Hey Michelle - Fantastic video, thanks for doing this comparison! One of the best reviews I've seen of our product. A few factual notes for additional information: - We've improved the interior packaging, specifically on that Tall 8-in-1 model you ordered, so corner damage should be much less of an issue going forward. Your method for bending back was perfect, though! - We use stainless steel bolts, and zinc-plated nuts for our hardware. You'll notice Vego uses 1/2 as many bolts but does use full stainless steel hardware. This is basically a sacrifice in bed stability for the absolute longevity of hardware. Our zinc-plated nuts *will* oxidize slightly, but it has no actual bed impact, just cosmetic, and on the inside of the bed buried in soil - nothing you will ever see. - The angle of the corners on Birdies beds is sharper, meaning you get a higher interior square footage of growing space vs. Vego. Theirs are more rounded. - The safety strip Birdies uses is a UV-stabilized vinyl, which stands up in temps from 0F-100F+. Vego uses a rubberized wire mesh type of strip. This is a type of strip that Birdies *has* used in the past, but it was discontinued due to the fact that it tends to degrade in high sun and heat environments. We have a few Florida customers who have used both, and the Vego strips have effectively disintegrated. The sacrifice we make here on the edging is that we'd rather use an edging that will hold up for many years being blasted by the sun, and we lose a bit on the "perfect fit" that the rubberized edging provides. But a perfect fit doesn't matter much if the edging flakes away in 2-3 years. - Birdies is the original inventor of this style of bed - Simon Bird came up with it 13 years ago and those original prototypes are actually still in his garden and holding up well. They use Australian-made steel, Australian labor, and no components come from China or potentially questionable factory environments. A big question for customers to ask themselves is: why is a bed made with dramatically cheaper labor and parts *more* expensive than the original Australian manufacturer, and *which* company is more likely to be there for you in 5-10 years when / if you need some help with your beds, need replacement parts, etc? Both Epic Gardening (we are the exclusive distributor) and Birdies plan to be here for many, many years to come - while the competitor products in Australia out of China have come and gone many times over a 13 year period. I expect the same to happen here in the USA. All in all, a fantastic review and can't thank you enough for doing such a detailed breakdown! Keep on growing, Kevin
@Kevin Thank you for these details. I purchased 4 tall birdies from you for this season and so far they’re holding up very well with Hugelkultur set up. I’ve since gotten targeted with Vego ads on instagram but I do NOT plan on ever getting those. To me, it’s just a straight up rip off of the original birdies’ raised beds, which have been around forever (and time tested well by you and Mark from channel Self Sufficient Me). I appreciate birdies’ continued focus on quality. Even if Vego or another competitor comes along and makes the exact specs, there’s just something wrong about ripping off another person’s design with no improvement whatsoever, making it cheaply, and then massively marketing to would-be Birdies consumers. I imagine running a supply chain AND content producing outfit is not an easy feat. Thank you so much for doing this, and for sharing your love for growing.
Kevin thank you for those details. I appreciate your weighing in on the review. I'm the fan of the birdie's screws for sure the design makes assembly easier too. Good to know on the edging strip, strip One challenge that I see is that it's shrunk more than 2" since I put it on the bed and now I have a gap. The edging also will not stay down, so do you have any suggestions of what I could put on there to help?
@@michelleinthemeadow hey michelle, I usually use a little bit of black electrical tape, but I'm going to speak with birdies to see if there's something we can do about the shrinking. I typically over cut it just slightly, but I know that's not an optimal solution
Thank you particularly for the information about the updated safety strip. I watched Mark from Self Sufficient me review his five year old beds. There was deterioration of the strips and I assume they were the old style. I hope that eventually Birdies will carry an optional update to all stainless hardware as the oxidation I saw on Mark's five year old beds is an issue - not a large issue, but still one hopes for maximum time without deterioration.
Hi Kevin, I am afraid my first 3 beds are Vego, wanting the 4' width, but if I had known that they were made in China, I would have bought Birdies. Next time!!
This is an extremely well-made video. Your editing and shot composition is pretty great and I was surprised to see that this is the first video on your channel. Hope to see more!
@@michelleinthemeadow I used to think like you until I started using rivets. Aluminum rivets are strong enough, never loosen and drill out extremely easy when and if you need to remove them. BUT, you have to have the tool. That said, I would still use the hardwire that came with the beds. BTW, Awesome video!!!!!
Thanks for taking the time to do the comparison, it sure helped me make up my mind. Since they're both similar in every way, the fact that Birdies is not made in China makes it a clear winner for me.
Totally agree, especially as the gardens are way too expensive to justify made in China. I guess they just want to make huge margins on all anyone who purchases them.
Everything is made in China, even the Birdies, I am sure. If 1 nut is put in a container in Australia after product is made in China , it will be classed as made in Australia. It sounds as the Vego is better quality with the care package and the metal in the trim, also for different configuration and colours. As the depth of metal in build might also be denser. I have the Birdies, hard to get where I live, no choice on colour or sizes. We dont do Vego beds here either. Not much choice here.
