Which is Better? Vego vs Birdies Raised Garden Bed Review and 7 Month Update

[@kele1264]

I love the detailed snippets of information. Right up my alley. The most important one for me is the "extra" 2 sq ft of garden space in the Birdies bed. I have a tiny yard, and I have to make the most of every inch. All the other details interest me also. I don't feel any pressure to stay only with one brand. Some of the configurations offered by Vego may interest me for certain spaces in my yard. I very much appreciate all the effort you go through, Michelle, to keep these comparison videos consistent and easy to understand. Your attention to detail and the way you present the information is very impressive. Vego and Birdies couldn't have a better reviewer. Thank you!

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thank you 😊. Great to hear.

[@susanwalkergirl]

Thank you...helpful information in your side by side comparison. The issue with the rubber tubing and corrosion where it was scraped was helpful.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Glad it was helpful! Happy Gardening!

[@PlantObsessed]

I just bought another 6x1 birdies last night. Used the link on your channel.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thank you ❤️

[@jamiestrang1173]

I just bought 4 birdies for the sale AND I was also able to use your code to get 5% off 🎉🎉🎉

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thanks so much for supporting the channel and my family. ❤️

[@RM-lx4wx]

Thank you.

[@EatingAnElephant]

Thank you so much for this informative review. I've been looking at getting raised garden beds for my garden and saw Mark over at Self Sufficient Me uses Birdies too. We have decided to go with these instead of starting with the "cheap" ones first. Thank you so much for the coupon code as well!

[@michelleinthemeadow]

You are very welcome! Thank you for supporting the channel. I have tried the cheap ones and they are just that. Thank you for watching and happy gardening!

[@jabojr5171]

All of your info is helpful, yes specifically rusting issues will be vital. There is a guy, "self sufficient me" and he has had a birdies for 12 years.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thank you. Yes, Mark has had a great experience with them. I really enjoy his vids, too. Happy Gardening!

[@kyro8979]

Two details you’ve yet to discuss and I’m interested in hearing about 1) the internal bracing. V uses 4; B uses 2. What have you noticed? And, 2) V has screws every other trough (the concave part of the corrugation/opposite of the crest); B has washer and screws every trough. Again, what have you noticed? Thanks. Appreciate your time and feedback.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Great questions. On both, so far so good 😉. The width of the panels are really the driving factor. Birdies in this configuration, has 2 panels on the side, so a center point Brace makes sense. For Vego, it has 3 panels, and no center point, so the 2 places make sense there. The screws on every other rib of the Vego is not a problem with sturdiness. Thanks for asking and thank you for watching.

[@phoenixsky6124]

Yes it helped. Thank you.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Glad it helped. Thanks for watching!

[@wilma6181]

Yes it helps a lot because I am in the process of looking.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thank you for letting me know Wilma. I appreciate you watching the videos. Happy gardening!

[@SharonBurnettArtisan]

Zone 9b here. I find your reviews of both beds very informative.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thank you Sharon! I appreciate you watching. Happy gardening!

[@adrianabermudez7898]

Hello thank you for reviewing these beds it help me solidify my decision and knowing about the rust was helpful

[@michelleinthemeadow]

You are very welcome. Thanks for letting me know.

[@lisagoldberg5178]

Thank you for the updates on the beds. Yes, your "snip its" of all the information you provide is very helpful.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Fantastic. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate your ongoing support!

[@verab3962]

Thank you! Very helpful!

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Glad it was helpful! Happy Gardening. Thank you for watching.

[@vanessamancia-lopez4742]

Great video! The info you provided definitely helped me make a decision...Birdies it is for me!

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thanks for watching and thank you for letting me know. Happy Gardening! I would appreciate your using my referral link when you're ready to purchase.

[@ekhuntley]

Thank you so much for this info! I've been on the fence about which to buy and I am going to go with the Birdie per your recomendation.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thank you. I'm glad it helped. And thanks in advance if you choose to use my link, it helps support the channel, use code MEADOW for 5% off, too.

