such as tomatoes, root veggies, and pole beans.

We tested some of the most popular raised bed gardens, scanned reviews, and scrutinized the product features and warranty periods to round up the best raised garden beds for every outdoor space.

Corten steel is corrosion-proof and weathers to a rusty patina that just gets better with age. This type of steel typically lasts for decades, so it's a great long-term investment. The material also is food-safe, so you can grow edibles in it. At 17.5 inches deep, it's roomy enough for most vegetables such as tomatoes. This one is 2' x 6', but there's also a smaller version, and both fit the self-watering inserts so you won't need to hand-water as frequently.

Cedar is weather and pest resistant and offers an attractive rustic look. This bed is a generous 16.5 inches deep and comes in three different sizes (4'x4', 3'x6', and 4' x 8'). It's ideal for crops that need plenty of room to stretch their roots, such as tomatoes and pumpkins. It's also made in the U.S. and comes with a five-year warranty.

Have a compact space? This handsome metal elevated bed on wheels is ideal if you have a small area, such as a petite deck, patio, or balcony. It's 8 inches deep and holds 95 quarts of soil, so it's a good choice for shallow-rooted plants such as herbs or greens.

This 30-inch tall wooden planter provides easy access for gardening, while also keeping plants away from hungry bunnies. The planter is made from fir, which should last two to three seasons, and can hold more than 8 cubic feet of soil. It's best for shallow-rooted plants such as greens and herbs.

This tiered planting bed has four separate sections for flowers or veggies. At 10 inches deep, you'll have plenty of room for most flowers and vegetables, such as radishes, carrots, and peas.

At 31 inches tall, this raised bed, which comes in gray and natural wood tones, is ideal for seniors or anyone with mobility issues. Its unique v-shape allows deep-rooting plants more space, while the hinged cold frame allows you to start gardening earlier in the season and also extends your growing season into the fall.

Does Bambi like to visit your garden without an invitation? This 8' x 8' cedar garden contains everything you need to set up a small space garden with built-in fencing to keep out deer and other unwelcome guests, such as hungry bunnies. The built-in raised beds make it easier on your back, too.

This handsome cedar raised bed comes with a trellis, which makes it easy to train up vines such as morning glories, nasturtiums, or peas. It's 15.5 inches deep to accommodate many different plants. Locking casters also make it convenient to move around your balcony, patio, or rooftop garden.

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