@@zedbaby72 I dont think that Mark is concerned with the ins and outs of the production of Birdies product. I think the Vego and Birdies are too identical to not say they are produced in the same place, China. Its quite obvious to me . 80% of antibiotics used in USA produced by China. Are you forgoing antibiotics as made in China.
@@judytelles5617 not only drugs try food cars basic everyday items even simple garlic 90% comes from China but just Google how they grow garlic you will never touch garlic again but you are going off topic little all am saying I rather not buy anything from China they cut corners and there merchandise fails much faster then other countries merchandise. For me personally even if vego is cheaper I would not get it now don't want anything built in China period
I had researched both these garden beds I knew Vego is based here in Houston, I called and asked them if they were manufacturing them here in the USA they said they were made in China so that made my decision to go with birdies I just received it today and love the way it looks I know Mark from self-sufficient me has had his for many years so I already know that his are still looking great after 12 years (: I love watching this video I think she did a grand job!
I was disappointed when I found out my Vego was made in China. I then purchased a Birdies, which I think was a bit better in quality. I've also made cedar raised beds. The most recent ones I have found are Planter Box Direct, which are made in USA, cheaper than Birdies or Vego, available in about 20 colors, and can be configured into about any shape.
I had mine built by a local roofing company in their roller machine. They came galvanised, instead of just zinc plated. They were riveted together and were a third of the price. They built them using heavier steel and we're still less expensive. I had to supply my own rubber edging, no problem. And they are not painted, but certainly last longer. Bonus they came assembled.
What was the name of the roofing company? And, where are they? (Do they ship if not close by?) How much (if you don't mind my asking) did you pay, and for what size?
I'm in Florida I don't know what state you're in but I wonder if they would ship them to me and do you mind telling us the prices and the dimensions thank you so much
@@drileydriley2814 Hey there, I don't mind telling you the full details, but unfortunately it all went down in South Australia your Honer. They made them to my requirements, but they did massage the size to fit their machine and the sheet length. Not all sheet metal roofing companies can do it but I'm sure they can advise you where you can get them rolled . I had two @ 3 meter, two @ 2.5 meter, two @ 1.5 meter and one round one at 1.2 metre diameter. They are a sheet width high (820mm) and are of the thicker steel corrugated iron comes in and galvanised. They cost me, in total $1500.00 Aussie, I picked up. If you live in Oz I'm happy to let you know who.
I’m from Australia and have ten Birdies raised beds of various sizes. I put the first ones in five years ago and they look much the same today as they did back then. I haven’t tried the Vego beds so I can’t compare them. Happy gardening. 🍅 🥬 🥕
Thank you for this video!!! We just retired and I have been 'designing' my new garden for years. After watching I'm so much more comfortable going with Birdies--especially because our new house is on Birdies Lane! 😉
How Lovely! I'm glad that was a helpful review -- and that is a perfect reason, too. When you decide to make a purchase, I'd appreciate your using my referal link in the description ;) it helps support the channel. Thanks for watching and let us know how it's "GROWING."
Hi Michelle! Thank you so much for this insightful comparison! We appreciate the care and honesty you took reviewing your Vego Garden bed, and hope it serves you well in your garden. Some helpful notes and Vego updates for you and your viewers: -Extra Height As for the height of our beds, we chose to add a few inches to industry-standard heights to give gardeners some extra root depth, and to make things just a bit more comfortable on your back while you’re gardening. When it comes time to fill your beds, we recommend the hügelkultur method to save some money on soil, reduce watering demand, and to help provide a biodiverse ecosystem deep inside your garden beds. -Materials All of our hardware (bolts, washers, and cap nuts) are food safe, 304 grade stainless steel. We wanted to ensure our hardware would never corrode over time and was safe for growing organic veggies. The hardware placement alternating every other ridge is actually a new update to our 32” beds, and we are so glad you noticed! We did a lot of testing before making this update to ensure it wouldn’t impact the stability of the bed, and ultimately found no difference. So, the hardware has been reduced on our Extra Tall series to shorten assembly time and reduce waste. We include those cap nuts to ensure you never scratch your hands when digging into the beds, too. -USDA-Certified Paint & Specialized Metal Finally, something you can’t see with the naked eye, is a difference in Vego’s material itself. Most metal garden beds on the market use something called Aluzic, which is where we started too, and it's a great material, but we found some room to improve. Our newest generations of beds are made with a material we developed unique to Vego Garden. We call it VZ 2.0, a highly corrosion-resistant steel substrate, hot-dip-coated in a specialized layer of Zinc, Aluminum, and about 3% Magnesium. While Aluzinc is quite impervious, the addition of Magnesium to this formula revolutionizes the metal’s ability to resist corrosion, especially on cut or raw edges. Over time as a cut edge of the metal is exposed, the Zinc and Magnesium work together to form a protective film, sealing the exposed steel substrate and protecting it from rust and corrosion. With the addition of USDA certified paint, you really can’t beat our material. You can read more about it