Steel raised garden beds that stand at full height

No. Straightcurve raised garden bed panels stand on their own feet on top of the ground, so a 400mm bed stands a full 400mm tall. You level the ground, pin the feet down with the galvanised fixing spikes that come in each set, and brace the panels before you fill the bed with soil. There is no trench to dig and no concrete footing to pour. For the full build, from levelling the ground to bracing and filling, see our guide on how to build a raised garden bed. For borders set into the ground, see our metal garden edging range.

240mm suits low borders, herbs and shallow-rooted plants, or a bed sitting on good soil that roots can grow down into. 400mm gives a mid-height bed with room for most vegetables. 560mm is the tallest panel and the easiest to work at without kneeling.

Yes. Flex panels bend by hand on site, so you can make curves, circles and free-form shapes, and two Flex panels make a circle about 1.4m across. Rigid panels are for straight sides with a slim top edge. Flex and Rigid use the same joins, so curved and straight sections can go in the same bed, and pre-made 90-degree corners are available for square beds.

Both finishes are the same 2mm steel and use the same parts, so the choice comes down to the look you want and where you live. Weathering steel, similar to COR-TEN, arrives dark and builds a rust-coloured patina over the following months. Galvanised keeps a silver-grey finish. Weathering steel suits most inland, well-drained gardens. Within about 2km of the coast, salt in the air can stop the patina forming properly, so galvanised is the better choice there. Our Longevity Guide explains how to choose for your site.

Yes. Weathering steel does not leach harmful chemicals into the soil, and there is no timber treatment sitting against your soil as there can be with treated sleepers. Small amounts of iron oxide may wash off the surface, and they are not harmful to plants. The panels can get warm in full sun, but soil is a good insulator and the heat does not travel far into the bed. Mulch on the soil surface and normal watering look after the plants growing along the edge.

Weathering steel rusts on the surface first, and that rust layer then settles into a patina that slows further corrosion. A patina does not make any COR-TEN or weathering steel completely rustproof, and for this reason how long a bed lasts depends on the site, and drainage matters most. Good drainage, keeping wet leaf litter and mulch from piling up against the outside of the steel, and choosing galvanised near the coast make the biggest differences. The Longevity Guide and Product Care Guide explain what affects service life and how to look after your beds.

Straightcurve is owned, designed and engineered in Western Australia, where the company started over a decade ago. Our products are manufactured to our designs in Shanghai, China, to the highest ISO standard. As a result, Straightcurve is the highest-precision product in landscaping steel. This also allows us to distribute globally with greater efficiency, furthering our wider mission. Every batch of steel comes with a test report covering strength, thickness, coating weight and composition, and the Longevity Guide explains how that steel performs in Australian conditions.

Weathering steel can leave rust marks on light paving and concrete during the first few months while the patina forms. Leave a small gap or a gravel strip between the bed and light paving, or choose galvanised where the bed sits on or next to hard surfaces. Marks that do appear can usually be lifted with oxalic acid. If the bed sits on concrete, the feet can be fixed down with DynaBolts instead of spikes.

You need a hammer and a rubber mallet. The joins are tapped in with a hammer, so there is no welding, drilling or screwing. You only need a cordless drill for ground anchor posts or for fixing to concrete. You only need an angle grinder if you want to cut a panel to a custom length. Each set comes with its join set, bracing rods and fixing spikes, and our installation videos show each step.

Each long set comes with bracing rods fitted to the back of the panels. You connect these to a Universal Bracing Set, which holds the panel upright with a turnbuckle, a chain and a ground stake, or you can anchor them to a wall, a fence or a DynaBolt in concrete. Allow two bracing sets per panel length; they are sold separately through your stockist. Ground anchor posts are the alternative where you want a fixed post. Circles made from Flex panels hold themselves up and need no bracing.

Yes. The 240mm, 400mm and 560mm Flex and Rigid panels share the same join slots, so you can join different heights end to end. On a slope, use taller panels lower down and shorter panels higher up, so the top edge of the bed stays level and continuous. Plan the levels before you start, and brace the panels as you would on flat ground. See our guide to sloping garden ideas.

Use the Design Tool on this page. Choose your profile, height and finish, and it will calculate the sets, corners and accessories you need. Take that list to your nearest stockist, where you can see the panels in person and buy them. Stock varies between stockists, so call ahead to check they have your products. If you would like to see prices first, request our price list. Landscape professionals can apply for a Trade Account to access trade pricing, build product quotes and use our technical trade resources.