I’m Liz Baessler, the Senior Editor at Gardening Know How. I’m temporarily stepping from behind the curtain of my job to tell my readers that I have five Vego garden beds in my front yard and, hand on my heart, I absolutely love them.
Vego has now made a deep dive into a new, colorful world, unveiling more exciting garden bed colors, and I cannot wait to place another order. I’m pretty sure that when I tell you how I came to love Vego’s innovative garden beds, you’ll want to make your own garden as easy and functional as mine. And, I’ll give you a sneak peek into their two new garden bed colors that will add vibrance and beauty to your garden.
Raised Bed Soil Concerns
Here’s my story. When we moved to our new older home we discovered the soil in our yard was questionable – we dug up bottles, wires and other detritus – the lot was clearly a garbage heap in bygone days. A soil test showed concerning levels of lead, as well.
When we searched online and discovered Vego Garden beds, we chose them for their durability, their capacity to be custom-shaped and their amazing colors. Maybe most importantly, they’re manufactured with a dedicated focus on sustainability. As a devoted and avid organic gardener, I knew right away that Vego’s high-quality raised beds were the obvious answer for gardening at our new forever home.
Raised Garden Bed Design
My property is a quirky shape - more scallop-shell than rectangle. It’s exposed to full sun from dawn to dusk, a blessing for growing vegetables in my northern climate. The triangular space we decided to garden has a long, gently curving side. I hoped to fill that space as efficiently as possible, and maybe even expand it if things went well. Again, the Vego beds made the most sense with our need to customize this garden space.
Sustainability at Every Step
For me, it’s so important that everything about our lives is as sustainable as possible. One of the top priorities at Vego Garden Beds is sustainability, meaning that the proprietary materials used to build the beds, the way they ship their product, and even the paint reflect their environmentally friendly point of view. There’s never any leaching out of metals or toxins, so we know our fresh homegrown vegetables will always be clean and organic. Vego offers earth-friendly add-on products like a worm composter and a water misting system. Shipping is lightweight, reducing their carbon footprint. Their eco-friendly innovations and sustainable initiatives resonate with those of us who have care and concern for the planet.
Advantages of Vego Metal Raised Garden Beds
Choosing a raised garden bed that can stand the test of time was a no-brainer for us. A bed made from wood will deteriorate in a matter of a few years. Vego beds are durable for decades, flexible and easy to assemble, but strong and durable.
We used Vego’s 3D Garden Planner to try out different configurations, placing them in a model of our space. I bought enough panels to make five oval beds of various sizes, big enough to load up with plants, but narrow enough to reach across.
Vego beds are packaged so securely that there are no bent corners or banged-up boxes like some other raised bed products. These beds are completely modular - they ship flat in a collection of edges and corners, and it’s up to you to put them together however you please.
We opted for the 17-inch tall raised beds, but Vego also has beds up to 32 inches high. This is great for accessibility, but it’s also perfect for keeping out bunnies, not to mention snails and slugs! These extra tall beds, coupled with a simple fence, kept our vegetables un-munched all summer long.
On an aesthetic note, our house is a pretty striking red color, so I wanted beds that wouldn’t clash with the house, but would also not be boring. I could not find one color that wouldn’t blend beautifully in our yard. The palate is tasteful and elegant - and check out the new colors!
The Colors!
Vego’s trendy color palette made from food-grade paint comes in a range of lovely hues that don’t compete with your beautiful garden plants and flowers. I went with an earthy olive green, which is perfect for blending in without getting lost in all the foliage. The folks at Vego Garden have recently released two exciting new colors for those who like a little more pizazz in their gardens. Check out the new sky blue and terracotta beds to show off your best flowers and veggies.
How I Installed My Vego Raised Beds
After plotting out the area in my front yard on Vego’s 3d Planner, we assembled all five beds in a couple hours, laying them out exactly where I wanted them. When empty, the bed components are light and easy to move. Three cubic yards easily filled the five beds, with plenty left over to share with the neighbors.
Once the beds were installed, all that remained was to fill them with every vegetable I love to eat. And when I say fill, I mean it. In 83 square feet of Vego bed space I grew corn, summer squash, three kinds of kale, three kinds of eggplant, five kinds of peppers, four kinds of tomatoes, beans, peas, cucumbers, basil, carrots, tomatillos, lettuce, radishes, cilantro, parsley, and marigolds. The marigolds were meant to be scattered throughout to repel pests, but for some reason they absolutely flourished and grew bigger than any marigolds I’ve seen in my life. I don't know if Vego can take the credit for this one, but I can’t rule it out, either.
Few things make me happier than wandering outside with a bowl and a pair of shears and figuring out what I’m going to cook for dinner. And from May until November I was able to do just that. Purely by coincidence, I’m writing this on the day after our first hard frost. Soon I’ll be filling up my Vego beds with garlic and oat grass, though I have some kale and carrots I’m going to try my best to overwinter. I have a hope those extra deep beds will insulate well against the cold.
I’ll check back in in the spring and let you know.
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