here: vegogarden.com/pages/feature-material -Bye-bye Plastic Our plastic film is a pain, we know. It's also not very sustainable. Since your purchase we have phased out the interior plastic, and are soon to update to a version that is much easier to peel. But keep an eye out, because we are planning to totally eliminate the plastic soon. We are in the final stages of testing some sustainable ways to achieve plastic-free beds without jeopardizing the beds’ condition in shipping. -Innovation Something Vego offers that no one else does, is our patented line of customized add-ons like modular trellises, cover systems, elevated rolling beds, and more. These modular systems are totally unique to Vego Garden, which helps to differentiate us from other brands. Our hope is that by expanding our product line we can offer a premiere gardening experience to more people, simplify the process, and ultimately make gardening & sustainable living more accessible to everyone. -Manufacturing With regard to our production, we want to let you know that we continue to work on moving our manufacturing right here to our home in the United States! While the supply chain and pandemic have made this challenging, we’ve been hard at work on it from the start, and are looking forward to having manufacturing close to home, not only for sustainability concerns, but also so that we can reduce fulfillment and shipping times for our customers. Our Vego roots are deep here in the Texas soil, and aren’t going anywhere. -Give Back & Non-Profit Speaking of our deep Texas roots, we spend a lot of time investing in our communities through our Give Back Program. This is our non-profit program through which we donate beds to people and communities in need. Schools, individuals, community gardens, families, all benefit from this program. Let us know if you have any other questions or curiosities, and in the meantime happy gardening! - Sarah, on behalf of Vego Garden
Sarah, I appreciate you weighing in and sharing this updated information for me. I will be doing an additional video this week doing my 60-day update comparing the two garden beds and I'll be certain to be fair and transparent with the information that have been shared by you and Birdies. Thank you so much I look forward to learning more.
Maybe Vego can weigh in on that, as I understand it their company is based in Houston so they should have some experience with the type of soil around there. Thanks for asking.
A lie! vego did not develop coil steel with magnesium, as stated above. This type of steel has been in Australia since 1995, I know as I work in the industry.
I live in Western Australia and in the wheatbelt. Temps here can get upto around 50deg in the direct sun and have found no issues with the beds. I have around 11 Birdie beds and they are varoius configurations depending on the position. I found that taking the plastic off is easy but not warranted so I just leave it on the beds and remove them when they start to degrade. With the trim I don't put it on until I have filled the bedsand let them settle for a while, it solves the shrinking effect for the trim. When putting the bottom screws in I just leave them til last on all the panels and just raise up a side and put a block of wood under it. That way it just means I need to get down for a few screws. Apart from that good honest video well done
Thank you very much and thank you for the tips. I definitely learned a lot about the ways to do things. I like the idea of leaving the edging off and letting it sit in the sun until I'm at the final stage of the garden.
I'm up in Gainesville and have had 7 Birdies for about 3 years now and they are doing great! I am on a very small lot in a subdivision and it has made gardening so much more productive considering how poor my soil is here. (Lots of builder's sand) I've never considered Vigo until my best friend bought several but now that I know they're made in China, I won't be getting any from them. Thank you for this video, it was quite helpful.
Fantastic. I don't have builder soil but I have heavy, heavy dense clay soil and so directly in the ground definitely is not my friend here.. Thanks for watching the video I am glad to know it was helpful.
Great video, thank you for making it. It’s so much easier to see a side-by-side rather than compare specs online as I did. I have had Vego beds for three years now and have been very happy with them. I ultimately chose Vego for the increased height, particularly for the 17” model. I hate the plastic (I’m six beds in now) and have found it’s easiest to peel them panel by panel in front of tv the night before assembly, as opposed to going out ready to roll in the am and finding myself peeling plastic for an hour first. Either way, I think one can’t lose - these are game changers for gardeners.
I got 2 Vego garden beds during the sale they had in December like you did...and the same 32" 9 in1. I think it took me more time to rip the plastic off than it did to assemble them. Like you did, I put them together by myself, and to reach those bottom screws, I gently turned the bed on its side. Thank you for sharing such a thorough comparison.
Awesome. Thank you for sharing. After I told my mother in law about what I did, she said why didn't you just turn it on the side. Being on the concrete it never occurred to me to flip it on the edge. Next time I will assemble it and flip it on the side that's a great idea.
What a great video, so well done, I bought 6 Birdies beds about 3 years ago (love Mark from Self Sufficient Me) I got Birdies because they are Australian made and I’m in Australia, no brained really, I’ve never seen Vego here but there are a few other brands of similar style but are no where near as good as Birdies, very happy with mine so far, thank you for your very informative video.
Mark is why I know about the beds for sure. And I do love his channel as well. I'm so excited to see how mine hold up. Thanks for watching the video and thank you for the compliment I really appreciate it.
