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Elevated planter or open-bottom raised bed?

Planters on legs and beds that sit on the ground compared by planting depth, where they can go and who they suit, from maker figures and extension guidance.

The same spot in your garden

4 × 8 ft2 × 8 ft4 × 4 ft3 × 6 ft

At 4 × 8 ft, both stand 29 in tall; Open-bottom takes 35 more bags to fill.

Elevated

Gardener’s Supply elevated cedar planter

4 × 8 ft · 96 × 48 in · 29 in tall

18 bags to fill its stated 26.7 ft³

Open-bottom

Birdies Jumbo modular steel bed

4 × 8 ft, 29 in tall · 96 × 48 in

53 bags to fill its stated 78.8 ft³

At 2 × 8 ft, both stand 32 in tall; Open-bottom takes 17 more bags to fill.

Elevated

Vego Classic elevated planter

2 × 8 ft · 96 × 24 in · 32 in tall

11 bags to fill its stated 15 ft³

Open-bottom

Vegega 32-inch 9-in-1 modular steel bed

2 × 8 ft · 96 × 24 in · 32 in tall

28 bags to fill its stated 40.9 ft³

At 4 × 4 ft, both stand 29 in tall; Open-bottom takes 17 more bags to fill.

Elevated

Gardener’s Supply elevated cedar planter

4 × 4 ft · 48 × 48 in · 29 in tall

9 bags to fill its stated 13.4 ft³

Open-bottom

Birdies Large modular steel bed

4 × 4 ft, 29 in tall · 48 × 48 in

26 bags to fill its stated 38.4 ft³

Elevated

None of the beds we list comes within 6 in of 3 × 6 ft.

Open-bottom

Birdies Large modular steel bed

3 × 6 ft, 15 in tall · 72 × 36 in

15 bags to fill its stated 22.5 ft³

Each maker’s size closest to this footprint, within 6 in. Where a bed comes in two heights, we show the one closest to the other maker’s. Bags are 1.5 ft³, enough to fill the stated capacity.

Which suits you

Elevated

An elevated planter suits a small space on a hard surface, or a gardener who wants to work without bending or from a wheelchair.

Open-bottom

An open-bottom bed suits open ground, deep-rooted crops and larger beds.

This compares what makers publish and what extension services say. It is not a test of any bed.

Every published height in each group, on one scale, in inches. Where a group lists too many to label, the lowest and tallest are labelled; the table below gives them all.

Side by side

Measure	Elevated	Open-bottom
Beds we cover	20 models, 33 sizes (Vego Garden, Gardener's Supply, Gronomics, Outdoor Living Today, VegTrug, Keter, Veikous, Gardenary, Anleolife, Greenes Fence)	44 models, 245 sizes (Vego Garden, Birdies, Gronomics, Frame It All, Metal Garden Beds, Tarter, Best Choice Products, Garden In Minutes, Vegega, Sunnydaze, VEVOR, Gardenary, Anleolife, Greenes Fence, Land Guard)
Published heights	19 to 35 in	5.5 to 36 in
Stated soil capacity	1.7 to 26.7 cubic feet	1.8 to 117.3 cubic feet
Where it can go	Patios, decks and balconies, if the surface can take the filled weight	Open ground; on paving it needs the depth and drainage of the hard-surface guide
Planting depth	5.3 to 14 in where the maker states one	The fill depth you choose; at least 10 inches for most crops (UGA Extension)
Working height	Soil at standing or seated height; UGA describes 10-inch planters on legs as ideal for wheelchair access	At ground level unless the walls are tall
Roots below	None; every root is in the planter	Roots can grow into the soil below

Every figure is as the maker or extension service publishes it.

See the beds

Elevated beds

Open-bottom

References

Raised Garden Bed Dimensions (Circular 1027-4), University of Georgia Cooperative Extension