After more than 14 years of nonstop food and flower production, the original raised beds at my GardenFarm™ had finally reached the end of their lifespan. Because of constant moisture, red Georgia clay, and termites, it was time to face the inevitable and start over. But this time, smarter and built to last.
In this video, I take you step by step through the complete raised bed garden rebuild. We filmed the demolition, leveling the ground, designing and building a brand-new raised bed system, and keeping the same footprint I loved, but with materials chosen for long-term durability.
You’ll see exactly why I moved away from untreated cedar, how I am preventing future rot and termite damage, and the thought process behind using copper treated lumber paired with interior metal panels to protect the soil while extending the life of the beds.
This isn’t just a raised bed build. It’s a real-world behind the scenes look at what happens after a decade-plus of gardening in a hot, humid climate, and how to rebuild in a way that makes sense for the long haul.
In this video, you’ll learn:
*Why raised beds eventually fail and how long you can realistically expect them to last
*How to demolish old raised beds and prepare the site properly
*Tips for leveling hard, compacted soil for perfectly aligned beds
*How to design raised beds that keep soil away from treated wood
*Why hardware cloth matters (and how to install it)
*How metal panels add durability and change the look of a garden
If you’re planning to build raised beds, replace aging ones, or just want to see what a real rebuild looks like after years of use, this video will give you ideas, cautions, and confidence to tackle your own project.
👉 Download the free Raised Bed Plans: https://joegardener.com/raised-bed-rebuild-download/?referrer=raisedbedvideo
**You’ll get two complete plans —one for a 4×8 raised bed and one for a 4.5×12 raised bed, plus a cost calculator spreadsheet to help you estimate materials and budget before you build.
👉 And be sure to watch the live Q&A I did where I answer the most common questions about this raised bed rebuild. These were questions that came in from YouTube, social media, and my email inbox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGpvuQlIfkk
And stick around—this rebuild isn’t finished yet. Filling the beds, dialing in the details, and getting them planted is coming next.
Chapters
00:00 The Raised Bed Dream Becomes Reality
00:55 The Challenge of Replacing the Beds
01:23 Demolition and Preparation
02:00 Leveling the Ground
03:01 Dealing with Rot and Termites
03:32 Setting Up the New Design
04:01 Building the Prototype
04:18 Ensuring Perfect Alignment
05:25 Introducing the New Raised Beds
07:02 Constructing the New Beds
07:41 Sealing and Assembling the Lumber
08:56 Adding Hardware Cloth and Metal Panels
10:04 Final Adjustments and Gratitude
11:50 Design Choices and Changes
13:36 Looking Ahead | Next Steps
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44 Comments
Thanks for watching the GardenFarm™ raised bed rebuild. If you’ve got questions or concerns about anything regarding my raised beds including my choices for materials, chances are I addressed them in the live Q&A follow-up, where I covered the most common questions that came in from YouTube, social media, and my email inbox. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGpvuQlIfkk
You can download my free raised bed plans here: https://joegardener.com/raised-bed-rebuild-download/?referrer=raisedbedvideo
That includes two complete build plans (4×8 and 4.5×12) plus a cost calculator spreadsheet to help you estimate materials before you build.
Thanks.
Everything looks great, excited to see completed✝
Yes, this is where I'm at, replacing my garden beds! I have TN red clay and Bermuda grass. I have the metal roofing material already, but my wooden corners were eaten in less than two years. Didn't want 'treated' wood as it doesn't last here either. I'm replacing all of mine with heavy duty PVC post in corners, sides and ends of metal roofing and electrical conduit on the outside as support for the long side walls (24 ft) and my ends are just 3ft, so no extra support. All of the pipes and corner pieces are going 4 ft down into my heavy clay to prevent bowing or shifting. I'm also using an inside support every 6 ft on the long sides. Not as pretty as wood, but I'm getting too old to replace beds again. I think relocation the soil from the beds was the hardest part, but the beds needed as good refresh, inside and out.
What an amazing journey! Thank you for sharing! Looking forward the next chapters with this new beautiful setup!
Looks great, hope it works out.
Good evening. Your garden looks amazing! How are you able to keep deer out of your garden? How tall is your fence? Happy Growing🥬
We remodeled a garden plot with many rebar stakes that needed to go. After digging, pulling and cussing on the first few we finally discovered a trick. Attach vice grip plyers to the rebar perpendicularly and rotate. This will break the connection between it and the soil. We’ve watched you for many years. Thanks!
Gonna miss the old beds but the new beds look great.
What great friends! I’m still hoping one day there will be a Community Garden nearby and they can use your raised plans !
It's good to see Larrie there supervising. She's a cute little thing.
Absolutely love the beds!
What is the brand of the sealer used where the wood contacts the ground?