When I assembled our Birdies bed I realized that you only need to get the bolts+nuts finger-tight. The serration on their flange nuts allows you to then go around with the cordless driver (set a torque limit on the clutch, if you have one) and tighten them up without needing to hold the nut, turning assembly into a much easier task. Thank you for sharing this unique opportunity to directly compare the two. Looking forward to your 10-year update. :D
Well done video Michelle. I’ve built many raised beds from scratch and have at least 16 Birdies of varying sizes, heights and colours. The quality of the steel and coatings are the real key here and it’s impossible for anyone to compare that until many years have passed. Correct me if I’m wrong; Birdies is made with Bluescope steel (BHP Australian steel + Colorbond coatings) which have stood the test of time here in Australia’s very harsh climates for decades on homes (roofing and siding). In fact we live a house shed made of exactly that material and this is what I used to make my own raised beds (huge amount of work btw). Based on that, I would go with the Aus made product when the price is virtually the same. The China made beds might be excellent, but they’re made in China, don’t have the company history like Birdies, and may have questionable labour practices as many China based productions do (eg Apple). For me, I’d go for the Vego ONLY if the price was WAY lower given the above, but I have many years experience with Bluescope steel and Birdies. Competition is good, but I’m amazed Birdies is level pegging in price with Vego given one of the main reasons to make stuff in China is to cut costs, undercut the competition, and increase profit margins usually. Having said all that, Birdies falls flat on the plastic rim protector which fades badly over time and comes off at the ends often (ie doesn’t stay secured on metal well). There may be a good, relatively cheap UV stable plastic strip protector type material you can find after market. Despite this, I’d still use Birdies as I don’t want to find out 5 years from now that the other brand has weaker galvanising, paint and steel strength. TIP: Don’t add a little piece of plastic to that rim gap. It’s actually good to leave a gap in there to allow expansion on hot days, and contraction on cool days (just cut according to the temp on the particular day) otherwise you end up with buckling or too big a gap.
Thanks for watching and thank you for the input. I love hearing from folks who have a lot of experience with the other beds for sure time will tell how this new to the market brand holds up. Thanks for the tip on filling in the Gap too. Happy gardening
I think Birdies are better, as well. Planter Box Direct are also good options--cheaper, made in USA, available in a ton of colors, and can be configured in L-shapes and other shapes.
Likewise Sue, we are so lucky to have such great weather to garden practically year round. And get that A little break during the hottest time of year.
Considering vego isn't considerably cheaper coming from China the birdies is hands down the winner... If there's not significant savings for a Chinese product what's the point.
Birdies is made in Australia and have been used for decades. Check out self sufficient me’s channel he has had his for over 10 years and still going strong We have 6 birdies and they are amazing we’re based in Australia and can take the extremes The vego’s look borderline copyright with birdies.
Huge fan of our Birdies, made it through new england winters well too! 16 installed last season 7 more to add this season! Plus awesome customer experience 😀
I chose the Vego beds. Putting them together on my own was not my favorite thing but the extra height and the different configurations worked best for me. I love them. I don't think we can go wrong with either one of these companies. For my small garden this is a great way to add additional space that works for my 61 year old back and hips!
I have vego beds and love them. I called the company and the said the are hoping to move manufacturing of the beds to TX from China soon. I hope that’s true. I went with them due to free shipping. At the time I bought them birdies shipping was outrageous, but I believe it’s free now. I wish this video was around back then! Thanks!
Hey Michelle - great video. We got two 8 in 1 Birdies Beds BECAUSE of the Country of Origin specifically. It was super windy here in SW Arizona when we wanted to put them together so my Husband & I started the 4 side panels of each & the corner & connecting pieces in the house. THEN we brought them outside to connect together. Had already leveled the areas so we just had to do the Hugelkultur first then the smaller sticks then straw some native soil along with garden soil & compost. One bed we have Strawberries the other Sweet potatoes & White potatoes. We did put soaker hoses in each bed more for our convenience because we do still have our original ground level garden areas (fenced off from these Desert critters) where we put up cattle panels to grow a lot of veggies vertically. So, really enjoyed your video. Judi
Thanks for watching I love hearing about your garden. I have used soaker hoses in the past and had a drip system ready to go in but didn't get installed before I had to have my shoulder surgery. Keeping the critters out is an important thing for sure. I'm working on my next video of how I filled the beds and did as much hugelkulture ideas as I could too.
Oh my gosh, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for doing this video!!! I had been looking at both beds over the last several weeks as well and you just helped me out tremendously!
In 2021 I purchased two of the largest Vego beds in the 31-1/2 inch high version. They were assembled in September 2021. On the recommendation of a friend who's a master gardener I lined the bottom of both beds with unopened bags of mulch, 6 per bed in the 2-1/2 foot by 9-1/2 foot configuration. Then both beds were filled to about 15" below the top with yard waste. All of this was left to stew until late spring of 2022 when I used composted manure and top soil to fill only one of the beds to just about the top. Neither bed seemed in any way damaged by exposure to winter here in northern Illinois. I'm planting potatoes and a pumpkin or two and a watermelon or two in this first bed and will cover the top of this bed with mulch to help retain moisture. So far, I'm happy about the way the beds look and about how they stood up to our winter. I'll fill the second bed sometime much later this year. I have yet to decide what I'm going to plant in this second bed but I'm thinking about bell peppers, carrots and perhaps some peas.
Fantastic, thanks for sharing about your Vego. Why did the friend say leave in the bag?? Do you have ground digging animals there? Thanks for watching!
