Stronger Than Standard Aluminum: The Long-Lasting Alternative For Garden Beds

There are lots of advantages to having raised garden beds, from the ability to accurately manage the growing conditions to reducing the amount of bending over you need to do. There are also lots of designs for raised garden beds. You might choose to recycle materials from your yard or build new ones to match your landscaping. Metal is popular for its durability, but untreated steel will rust, and the look is not to everyone's taste. Aluminum doesn't rust but it isn't as strong. Another option that offers a long-lasting alternative is to use galvanized steel. However, there are several different types, so the subject is worth a closer look.

Metal is galvanized to provide a protective layer. It's usually done to steel or iron in order to prevent rust. The coating method that's used most often is to dip steel into molten zinc, and the result is one of the common materials you can use for raised garden beds. It's stronger than standard aluminum and reasonably affordable. However, there are other galvanized coatings that offer even greater protection, taking advantage of the benefits offered by aluminum and even magnesium.

As the name suggests, Aluzinc adds aluminum to the standard zinc galvanizing process, plus a small percentage of silicon. It is also known as Galvalume and Zincalume. It is several times more resistant to rust than ordinary galvanized steel, although it is around 25% more expensive. In terms of its use for raised garden beds, it won't leach chemicals into the soil like treated wood or plastic might. It can also be recycled eventually, although, given how long it can last, that's likely to be many years away.

ZAM is a zinc, aluminum, and magnesium coating that is several times more resistant to corrosion than even Aluzinc. Remarkably, it is also self-healing. If it's scratched or cut, the coating will spread to cover the damaged area. It can last up to 50 years without any maintenance, but, not surprisingly, it isn't cheap.

Both Aluzinc and ZAM are widely used in the building industry, so it should be possible to buy roofing sheets to DIY raised garden beds if you want to try that. However, the simpler option is to buy easy-to-assemble raised bed kits that are available in both materials. Once you've put them together and chosen the best materials to fill your raised garden beds, you should be ready for many years of successful growing.