My family and I decided that we wanted to replace our wooden planters. They were taking up too much room, which had become a little dangerous for my kids. We had two 8×4 ft wooden planters in our backyard, and they were too close together, making them hard to navigate. It seemed like my kids constantly wanted to trip near them or mess with the wood, which had started to splinter. After the year it also started to consistently be home to termites even after getting rid of them multiple times.
We already had a Birdie planter, which we are pretty happy with, although I think we probably could have gone with a smaller one. However, we wanted to look for an alternative just because the first one we bought took forever to get to us. The delay wasn’t the fault of the supplier. It just happened to get stuck on the boat here in California.
We decided to try the planters from Vego, and we were pleasantly surprised. Honestly, they don’t seem any different from the Birdie planters, and I think the quality appears to be the same.
How hard is it to build?
The Vego planter was relatively easy to put together. It comes with all the bolts and a few extras (in case you need them like I did since one of my kids lost one) and a wrench. The only complaint I had when building the planter was the plastic film. For two of the four planters, the film was hard to get off, and it took me quite a bit of time to remove. For the other two planters, it looked like the plastic film had bubbled up a little bit and made it much easier to peel off. So easy even my 4-year-old could peel it off.
After taking off the film, putting the planter together was a simple matter. Make sure you have enough space to lay out the garden bed, and then start putting in the bolts. I found it easiest to place the top and bottom bolts and then work on the ones in the middle. It helped keep the pieces together so that they weren’t flopping around. After that, it was just an exercise in time, and they probably took me 30 to 45 minutes to put together. It might have taken me a little longer because I was chasing my kids around as they stole all my bolts.
Pros of using Vego Planters
Long-lasting
I’ve only had these planters for a few months and can’t personally attest to how long they will last. They are made from Aluzinc-coated steel. If it can last that long in a harsh marine environment, it can last for a long time in my backyard. If anything, the nuts and bolts could have issues earlier than the garden bed, but I don’t expect them to. However, I can always run to my local home repair store and replace any nuts, bolts, or screws I need.
Even if these planters do last 20 years, I will save money on them compared to rebuilding and repairing wooden garden beds in my backyard like I was doing before.
Ready for any space
The Vego garden beds have many different designs you can make from the set you buy. This is quite convenient because you can make the Vego planter bed to fit your exact space. For instance, I have a 17-inch tall 9-in-1 modular metal raised garden bed. You can make the garden bed into nine different formations. I have both of them set up as 2' by 8'. I like this formation because it’s easiest for my 4-year-old and 2-year-old to access.
If you need something a bit wider and shorter, you could set the Vego planter up to be 3.5' by 6.5' or even 5' by 5'.
I also have the 17-inch tall kids’ first garden bed, which is 42" by 24". They’re also running an excellent program called VegoGardenKids, which allows you to get 50% off one of these beds if you have a child. There isn’t a limit, except that you can only get one for each kid.
Appearance
I like the way they look. I like the uniformity of my garden beds looking the same; with wooden garden beds, it wasn’t possible when I added more. Once I built a new one, the wood would be a different color, and even after weathering, the planters still looked different. For some people, that’s not going to be a big deal, but I found it annoying.
Maintenance
I think that these Vego planters will require less maintenance. I live in Southern California, and the wooden planters displayed termite damage after 3 to 4 years. So I needed to keep an eye on that and spray any time I saw termite debris outside of the planter, and honestly, I wasn’t always on top of looking for it. So yeah, two thumbs up for not worrying about termites anymore.
Disadvantages of using Vego garden beds
The main drawback of using these garden beds is that they are costly upfront, especially if you need more than one. I have two large planters, 9-in-1 modular beds, and two kids’ first garden beds. This roughly cost me $600 upfront; after the refund for the kid’s beds, it was still about $500.
So before purchasing any Vego garden bed, be sure that it is something you will use long-term. Because if it’s something that’s just going to sit there and not be used, then it’s probably not a good use of money. However, if you plan on using it for an extended period, I think it’ll pay for itself over constantly having to replace wood on a wooden planter.
How does it compare to Birdie garden beds?
To be truthful and completely honest, I can’t tell the difference in build quality, function, or expected lifespan. From a distance, I can’t even really tell the difference. The only difference that I can see when I’m close up is the bolts are slightly different, and the rubber covering on the top edge is different.
I prefer the rubber edge on the Vego garden beds, but honestly, that’s such a minor detail that I wouldn’t even worry about it. The only concern I have over the rubber edgings is to ensure you don’t cut them too short because if you do, they’ll keep popping off. And that goes for both brands.
If I were you and looking for garden beds, I would find one with the best price and make sure that the one you are getting fits the space you need, which should be easy because they both offer modular garden beds.
I think that both of these garden beds would be great in a garden and if you’re like me, you can mix and match when you find a sale and save yourself a little bit of money.