Have you considered "hügelkultur" to fill the raised beds? I am in a suburb and can't source tons of ready to use raised bed soil without going broke. Some other garden videos suggest using hügelkultur of logs and sticks in the bottom 1/3 to both reduce soil costs and maintain moisture in the beds during hot summers. Thoughts? And, I've enjoyed watching since your HGTV days!
Why didnt the metal go all the way to the soil line in some of the beds?
Its seems about 50% of the beds you went to the "wire mesh level" and half you only covered the sides and not the "lowest wood beam", did someone screw up the measurements for the cuts or was there a reason?
Amazing-great explanation behind your choices and decisions-I look forward to seeing them filled and growing. Thank you for taking the time to share. I learned a lot from this session.
We used the timbers from the previous bed as huglekulture in the bottom of the new beds. Less soil to add and it will eventually rot down. You’re going to be topping off the beds anyway so rather than dump the lumber, why not put it to good use?
What is the dimensions of the garden
How tall is your outside fence? We have 6 ft fence and the deer can easily clear the fence. I’m in north Atlanta.
Treated wood with copper, BUT the chemicals of the galvanized roofing sheets WILL leach into the SOIL! Did he not think of that???
Looks great Joe
Great looking planters. I am planning metal beds.
Joe – looks good. Maybe I missed it. What’s your plan for the pathways? Wood chips, rock, etc.?
So what is the final cost of each bed? I like this idea and am considering something similar. Getting too old to stay bent over for a long time!
I moved on to 3 foot high galvanized metal raised beds to consider aging in place. Removed all my gravel and replacing or topping existing fabric with commercial grade fabric. This cuts down on the weeding.
Always allow enough space in between your raised beds. Plants will grow over the raised bed footprint reducing your walking room.
Allow space for the ease of a wheel barrow. If it's not easy to navigate your aisle then it will be difficult to take care of your plants.
The new treated wood with copper treatment doesn't last as long as the toxic treated wood of the past. That metal will rust also. They'll last a long time but probably won't last any longer than the cedar did. If you want to add some real longevity to those beds, paint the inside and bottom ground contacts with a rubberized paint like a pond liner paint.
LOL Modern "treated" lumber will rot within 5 years, thanks to the eco-Nazis. Good luck. I hope you prove me wrong.
During covid, my brother in-law, sister, and I built 10 raised beds similar to yours. That was the fun part…filling the beds with leaves, woods, and 25 yards of compost by my self was not fun! Oh, I forgot to mention 10 yards of gravel used to level the base! LOL I lost 20 lbs that during that summer! 🤣😂🤣No regrets. I am so grateful to my brother in-law and sister for helping me to install the raised beds. I spent hours in the garden because it's my happy place.
Cinder block beds. Build it once and never build it again.
Your change of plans on the metal actually was in your favor because you want to do the metal in two pieces so you can just replace the bottom every few years as it rusts out from being in contact with the moist soil.
It looks great. ❤ For those more concerned with budget and resource efficiency however, nothing beats a quick simple border like chicken wire or bamboo with some support stakes…. and a tripod stool. 😊 🌳 🎋 🏡 🌲
I am so glad you included a wood frame (instead of just metal). The look is so much better!
Good luck & enjoy your garden.
sorry Joe but i've lost all respect for you during this build. Treated lumber with arsenic and god knows what other chemicals….then the galvy panels are extremely toxic….heavy zinc compounds and acid wash. you have sold out to convenience above organic. what a shame
$30,000 later 🤔
Georgia clay has Nothing on North Carolina Red Clay. From the mountains to the sea, it fills every square inch. While it has its purpose and beauty, in the garden it is both friend and foe. Proud of the work you've done to repurpose the space. 💜
Could have waterproofed by lightly burning the cedar before hand….not the look you wanted but would last longer
How beautiful!!! Can’t wait to see the beds filled! I know that was hard work. Congratulations. 🎉🎉🎉
I saw a video on youtube I can't remember when but in Norway they have abundant fish oil and soak it into wood to preserve the wood from rot and termites
Really nice Joe but was wondering if there is any concern using galvanized metal, would there be any chemical release?
Great video! I have a couple of thoughts concerning the metal. Soil is extremely corrosive. Have you inquired about how long the hardware cloth and corrugated metal will last in contact with the soil? I know the old corrugated metals were galvanized with a different method that lasted astronomically more than the news kinds we get now. Curious if a thicker guage would be the solution to that? Thoughts?
Just curious, do you think if there was a 4"layer of gravel down for drainage under all the beds that it would help prevent the rot of the boards touching the ground, instead of being right on the soil?
Now, how to keep squirrels out of the raised beds. Anyone have a solution for that?
But galvanized tin has poisons in it are you sure that will be healthy for you?