Gardening can be made more challenging when the searing heat of summer creeps up on you in hot climates. So that begs the question, if you use a metal raised garden bed, does the metal get too hot for the plants inside? To test this, we pitted our Metal Raised Garden Beds against popular wooden garden bed materials – cedar and pine – in sunny Florida.

Our Metal Raised Garden Beds feature a unique Aluzinc Magnesium coated steel that’s less reflective and more resistant to corrosion than standard Aluzinc or Galvanized garden beds. We wanted to create something that would last for a long time (approximately 20 years!) and work for gardeners in any climate.

After leaving all three beds in direct sunlight for two hours, we took temperature readings. The pine temperature was 102°F, the cedar temperature was 109°F, and our GIM Metal Raised Garden Bed was just 99.6°F! But what really matters is the soil temperature since that affects the plants growing in the garden. We recorded a soil temperature of 92.6°F —roughly the same as the air temperature outside – and that’s before watering anything with our Garden Grid™ watering systems!

Cedar and pine are known for being popular options for raised garden beds in almost any climate, and now we know that our metal garden beds perform just as well, if not better! Plus, you’ll enjoy the added benefit of long-lasting durability and premium materials that allow you to keep growing fresh and happy plants for years to come!