[@marjoriewilliams6446]

Michelle, Hi, It doesn't seem to me that the 'snippet of info' makes a difference to me. All the 'snippets' that you speak about added together Do make a difference. I should tell you also that I came into this with a big positive basis towards the Birdies bed. It was what I wanted- period. Closed minded, I know, but I have changed my mind because there are some Vego shapes that I would consider for certian situations. On the other hand, due to your testing series I am more firmly convinced in my decision about the Birdies 8 in 1 bed, it is the one that is going to suit my needs and my wallet! I am especially pleased with the 15 years in the field -- not only in Florida, also the 14 years in Mark's garden (Self-Sufficent Me) in the sub tropics of Australia. Let me tell you once again I am thrilled about you doing this series!! I too spent a long time looking for a head to head of Vego and Birdies, many thanks! Oh- the extra 2 sq ft of the Birdies does matter to me, Lol Marjorie

[@michelleinthemeadow]

I'm glad it has been helpful. Thanks so much. Field experience sure gives confidence. Happy Gardening!

[@shelviahickman4842]

Thank you so much for so thoroughly reviewing these beds, so we can make informed purchases!

[@michelleinthemeadow]

You are very welcome. Thanks for watching and I wish you the very best gardening.

[@marydahlheimer3477]

I like also that the birdie has many more screws for stability.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Great point. Yes that certainly feels like it would make it sturdier, indeed. Thanks for watching!

[@karenfryerenjoylifeaustralia]

I love watching your periodical updates

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thank you, how is your garden growing?

[@karenfryerenjoylifeaustralia]

@@michelleinthemeadow very slowly amazing how much rain we have had. Unfortunately rain without sunshine does not help a garden grow. My garlic, lemon balm and potatoes are doing well. But everything else just refuses to grow. Oh well there is always another season to grow!

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Shoot. Yes, always another season. At least some of the things are growing. Hoping I can send some sunshine your way. Have a great day.

[@la1163]

I was gifted some raised beds which I thought were Vego, but actually were Vegega. I love them and were a breeze to set up. Happy holidays Michelle and family.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Awesome! Happy Holidays and Happy Gardening!

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Interested in your own raised garden bed? Birdies Raised Garden Bed michelleinthemeadow.com/epic Save 5% with code MEADOW on qualified products. Vego Raised Garden Beds michelleinthemeadow.com/vego Save 5% with code MICHELLEINTHEMEADOW5%OFF through August 11, 2023 I am an affiliate, I will receive a small commission when you choose to make a purchase through my link. Your purchase helps support this channel. ***************************************************************************

[@alicias9928]

Next spring I plan to get a Birdies for my asparagus. I watched some KZbin videos on how to build metal raised beds. One used black sticky sheets (roofing ice guard) at all the seams to keep water/dirt from coming out and prematurely rotting the wood supports on the outside of the bed. I wonder if I can use this inside the Birdies on the seams and maybe over the screws on the inside. The seams and the screw holes are the first place where corrosion will happen. Asparagus plants live a long time, I don't want to face replacing their bed for a very long time. I'm going with Birdies because I want to support things made outside of China and the extra 2sqft of gardening space.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thanks for watching, what a great idea definitely would be nice to have a set it and forget it bed set up for as long as asparagus last. Happy gardening my friend. The birdies seems do overlap. So I don't think you'll have very much soil leaking through.

[@staceylogan7716]

I'm curious as to if you were in the path of Ian and how the beds held up to that? Very informative video but because of the hurricanes I am leery of having anything outside above ground like this. Not looking to see where you live...my main concern is what to do with them when a storm approaches.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

What a great question. We were in the path of Ian but received only outer bands. I estimate that we had gusts of up to 50 to 60 MPH on occasion, as a few of my trees and pots did blow over. The garden beds themselves at that wind speed showed zero effect from the storm. The plants took a beating though LOL. The beds themselves are filled with more than 1,000 pounds of soil, so it would take a lot more than a 60 mph wind to move it. Thanks for watching and happy gardening.

[@skwinner7609]

Helped me!

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Great! Thanks for watching!

[@Valentine828]

How did u attach the trellis to the bed??

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thanks for watching. I simply folded the panel in half and squeezed it between the two beds. It's not attached. One warning, I did scrape the coating off the edge protector on the Vego bed when I slid the trellis in place, so you may want to put some protection against the bed. What are you growing?

[@c0l33ng0r33]

I'm in zone 4 how do you think they'd hold up with our freezing temps?