@@michelleinthemeadow The bags of mulch are used (1) as weed block, (2) to fill up 4 inches or so of height at the bottom, and (3) help retain moisture in the bed. They also curled up the sides a bit providing a "seal" to keep anything from oozing out along the bottom of each bed. I just looked at my two beds and I have way more screws holding the panels together than your Vego bed. I have screws every trough like your Birdie bed. I bought my beds early in the growing season of 2021, but didn't get them assembled until September. I'm new to gardening. My experience has been limited to having 3 or 4 tomato plants growing in 21 inch pots on my patio. I chose the 31-1/2 inch high beds as I'm 76 and can't bend over easily. Stand up weeding...don't you just love it??? In answer to Epic Gardening below, when I was looking on line for metal raised beds I never came across Birdies being sold in the U.S. Of what else I saw on line, Vego seemed to be the best. So, that's what I bought. After watching Mel Bartholomew on PBS I always thought that was going to be the best thing for gardening for a beginner. However, I didn't initially take up on it as all that bending over to plant and weed and harvest was going to be too hard on couch potato me. But, didn't really have time to devote to gardening until I retired. When I discovered Self Sufficient Me on TH-cam back in 2020, I saw his raised beds and knew that was what I had to have.
Hi from Australia , we have 16 of those Birdie beds that you have there and honestly we would not change for anything , we have had others but those didn't even last 6 months and trust me it gets stinking hot here :)
Excellent video! This was the most descriptive video I could find. I put my tall 8-in-1 Birdies bed together by myself today. I put blankets over a large pavered area in the back yard. I was able to sit down on the ground and put all the side panels together. I had to go to the other side to put the last few screws in. Then I added 2 curved pieces to each panel flipping the whole piece over when I needed to get to the bottom screws. Then I had 2 long C shape pieces that could stand up. I connected these 2 pieces together and voila! I did have to ask my husband to stop working for a second to help me put the support bar in place and move the bed. I wouldn’t have figured out how to easily get to the bottom screws without this video. Watching this video, triggered a light bulb. I had bent panels and used your technique to fix this.
That is fantastic! Congratulations you should be very proud of yourself. I'm so glad I could give you some ideas that helped too. Thank you for watching and thank you for sharing.
I’m sure both have steel made in China. Vego contacted me and said the steel is from China, but all work is done in Texas. I purchased 5 from Vego simply for the extra height and Americans doing work on them.
Well, that settled it and is nothing to do with steel. 1 of my orders from Vego showed up, another is 2 weeks late. After contacting Vego I finally got an email from customer service and the person included he/him/his in their title. All remaining orders are now canceled and Birdies will get the $ instead. Go woke/go broke 🤷🏻♂️
No birdies is Australian made. It’s the same steal used on Aussie roofs and property dividing fences which last at least at least 15 years if not longer. I have 6, three of which I purchased three years back and another 3 I put in this summer. We also have our fence between of one of neighbours made of the same metal which slides a panel between two H posts of the same metal and colour. No paint job required ever. People also have there roof made from this same metal, it has a long life span. Australian business are not in lock down but shipping world wide is a problem due to flow on effects of c19. Though saying that Shanghai China was shut for weeks so that could be a reason why things are going slower for Vego. We live now in world where things are not working as a well oiled machine like they used to.. things take longer and some things are on a go slow… it just requires more time that’s all :) it will get there in the end.
I have been trying to decide between these two for a while. After seeing them side by by side in your video, I decided on the Birdie beds. The thing that decided me was the fact that the points the Birdies beds are joined at are more numerous and less likely to fail completely if one of the bolts gives. Thank you for doing this video!
Please let us know if you experience a greater need for watering especially in the summer heat. I water my ground garden daily if it doesn’t rain. My concern is these raised beds will dry out more quickly requiring twice daily watering. Water is more expensive in my county than it is in yours.
Thank you. I will be doing updates as we go. I did fill the beds with about 2/3 wood, mulch, and leaves, then topped with M3 garden soil. I typically water every other day if there's no rain.
Thank you, Michelle. My two main concerns with either of those two beds is the depth, thereby requiring a great deal more soil, fertilizer, etc., and, for me, since I fertilize my yard, I want there to be a bottom piece. So I'll be looking for something with legs or on a plinth. I see there's actually a YT channel "Self Sufficient Me" that has a video titled "What Happened to My Steal Raised beds After 12 years?" I've not watched it, but for those who are considering this route might want to check it out.
I certainly understand wanting that come up that, one of the things I haven't talked about yet is the slope that the beds are on, so for me the wood underneath will capture flowing rain water and help keep the beds moist with less watering I'm hoping. I did see that Vego has some elevated bed options as well. I might consider those for my patio.
Just wanted to let you know that I truly enjoyed your comparison. I have been considering raised beds after watching Mark from SSM. This really helped. Thank you darling.
I bought a Birdies and love it, however it took forever for it to get to me with everything going on in the world today. I actually got it at the end of the season last year so I did not put it together until this year. And I put it together myself and I’m 72 . Lol
I was very fortunate, when I ordered mine they arrived very quickly from both places. I love Mark too, he makes great videos and seems like a right good guy. Thanks for watching the video.
