Last Updated on September 13, 2026
Cedar vs Pine vs Metal Raised Beds: What 10 Years Did to Each
The internet gives you theories about raised bed materials. I have all three in the same backyard, some for a decade, so here is what actually happened to each one in a wet New Hampshire climate.
Cedar kit, 10 years
A store-bought kit at a couple hundred dollars per bed. The wood above ground is still solid; cedar’s natural oils resist bugs and rot. Below ground the bottom boards have sunk and are rotting, and I have done repairs to keep the beds together. In a drier climate like Arizona or Colorado it would last longer. Here, with humid summers and wet winters, it breaks down over time.
Douglas fir, 7 to 9 years
The cheapest, most common lumber at Home Depot, untreated 2 x 8 and 2 x 12 boards. The 9-year-old beds are hollow with rot in places and have a couple of winters left. The 7- and 8-year-old beds are still solid; I add a few screws each season. Anywhere that stays wet rots first. When the old ones go, I will replace them with more Douglas fir: it is cheap and easy, and if it lasts eight years that is fine.
Pallet wood, 4 years
Untreated 16-foot Douglas fir from old pallets in my other garden. Four years in, no rot. They will go quite a bit longer.
Metal, 4 years
A Garden In Minutes metal bed, four years old, and it looks like the day it went in. With metal you buy once and you are done. If you go that route, code OBG7 takes 7 percent off any Garden In Minutes order; my full write-up is in the Garden In Minutes review.
What I would tell a friend
| Material | Cost | Life here | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar kit | high | 10+ years above ground, less below | looks best, still needs repair eventually |
| Douglas fir, untreated | low | 7 to 9 years | cheapest to build and to replace |
| Metal (Garden In Minutes) | high | no wear at 4 years | buy once |
Key takeaways
- Cedar kit: solid above ground at 10 years, rotting below, and expensive.
- Untreated Douglas fir: cheapest, 7 to 9 years here, easy to replace.
- Pallet Douglas fir: 4 years, no rot yet.
- Metal (Garden In Minutes): 4 years, looks new; buy once.
- Wet climates shorten every wood; a drier climate gets more years from all of them.
Questions people ask
Is pressure-treated lumber safe for vegetables?
I do not use it. Untreated fir is cheap enough to replace every eight years or so.
What size do you build?
4 x 8 and 4 x 16; the build video is a 4 x 8 with drip irrigation.
Does metal get too hot?
Not in New Hampshire; the soil mass keeps it even. In a hot climate, taller beds and mulch help.
Plan the garden before you build it
Plan My Garden is free to start: draw the beds you are about to build, at their real sizes, and it fills them with the right number of plants for your zip code.
Related: How to Build a Raised Bed with Drip Irrigation · Garden In Minutes Review · Raised Bed Soil Calculator
