Vegepod Raised Garden Bed – The Ultimate Guide

A Vegepod, also known as a Vegepod Raised Garden Bed or container garden is quite unique in design and features.

So, what actually is a Vegepod? Are they any good? What can you grow in them? Are they hard to set up?

I will answer all these questions and more in this article; read on.

A Vegepod, in my opinion, is the most well thought out, efficient vegetable garden on the planet, well, actually in the universe.

Big call, I know, but I dare you to find me something that compares to it in terms of functionality, quality, and durability for those of us that can’t have a traditional garden.

Ok, I mean sure a old school garden is exceptional, Charles Dowding’s concept of creating a no dig vegetable garden on a grass area is amazing too, but what if you don’t have er hmm “Space”.

I don’t have enough space to plant a proper vegetable garden, so I looked for the next best (or even potentially better) thing.

Welcome the Vegepod.

What is a Vegepod?

A Vegepod is essentially a raised garden bed, a portable one (if you get the wheels on it – an option)

With a lid to stop pests, minimize wind, allow in rain and sun and increase the temperature to allow things to grow faster.

I mean, it seemed all too good to be true, so after my messy, non-portable and unsatisfying raised beds of the past, I had to give it a go.

I forgot a key point.

A Vegepod is self-watering!

Yes, that’s right, there are two key elements to the self-watering part of this little garden bed that I will show you shortly.

So you know what you’re getting into, let’s dive in a little further into why a Vegepod is great choice.

10 Reasons Why a Vegepod is The Best Container Garden In The Universe

1. Raised Options

The Vegepod can come “as is” and be placed on the ground, a deck or gravel, basically any surface.

But the real magic is in the stand.

The stand raises the bed to a sensible height of 31.4 Inches or 80cm.

The best thing is this means no bending down, no sore knees, legs, or most importantly, no sore back.

I have seen numerous people who cannot bend down, but use their Vegepods with ease.

They absolutely love the fact they don’t have to bend or squat to grow their own vegetables and herbs!

The height is also great for young children and a great way to get them into gardening and understanding the process of growing their own food.

2. Optional Wheels

The wheels were a game changer for me, an absolute game changer.

Living in an apartment with a small courtyard, I could maximize the growth period regardless of the time of the year.

I was literally following the sun!

The wheels are solid, sturdy, and easy to attach to the stand (before filling with soil and vegetables!) and it is priceless to be able to move your vegetable garden.

Sure, following the sun is amazing, but also to be able to move it out of the way when you have guests over.

Again, speaking from an inner city gardener’s point of view.

3. Protected From Weather

Oh the weather, how we all love to complain about such things that we have no control over.

Well, now you have a little more control over the situation.

The canopy on the Vegepod protects against heavy rain, frost and hail, but still let’s water in so that your plants can flourish.

Brilliant, but what about sunlight?

4. Permeable Mesh

As well as letting in the rain, it’s great at protecting from the extremities, this permeable mesh cover also allows sunlight in and air to circulate.

What more do you need?

Furthermore, it’s very easy to flip up and leave open to get direct sun and let the bees in to pollinate too.

Just be sure to close it before sundown to keep the warmth in and possums out.

5. Bugs & Pest No More

One of the biggest hassles of growing anything edible is dealing with bugs and pests.

Well, that was one of your biggest hassles.

One of the most incredible things about the Vegepod, is that you don’t have to worry about this any longer.

Vegetable gardening becomes blissful compared to the old days of slugs, snails and all their friends eating your seedlings!

Also, you don’t need to use any type of spray or pellets around your crops, this takes organic gardening to a new level.

We have possums in our area and they have destroyed many of my little lettuces!

Not anymore.

What about the watering features you ask?

6. Mist Spray Connection

The mist spray connection runs along the frame of the canopy of the Vegepod, it is very straight forward.

There is a standard hose connection that you can hook up to your garden hose, a tap an a timer and voila, your Vegepod now has an automatic watering system.

This is super helpful if you are going away and have seedlings in or in the middle of a hot summer.

However, if the root system is a little more mature, this won’t even be necessary due to the reservoir down below.

7. Self-Watering Wicking Reservoir

To me, this is an absolute game changer in the world of container gardening.

Below the soil, there is a self-wicking reservoir. Basically, a compartment that holds excess water for the roots to soak up when they need it.

What about root rot? I hear you, this was one of my concerns, don’t worry, there is an overflow too.

Yes, they have thought of it all; well it looks like it anyway.

I’m keen to think if you believe something is missing…

8. Microclimate = Increased Yields

This is a great added bonus thanks to our friend, the permeable mesh cover. It lets the sun in, keeps the warmth in, and boom, creates a mini greenhouse-like effect.

This adds to increased yields all round.