THANK YOU!! My husband and I were trying to decide between the two last month, and there were no videos to help us decide. We missed your post by just a few weeks! Thanks for posting!
I recently purchased two of the Birdies bed you have there. One arrived a little dinged up, the other one was perfect. I have the first one completely set up and filled hugelkultur style. I can't wait to get the second one up and running! Good luck with your new raised beds! Also wanted to mention that this was a great video that filled a vacuum nicely! Subscribed.
We have 16 Birdies beds and are adding 7 more this spring (though we do some connecting to each other to make longer beds). We are in Mass zone5b and were concerned with how they would hold up to winters here but they have done great! I have been posting vlogs on our garden projects here and I know a lot of others have been asking how they held up to the snow and freeze. My husband fell in love with Mark from self sufficient me channel's garden and especially the trellis tunnel and we also watch Epic Gardening so it was an easy choice for us. Best of luck gardening this season! Great job on the video. I'll sub 😀
Thanks for watching and thanks for the sub, I've subbed to you too. Glad to know they hold up in the cold weather for sure. Excited to see how these do overtime. I'm ready to keep moving on my own little Suburban Garden here.
I ordered the birdies beds before I knew about vego. So, I instantly worried about buyers regret. But, it sounds like I'd be ok either way. Thanks for this video! I can't wait to hear about how they both do in your garden!
Thanks for posting this, I had the same dilemma last fall. I ended up with VegoGarden's 10-in-1 because Birdies didn't make that configuration and it is what I needed to fit my space. ALSO, I deal with a lot of bunnies in my suburban garden and the extra height of the VG standard beds (17" VG vs 15" Birdies) is that much more helpful. I look forward to any updates from you as the season goes on!
A couple of extra inches to keep the bunnies out not a bad idea at all. I'm looking forward to making more follow-up videos and I've learned a lot just from the questions we've had here on other things to feature for folks to have watched. Thank you for watching.
Thank you Michelle for your helpful review! I just ordered 8x 8-1 Tall beds w/ your discount code :D Thank God we have tons of mesquite trees to use the hügelkultur method!
Congratulations, and thanks for supporting the channel. How exciting. Be sure to check out my 5 mistakes video to avoid the few goofs I made. th-cam.com/video/0NJwgvDaNLg/w-d-xo.html
I might be a little biased. But I would go with the Aussie made one being Australian myself. Something to note, the birdies is made with Aussie steel. Which is the same as American steel in terms of quality. I would be keen to see what happens to the vego rubber edging. If its like a tyre then that metal in it might backfire. But time will tell.
Thanks for weighing in. I certainly hope they have worked that out but I haven't heard anything on them getting manufacturing here now. I know they are based in houston. Take a look at the outside of your box if it's made in the USA they surely will have put it on the outside of the box. Thanks for watching what are you going to be planting?
@@michelleinthemeadow I saw the outside of the box, and that's why I edited my comment. It's possible, Vego Garden does what Apple Computer does... design it in the U.S., but have it built in China. At least, the Vego is still sold in the U.S., and every sale supports an American company. For sure, I'll be planting some tomatoes and cucumbers. I might go with lettuce, too.
I love Birdies beds and haven't seen any deteriation in the steel - inside or outside, in well over ten years. The plastic edge strips are also still intact and the rod for bracing is still doing it's job perfectly. I'm in Australia and we have a huge range of designs available that might not be available everywhere. I agree they need to improve the packaging - that's a lot of money to spend on something that arrives damaged. Time will tell if the Vego steel is up to scratch and given it's the same price, I certainly hope so.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Maybe we can eventually get some of those additional options here in the US to, that would be nice. I understand they are improving the packaging to reduce that type of damage. Thank you for watching.
Designing my gardens at our retirement location right now. Need the options like the u-shaped beds. Hoping that @epicgardening they are taking notes so that these options become available in the US. Also a little concerned about the stripping lasting through our Wisconsin winters. It can get to be -30 here. Ugh!😖 @@michelleinthemeadow
Thanks for sharing. I understand. I picked up some of the L shaped beds when they were on sale. I hope to see more styles, too. I do think the hexagon has some unique features for assembly. You may want to check those out. Happy Gardening!
Thank you for doing this video, we've been looking to get one of these beds but I just couldn't decide which one, but now it seems I can't go wrong either way. I look forward to more videos from you!
You make a very good point, I do like some of the additional sizes they have that may work well for me in other settings. Other commenters have stated that Vego is working on Manufacturing in the US. Thanks for watching.
@@michelleinthemeadow I will believe they are working on manufacturing in the US when I see it. There are several US manufacturers so my guess is they (Vego) are tied to a long-term Chinese contract they are finding hard to break.
Time will tell for sure. I had a conversation with the CEO of Vego recently. He stated that it would likely be cost prohibitive to source the steel in the US. But he did want to remind me that they have more than 50 US based employees working in their factory.
