The beds

Shapes, heights, finishes and what's underneath.

Name: Round raised garden bed
Brand: GROWZA

Every GROWZA bed is corrugated steel with a rolled top edge. The choices that matter are the outline, the height, the finish and whether it has a base. Here is how to think about each.

Slimline

A straight-sided bed with fully rounded, stadium-style ends. Because the ends are semicircles, there are no corners to snag a hose or a shin, and a narrower width keeps the centre within arm's reach from either side.

Best for: Narrow side yards, along fences and driveways, rows of beds with paths between.
Sizes: 1000 to 4000 mm long, 600 to 1500 mm wide (508 listed)
From: $256 indicative, full height including regional surcharge

Modular

A rectangle with rounded-square corners. It gives you more growing area per metre of length than a slimline, which suits crop rotation and wider plantings like pumpkins, potatoes or a block of sweet corn.

Best for: Open ground, productive vegie patches, beds you can walk around.
Sizes: 1000 to 4000 mm long, 850 to 1500 mm wide (404 listed)
From: $306 indicative, full height including regional surcharge

Round

Sized by diameter. Round beds look settled in a lawn or gravel area and work well for one feature planting, though large diameters get hard to reach in the middle.

Best for: Herbs near the kitchen, a single fruit tree, courtyards and focal points.
Sizes: 800 to 2400 mm diameter (29 listed)
From: $244 indicative, full height including regional surcharge

Height

Full height, or a half-height pair.

830 mm full height puts the soil surface near bench height. Easier on backs and knees, deep enough for carrots, parsnips and potatoes, and harder for dogs and rabbits to get into. It does take a lot of fill, so most people put coarse material in the bottom (see the growing guide).

415 mm half height beds are cut from one full-height bed, so they are sold as a pair of two identical beds. A cut fee applies, and if you choose a base, one is charged for each bed in the pair. Half height suits shallow-rooted crops, kids' gardens and spots where a tall bed would block a view or sun.

Half-height modular pair, 1200 x 900 x 415 mm, Shale Grey.

Finishes

Painted colour, Zincalume or galvanised.

Painted steel

18 colours, including two legacy colours (Evening Haze and Jasper) that need an availability check. Lighter colours stay cooler in full summer sun, which matters on the Latrobe Valley flats on a 38 degree day.

Zincalume

A matte metallic finish that sits quietly against timber decking and native plantings. A good neutral if you cannot decide on a colour.

Galvanised

A brighter, high-shine metallic look that dulls gradually as it weathers. Suits a more industrial or farmyard setting.

Any steel will mark or corrode over time, especially close to salt spray or where soil and water sit against cut edges. Ask GROWZA which finish suits a very exposed coastal site.

Bases and wicking

What sits under the soil.

Option	How it behaves	Choose it when
Open bottom	Sits directly on the ground. Roots and worms move freely between bed and soil below.	You are placing it on soil or lawn and drainage underneath is reasonable.
Unsealed base	A steel floor panel that still lets water drain out.	You want a floor, for example to keep out burrowing animals or invasive roots, and still need free drainage.
Sealed base	Holds water in the bottom of the bed rather than letting it drain away.	You plan to set it up as a wicking bed, or need to keep water off the surface underneath.
Wicking conversion	Free with a sealed base. A water reservoir in the bottom feeds moisture up into the soil.	Hot, dry or windy spots, or beds you cannot water every day. You still need to top it up and monitor it.

A filled bed is heavy. Before placing any bed on decking, a balcony, a rooftop or pavers, check the surface and its drainage are suitable; get professional advice if unsure.

Try a shape in your size.

Switch between slimline, modular and round in the builder and watch the area, soil and price change.

Open the builder