Land Guard

What to know about shopping at Land Guard

Land Guard sells galvanized steel raised garden beds and garden hardware out of Denver, Colorado, and the range is narrower and more considered than the big garden marketplaces. Beds come in oval, rectangular, round, tiered and elevated leg-mounted forms, in 24 and 36 inch heights, with footprints from a compact 3x3 ft up to 8x4 ft. The other half of the catalog is galvanized hardware cloth, sold in 1 inch, 1/2 inch and 1/4 inch mesh and in finishes including Starlight Silver, Nardo Gray, Forest Green and Cream.

Height is the decision that matters most and it is easy to get wrong. A 24 inch bed suits most vegetables and keeps the soil volume manageable, while 36 inch beds are the ones to look at if you want to garden without kneeling — the trade-off is that a taller bed needs substantially more soil to fill, which is often the larger cost. The elevated leg-mounted beds are a different proposition again, better suited to patios and balconies than to a plot.

Mesh gauge is the second choice worth thinking through. The 1/4 inch cloth is the tightest weave and the one people line bed bases with; 1/2 inch and 1 inch are more commonly used for fencing and enclosures. Buying the roll that matches the job first time avoids the most common repeat purchase in this category.

On value, beds run from around $99.99 as single units up to $2,499.99 in larger multi-packs, and the multi-packs are where the per-bed price drops most sharply, so it is worth deciding your full layout before ordering. Free shipping is advertised on selected products and a 60-day return policy applies.

— MoneySaverCodes Team