I built an 8x8 wood bed looking to build another bed next year ..you just sold me!!! I think I'm going to go this direction great video! Very educational!
Happy gardening and I'm glad I could help. Definitely easy to build, just time consuming. But then it's going to last a long long time. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for the lovely comparison. I had been wondering. But one thing you didn't mention as a comparison is the number of screws. I like how Birdie's has a screw in EVERY rib. Because the Vego only has one every other rib, I'd be concerned that over time, the pieces would start to warp in between the screws with the pressure of dirt & water and even before then, I could see it losing more dirt through the 'gaps' than the Birdies.
That is a great point and I will add that to my next video and keep an eye for any warping on the ribs. Thank you for mentioning it and thanks for watching the video.
We built a new greenhouse last year much like yours. We are in West Texas where temps are over a hundred for weeks at a time. We have windows and the same vents. It was over 110 inside much of that time. We are putting a permanent metal roof on in the next few weeks which, hopefully, will help with the heat. Another problem we had was a white fly infestation when we left the door open to help with the heat. I did FINALLY find a product that works on them.
I'd need to roll those windows backup right now I just have stragglers that haven't been harvested yet in that little greenhouse. It was supposed to be down by now but my shoulder surgery has put me behind on stuff. Even now without the hottest days it gets to be a 110 in there. I was trying to think of a way to keep the frame and put a shade cloth over it so I could grow greens in there through the heat of the summer.
So glad you did this comparison as I was wondering the same thing. I think the extra planting space for the birdies wins me over. But I do like the versatility of wood for sitting on the sides and being able to attach irrigation tubing and hoops for row covers.
We got two Vego raised beds as it’s harder for us to bend over like we could when we were younger. I like the Vego. I didn’t know about an alternative at the time. Thanks for the video. It was very helpful. I wish it had been around when I was doing my research. But then again, I wish I didn’t have a misspent youth.
Congrats! You are most welcome. I am always excited to hear from folks. Ah the lessons of a misspent youth. LOL. Thanks and welcome to the channel. Happy Gardening!
Thank you for doing this review! I wish I would have seen this sooner. I just put together 6 Vego beds but they were the 17" ones. I do like them, however, I had some issues with the twin herb beds that I received being damaged. I have contacted the company twice, once for an update on shipping and missing items and then just yesterday for the damage issue. I have had no reply on either. The frustrating part is you cannot call them, they do not answer the phone and you cannot leave a voicemail, I spent over $1000.00 with them and I am sure I am not alone. So they are definitely lacking in their customer service area. Based solely on that I might have to take my business to Birdie. Is there anyone that can testify to Birdies customer service?
Thanks for watching, and for sharing your feedback. I didn't attempt to contact customer service at either place So I'm not sure about that period Kevin from Epic Gardening, the US Birdies distributor, did weigh-in on this video and perhaps you can reach out to him on the comment. I'm sorry you've not had an awesome experience with your order.
Hi Sandra! I am so sorry that you've struggled to get in touch with our Customer Service team. We have had a massive influx of business this Spring, and our CS team has been very overwhelmed. The best thing to do is contact us via email, and the CS team will get to your ticket as soon as possible. We know its frustrating (and it is for us too!) but we are working hard to get all of our customers taken care of, and are quickly expanding our CS team to meet demand. I hope this helps, and look forward to easier CS soon!
Thank you for the video. I just bought a vego because it is slightly cheaper but I'm getting the vego a month sooner. But i didn't realize vego was made in China. So I'll most likely switch to birdies in the future.
I've just finished assembling 4 birdies beds. This is my introduction to gardening so I've got a lot to learn. Your presentation and enthusiasm is infectious, I hope to follow you on your journey. Joe Palma Melbourne Australia
Thank you for this review. I just assembled my Vego 32" 9 in 1 & began filling it. I had a hard time deciding but also ordered a 17" that I could add extra panels to. Still waiting on the 2 feet extensions so the other assembly will have to wait. So far I am really happy with my choice but I'm in the upper right panhandle of WV, near DC so there will be differences in temps. Will be watching to see what you think of both beds after they have been in use for a while. The main reason that I decided on the tall bed was that I have issues with my back & I hope that this will help with that. Also, I have a huge amount of "yard waste" that I am using in the bottom of the bed (after the wire under itl for gophers etc & weed block as well as a healthy amount of cardboard. Then all of my undecomposed sticks, dead stuff etc. Now I will use some junky soil, native soil (full of rocks, sticks & clay) as well as some old potting soil etc. Then I will fill with compost, worm castings & premium stuff & finally be able to plant & mulch. Looking forward to seeing how it will perform.
That is fantastic. I'm working on a video now of how we filled the beds and I look forward to sharing that but that's what I did about half with wood and then the other debris and then put in the best stuff on top. Thanks for watching the video.
Great video. Golly that's a bazillion nuts and bolts! You could get carpal tunnel by the time you're done, so I am so glad I have cordless power tools to do the nut twisting. Sure would save my arthritic wrists and forearms.
