Reviewing the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box

 

April 2, 2017

We are just starting the spring season after a long and dreary winter.  Annette and I have been reminded for the past few months that there is hope of warmer weather by the seed catalogs that started to arrive at our house.  Seeing the color pictures of fresh fruits, vegetables, and berries causes our minds turn away from our loathing of the snow, rain, and cold.  Instead our thoughts turn toward planning this year’s garden.  One issue that I need to address is our wood raised bed planter boxes.  I made some out of untreated pine and they served us well for a few seasons, but now they are rotten and falling apart leaving behind the screws.  I received a promotional email from Sportsman’s Guide  about a Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box.  It was like they knew I didn’t have time to build another raised bed.  I purchased two of them and they arrived in a few days so I was really to get this season started.

The Unboxing and Assembly

 

The box the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box comes shipped in.

Opening the box that the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box came in

All of the parts out of the box to assemble the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box

 

I opened the box to take a look at all the parts and make sure everything was in there.  All four sides of Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box are made of corrugated galvanized steel panels that are 0.60mm thick.  The corner pieces are also galvanized steel and are 0.80mm thick.  The corner pieces and side panels feel very rigid so it looks like it should last for several years. 

Peeling off the protective film on the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box before beginning assembly.

 

Each one of the panels and corner pieces had protective film on them that needs to be peeled off before assembly, which is the step that took the longest.

The directions, the nuts and bolts that came with the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box

 

The directions were one page and pretty straight forward.  So I didn’t scratch the panels up I assembled what I could on the protected service of the truck bed. 

You will need two 10mm wrenches to assemble the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box

The nuts and bolts that come with the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box

 

You will need either two 10mm sockets/wrenches or a 10mm socket/wrench and a phillips tip screwdriver.

Assembling the end pieces of the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box

The assembled end pieces of the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box

 

I put the corner pieces on the end panels with the included nuts, washers, and bolts.  I left the assembly pretty loose so I would have enough play to line the holes up for the side panels.  When I was ready to put the side panels on I took it outside on the grass to keep from scratching the metal.  I had to flex the corner pieces in some for the holes to line up.  Once I had all of the bolts in the side panels I was able to finger tighten all of the nuts down and then go back over it with two socket wrenches.

 

The length of the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box is 70 1/18" inches

The height of the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box is 12 1/8"

 

When fully assembled the length was 70 1/8″, the width was 34 3/4″, and the height was 12 1/8″.

The fully assembled Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box before it is placed in its final location.

The Cost and the Value

 

At the time of this writing, the Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box is $64.99, if you are a Buyer’s Club member at Sportsman’s Guide it is listed at $58.49.  Since I am a member I get email promotions so I got a coupon and was able to get it for $40.49.  I realize that paying the full price of $64.99 is a large up front cost, but I really believe I can get ten years out of it without constantly needing to repair it like the wooden raised beds.  If you look at the purchase price spread out over the numbers of years you expect to use the product then it does not look like such as large amount. 

I compared the cost of these planter boxes to making the raised beds out of a types of wood that would last longer in the dirt like cedar or even white oak, but the prices came out to be pretty close.  I understand the temptation to use pressure treated pine as an alternative, but I do not feel at all comfortable with the chemicals from the wood leeching into the soil that my family’s food is growing in.  Also I spent a considerable amount of time digging around where the corners of the old planter boxes were so I could collect all of the screws in an effort to keep them out of our tractor, mower, and tiller tires.  That is something that I would gladly like to avoid doing in the future, not to mention constantly wondering if I got them all.

The Conclusion

There are other options beside wood to make raised beds such as old tires, retaining wall bricks, or in our case old live stock watering tanks.  The advantage with the Castlecreek large galvanized raised bed planter Box is if we decide to move them it would be considerably easier than the other options we have used.  Also we have gotten a lot compliments on their appearance.  I am getting ready to place another order for more as a present for someone. 

Considering all of the cons to keep building wood raised beds I am glad I went with this purchase.  I hope you found this useful if you are considering this product.  I also hope you have a great gardening season.

Castlecreek Large Galvanized Raised Bed Planter Box

Non-Member  $64.99

Buyer’s Club  $58.49

Key Features

  • Corrugated, galvanized steel
  • Modular design with 4 panels
  • 4 corner pieces Side panels are 0.60mm thick
  • Corner pieces are 0.80mm thick
  • Easy assembly
  • Measures approx. 70″ x 35″ x 12″h.