Is Galvanized Steel Safe For Growing Vegetables?

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If you're an avid gardener, you're almost certainly familiar with growing plants in raised beds. The method gives you more control over your soil composition and helps with pest control, among many other benefits. Choosing the right raised bed materials is, however, not without its fair share of bother. Which material is strongest and, perhaps more importantly, safest for your plants? One popular option, galvanized steel, can be a bit controversial due to the metal's zinc coating.

Growing vegetables requires a little more care than ornamentals because you want to be sure that they're safe to eat. Broadly speaking, you can use galvanized steel in your kitchen garden without concern. When steel is galvanized, its surface is covered with a zinc coating. This coating makes the steel more resistant to rust, which is clearly useful for exposed garden beds full of damp soil.

A typical galvanized steel sheet has a zinc coating around 20 micrometers thick on each side. At this thickness, the zinc is harmless in most conditions. If the coating is scratched, the soil pH is especially acidic, or the soil is continually wet, the zinc might more readily leach out. Even in these cases, however, it's unlikely that the zinc would cause harm to your vegetables — or anyone eating them. With galvanized steel, you can start a vegetable garden quickly with an easy-to-assemble bed and expect it to last at least a couple of decades.

If you're feeling confident about this material, it's time to consider your design for a raised garden bed made of galvanized steel. If you want to buy a premade garden bed in person, head to your local hardware store, plant nursery, or big-box retailer. Home Depot sells the Veikous Galvanized Steel Raised Garden Bed for about $63. It's about 8 feet long by 4 feet wide, with walls about 1 foot tall, making it ideal for common garden vegetables. Customers praise the product for its size, quality, and ease of assembly. Alternatively, you can shop online. This 8-foot by 4-foot by 2-foot SnugNiture Large Outdoor Galvanized Raised Garden Bed with thick steel panels and reinforced support bars costs around $78. As you can see, these kits are relatively affordable, especially when you consider how long they last.

To get the best performance from your galvanized steel bed, you can't skimp on care. Make sure the bed has excellent drainage to prevent it from retaining too much moisture, which can damage the zinc coating. Choose the perfect spot in your yard for your raised garden bed, too. Finding a sunny location with some afternoon shade can help it dry out between waterings while keeping the soil cool. Try to avoid scratching the sides of your garden bed when digging in the soil with metal tools, such as trowels and forks. Scratching can damage the protective zinc coating. You can touch up scratches with a zinc-rich paint. Or, if you feel like you can't avoid scratching the garden bed and grow ornamentals, you can use plastic gardening tools. The zinc coating can also be damaged by acidic soils, so opt for wooden raised beds if you're growing plants that prefer lower pH levels.