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Great question and one that a few people have asked. I recall someone in zone 4 sharing in the comments on the original video that they have held up well in the snow and freezing. I expect they should be just fine. Thank you for watching and happy gardening.

[@marjoriewilliams6446]

Michell, I meant positive BIAS, not basis ---😃

[@GailWatson-g7p]

Soso helpful- hope coupon still works!!

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thanks. Yes MEADOW still works. 👏 Thanks for supporting the channel.

[@jimhatch5873]

Interesting assessment. But I don't think it's as clear cut as you make it out versus a rationalization to what feels like an emotional decision - "I like these folks better, so I've found these issues or concerns with the other". That's not a knock - most of our purchase decisions come down to emotion. :-) You pick at the Vego edging because you scraped it and did fix it so it's "worse". But on the Birdies bed you had two edging issues (shrinkage & coming off) and you fixed the coming off problem. You had to fix the bent corners on the Birdies bed but you position your reason for not fixing the Vego edging as "trying to get a good comparison over time". There's a lot of positivity about the extra 2sq ft of planting space - but that space comes from less rounded corners and is thus only a couple of inches wide along the width of the bed on either end. I expect the average gardener would find a material difference in what they really plant in either bed. Structurally, I think the Birdies beds may be the lesser of the two. It may not be material because it is likely that the Birdies construction is fine and the Vego improvements are not going to materially change the life or utility of the bed. But 4 supports to prevent bowing will be stronger than just two. Birdies has to do just two because of their panel design, not necessarily because it's better even though it might be good enough. The Vego use of stainless steel fasteners should be better than the galvanized ones over several years. You could expect rusting of the galvanized hardware in the 5-10 ear timeframe. If you get ants nesting in a bed near or around a galvanized nut, the formic acid the ants secrete will definitely rust the galvanized hardware. That's just the nature of galvanized coatings. You might want to dig down a foot or two to check on the hardware where it is in contact with the moist soil. The Vego's alternate rib attachment might be less sturdy or not but it does result in fewer holes which are places where paint and coatings often fail. Birdies has 40% more holes or potential paint failure points. Their care in manufacturing may be sufficient to prevent this from being a problem...or might not, there's no way to tell except that based on other reported use it's good enough. Your need to fix the bent corners of the Birdies beds also provided an opportunity to weaken the paint film coating and may potentially lead to cracking (unseen because of the overlap of panels) over time and a failure vector. In the end, it's likely that there will be no material difference in the lifespan or utility of either bed. The only real differentiator is in the companies. Vego seems to be more innovative than Birdies. Vego has more options for various beds and layouts along with accessories than Birdies. Birdies has a longer in-use track record so their claim of 20 year lifespan is more supported than Vego's whose claim is based on laboratory testing that simulates use rather than real years outside in the elements. In the end it's not a data based decision, it's really which one does someone like better for some reason they can't articulate but will justify through very minor differentiators or even just price.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Wow. You've given this some serious thought. I really appreciate the perspective you've shared. Thank you. It's definitely an imperfect unscientific experiment. I also think now, 2+ years later, that Vego's innovation has made the Birdies product better than it was 2 years ago. I agree materially they should have similar life duration. Thanks for taking the time to share such a well thought out reply. Happy Gardening!

[@diane8885]

Anybody know how either bed holds up in snow & up to -20 degree temps?

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Great question. Flicker Hill Homestead is in a really cold climate and they hold up well. kzbin.info/aero/PLB2UjR6ITeEZLjvKFgXb18UUWxaof4zs- thanks for watching.

[@diane8885]

@@michelleinthemeadow Thanks. Looked at their website. They are zone 5b, I'm a 4a/b but I don't think there would be that much difference. Spent last week in Florida, it was so nice and warm, swimming was wonderful! Back to reality this week, raking & mulching leaves for the compost!

[@michelleinthemeadow]

So glad you had a wonderful visit to Florida. I know one of the commenters is in zone 4 and said they've had no problem with the snow. I would guess as long as you're not de-icing the beds with salt it should be fine LOL

[@londoncity1]

Thank you for the updates on the beds. Yes, your "snip its" of all the information you provide is very helpful.

[@michelleinthemeadow]

Thank you, I appreciate knowing that. Happy gardening my friend and thanks for watching.