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For a smaller modular bed

Vego 17" Tall 6-in-1 Modular Metal Raised Garden Bed

Fit a smaller garden with six panel arrangements, from a narrow rectangle to a compact square, all with 17-inch walls.

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Shown: the Olive Green 6-in-1 kit.

6 sizes and layouts

Each size drawn from above at the same scale, with the maker’s listed capacity.

Listed capacity
25 ft³
Soil to fill it
17 bags of 1.5 ft³
Drawn to scale from the maker’s figures: 60 in by 42 in, 17 in tall.12243617 in60 in × 42 in
Drawn from the maker’s published figures: the footprint from above on the left, the height on the right, in inches. Every bed on this site uses the same two scales.
Side view: 17 in tall, beside a 5 ft 6 in adult. It comes to about knee height.17 in tall60 in long · comes to about knee height
Side view beside an adult 5 ft 6 in tall, at one scale.

For a smaller modular bed

Place this open-bottom bed over garden ground. Choose an elevated planter if you need a contained growing space.

Style
Open-bottom bed
Material
VZ 2.0 coated galvanized steel
Warranty
2-year limited warranty against manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship, for the original purchaser in the United States.
Bottom
Open to the ground

Choose the size or layout

Use the widest outside footprint to plan paths. For a soil order, measure between the inside walls after assembly and choose your filled depth; advertised dimensions can be rounded. Rectangular sizes below read length × width × height.

Vego Garden doesn’t publish inside measurements or an outside size for these beds, so the soil figure below is the maker’s own stated capacity. If you’ll fill it less deep, measure between the inside walls once it’s built.

Size or layoutAdvertised sizeListed capacityBags of 1.5 ft³ for that capacity
3.5 × 5 ft60 × 42 × 17 in25 ft³17 bagsPlan
2 × 6.5 ft78 × 24 × 17 in18 ft³12 bagsPlan
3.5 × 3.5 ft42 × 42 × 17 in17 ft³12 bagsPlan
2 × 5 ft60 × 24 × 17 in14 ft³10 bagsPlan
2 × 3.5 ft42 × 24 × 17 in10 ft³7 bagsPlan
2 × 2 ft24 × 24 × 17 in6 ft³4 bagsPlan

What to plant in it

A 3.5 × 3.5 ft bed is a little bigger than 3 × 3 ft, so the 3 × 3 ft planting plans fit inside it as drawn. Each has four plans, from a salad bed to roots and onions, with every plant counted.

What comes in the box

Parts

  • 4 corner panels and 6 side panels
  • 60 bolts, 20 cap nuts and 40 plain nuts
  • Safety edging for the rim
  • An L-shaped wrench

Tools you need

  • The wrench in the kit; Vego’s manual names no other tool

Before and while you build

  • Wear gloves, closed-toe shoes and long pants to handle the panels: Vego warns that their corners and edges can be sharp.
  • Peel the protective film off both sides of every panel, then lay them out in the layout you chose.
  • Bolt the straight panels together loosely first, with the cap nuts on the top two rows of bolts and the plain nuts below, then tighten every nut.
  • The corner panels go on the outside of the straight panels.
  • Push the safety edging along the rolled top edge and trim off what is left.
  • Vego says each size can vary by 2 inches either way: measure the finished bed before ordering soil.

From Vego Garden’s assembly instructions (PDF).

Covers and trellises that fit

Sold separately; each fit is as Vego Garden states it on the product’s own page. Every cover, trellis and fence we list.

Questions about this bed

Does it have a bottom?

No. Vego’s beds are bottomless, it says, so extra water drains away and worms can come up into the soil. What to put in the bottom.

Can it stand on concrete or a patio?

Yes: Vego says its beds can go on any surface, concrete, pavers and tiles included, though it recommends grass or soil. Soil can stain concrete, so Vego suggests lining the bottom with landscape fabric to hold it in. Before you fill it on a patio or deck.

Can I make it longer?

Yes: Vego sells an extension kit with the panels, rods and hardware for a longer bed.

Can I paint it?

You can, Vego says, but painting the panels voids the warranty, and paint without a rust-resistant top coat can leave the bed more open to corrosion.

What does Vego fill it with?

Vego suggests 60% topsoil, 30% compost and 10% potting soil and, for a deep bed open to the ground, logs and branches underneath (hügelkultur) so you buy less soil. Other mixes compared.

Vego Garden’s answers, from its questions page.

Prepare and assemble this bed

Compare the material, bottom and care choices if you are still deciding between families. Follow the site preparation and liner checklist for the supporting surface.

  1. Choose the exact configuration and lay out its parts. Check the required tools in the selected kit instructions.
  2. Prepare a stable, level position and confirm the outside footprint with working paths.
  3. Check corners, fasteners, protective edging and any layout-specific braces against the kit instructions before adding fill.
  4. Measure the finished inside and outside separately, then update your plan. Preserve the maker’s fill restrictions.

Mark the outside footprint on the ground before assembly, including any legs or protruding corners. Leave a route for carrying bags, reaching the plants and maintaining nearby beds.

This bed is open to the ground. Check the soil and drainage where it will sit before adding fill. Its wall height is not a prescription for how deep the growing mix should be.

Choose a reachable widthMeasure for a soil orderCompare the cost of building one

Product specifications