Also, if you want to actually use your Vegepod as a greenhouse, they have a hothouse cover that can be used too.

9. Contamination Risk Gone

For urban gardeners, the contamination risk is real.

A lot of garden beds have heavy metals, land fill, timber leaching etc etc.

Container gardening allows you to know exactly what is in your soil, all of the time and the actual vegepod is made from food safe materials.

As long as you use a great quality organic potting mix & compost you will have the best setup in town.

So how big are these Vegepods?

10. Size Options

There are three size options, small, medium, and large.

Check out the Vegepod dimensions below:

VEGEPOD SIZES	SML	MED	LGE
Dimensions	39in x 20in	3ft3in x 3ft2in	6ft7in x 3ft3in
Growing Depth	11in	11in	11in
Height (with stand)	40in	40in	40in
Soil Required	4 cubic ft	8 cubic ft	16 cubic ft
Stand (opt)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Trolley Stand (opt)	Yes	Yes	No
Hothouse Cover (opt)	Yes	Yes	Yes
Shade Cover (opt)	Yes	Yes	Yes

How Do You Put A Vegepod Together, Yes, You Need To?

As you probably guessed by the heading, you must put your Vegepod together. It is a bit of a DIY project.

However it’s not hard, their instructions are fairly straightforward. I personally found reading the instruction that came in the box slightly easier to get my head around than the videos on their website.

Also, did make a video to show you exactly what’s involved, which I will be posting soon.

So, what about the cost?

How Much Does a Vegepod Cost? Is There a Warranty?

Vegepods are nowhere as cheap as the competition.

But then again, a Vegepod has more features, better build quality, and a far more innovative and well-thought design.

I will let you decide if they truly have competition, I don’t believe they do, so that’s why I bought it over other raised garden bed options.

Let’s break down the Vegepod cost, the extras needed, and their pricing too.

Vegepod Pricing – Add Ons & Comparison Chart

VEGEPOD SIZE	SML	MED	LGE
Dimensions	39in x 20in	3ft3in x 3ft2in	6ft7in x 3ft3in
Stand Alone Price	$229.99	$349	$499
Stand (no wheels)	$89.99	$99.99	$199.99
Trolley Stand (w wheels)	$169.99	$199.99	n/a
Hothouse Cover (opt)	$29.99	$39.99	$49.99
Shade Cover (optt)	$29.99	$39.99	$49.99

Vegepod Delivery Cost & Warranty

Best Place to Buy a Vegepod

I bought my Vegepod through Amazon HERE; why? because shipping is free and it was in stock!

So check out the range of Vegepods HERE and get growing!

Warranty Period

Vegepod states on their warranty as below:

The vegepod garden container has a 10 year manufacturers warranty on the plastic base containers for sale within the USA. Accessories including stands, Vegecovers and replacement parts have a limited 2 year manufacturers warranty for sale within the USA.

Further details can be found on their website here.

8 Best Vegetables To Grow In A Vegepod Raised Garden Bed

Now you have a good idea of what the Vegepod is, its sizing and features, and let’s look at what you can grow.

To be honest, you are only really limited by your imagination here… and the height of the canopy.

No corn, sorry people, but just about everything else works.

Let’s check out my 5 favorite things to grow in a Vegepod.

I have chosen these Vegetables, Herbs and Flowers based on growth speed, yield, and also usability in the kitchen.

Leafy greens offer you value, grow fast and are really versatile.

Let’s dive in.

1. Leafy Greens

Kale, lettuce, spinach, and the like are all perfect for a Vegepod. Ideally, species that allow you o pick the bottom leaves and grow on so you can harvest when needed.

2. All Herbs

The Vegepod raised garden bed makes for the perfect herb garden, whether it is parsley, dill, cilantro or basil. You can grow them all very easily.

3. Carrots

Fun to grow for adults and kids alike, carrots are great as they don’t take up a lot of real estate in the Vegepod and they have a foot of soil to grow down into.

4. Beets

Beets offer immense value, the beet itself is amazing, raw or roasted. And, since you’ve grown them yourself and you know there are no pesticides on the tops, steam them, add a splash of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, perfection in my eyes.

5. Radish

I love radish, it tastes great, it looks great and again it doesn’t take up much real estate in your Vegepod. It grows really fast from seed too!

Use your imagination.

You really can grow anything in your Vegepod, including cucumbers, leeks, onions, flowers etc etc the list goes on!

Just give it a try!

Vegepod Pros & Cons – The Final Word

The Vegepod offers a very intelligent, well-thought-out design to grow almost anything.

Let’s have a recap about what is great and what could be better

I hope the above has helped you to decide to jump in and try growing your food in a Vegepod.

Any questions, drop me a message in the comments below.

Happy Gardening.