Thanks Harold. You can check out the whole series here: th-cam.com/play/PLlFCKM1rTPP4ITKEgIAyP_CMThasAxYS9.html Happy Gardening and Thank you for watching.
Honestly you may wait for twenty years to see how they do , I believe they will last longer than THAT. I bought 9 Vego beds of varying sizes .. hard to fill up use the Hugocultiure 16:31 method for the bottom they take some time to get ready to plant in. This should be a consideration when purchasing. I also bought four metal galvanized beds from Northern tool ( the shine goes away very quickly once it’s in the weather but are much much less expensive and my guess their life span at the bottom would be around seven years. Just guess, not sure. Vego my guess is thirty years plus .. seriously. I
Ok I just put my large round Birdie bed together I like the screws better less putting nuts,washer and bolts together, the edging was not as thick as the Vego. My Vego took a little more work …larger bed more nuts and bolts the trimming is better quality. All in all I I’m going to enjoy both of them,they’re about the same. Your video really helped me with putting mine together after watching it several times😀 Yes Happy gardening.
I recently did the same thing, bought the Vego and Birdies beds. For the most part, they are the same. Shipping damage is really normal for the Birdies beds, my corners were fine, but had paint scratches down to the metal. Vego arrived perfect. The edge protection for the Vego seems slightly better, it's some kind of rubber coated metal as opposed to plastic. Appreciate that Birdies is Australian made, but want better packaging and a distributor that doesn't manipulate reviews (Epic wouldn't publish my review about the scratches). Would probably stick with Vego at this point.
@@melodybarry3127 It wouldn't surprise me, review manipulation is super common despite being unlawful. FTC is starting to crack down on it at least, hope they continue. So far haven't had a reason to be critical of Vego beds, but the packaging on the Birdies beds really needs to improve. There's a thin piece of 1-ply cardboard separating the angled panels edges from the flat panels, and this cardboard easily gets cut through, causing deep gouges to the flat metal panels. In comparison Vego is using a thick double ply cardboard for the same purpose, which is even thicker than the shipping box, and it seems to do the job fine. Unsure what leads to the bent corners others are seeing. I'd venture to guess about half the Birdies beds are getting damaged from poor packaging.
I have both birdies and vego-raised beds. The quality seems to be equal for both, but I prefer the vego beds for two reasons. #1 They are more versatile, you receive more panels with the vego and are then able to create more shapes and sizes to fit your needs. #2, which is the biggest for me, is that vego has a ton of modular add-ons like a cover system for frost and a trellis you can attach. I did my own DIY systems the first year which didn't hold up well, the premade covers and trellis are much easier to work with and look nicer too.
It would be interesting to see if those add-ons fit the Birdies. I've considered both the trellis and the cover system, but haven't gone back to do measurements like Michelle did during her video.
As soon as the covers are back in stock for Vigo I'm going to test that out, but mean time now they do offer some add on braces over at the epic gardening website. Then you add your own piping to make a custom cover based on the size bed you have. Thanks for joining us on the channel. Happy gardening!
One thing to consider is which company sells add ons like a frame and pest cover. I know VegGarden beds sell such items, I have four beds. Not sure what Birdies sells. Thanks for a very a thoughtful and well made video.
You are 100% right. If I recall, at the time, neither brand had accessories. I look forward to making more vids about those soon. Welcome to the channel.
Would you be able to follow up on this comparison in 30 days, and at timed increments afterwards, with updates on the pros and cons of each?? My husband and I have had two greenhouses destroyed in less than two years, and we are looking to invest in raised, metal garden beds in hopes that they can withstand the high winds and hail in our area of NE Colorado. Thank you in advance! 🙂 Loved your video!
I live in northern MA and we were a little worried about how the beds would do with our new england winters (zone5b), we also live on top of a hill and get a decent amount of high wind. They don't show any signs this spring. Super happy since we have a full garden of them!
Coral Springs.. Excellent presentation …we have 4 Vego 17” tall raised beds ranging in age from 20 months (2) and less than 6 months (2). Getting the plastic off was the most difficult part of the assembly. Lol.. Found the quality and finish to be were excellent.
Thanks for watching and the info on your beds. The plastic was not fun ... but I did it at the end in cooler weather and I think that helped. I hope that you have a safe weekend with Hurricane Ian bearing through.
I appreciate this video and I agree with your conclusions. I also bought both beds, Vego in 2021 and Birdies in 2022. I was not aware that the Vego beds are made in China, which explains the huge delay in the Dragon Fruit rolling planters. I purchased the Birdies beds because I wanted to support a local vendor and the additional length and shorter height work for me.
You are very welcome. That might just explain the delays. Though I purchased at a time where neither company was having delays, so I feel very fortunate. And I definitely like having a little bit of extra growing room. Happy gardening! Thanks for watching.
Nice video! I have both types as well. I like Vego better. While I like the Birdies hardware better, I like the Vego trim and braces better. Also, I love that Vego has awesome add on stuff (cover system, trellis, arch, etc). Also, while Vego is made in China, some part of it has been evaluated by Texas A&M (possibly the coating?).
@@luckypenny312 I don’t think so. They are made specifically for Vego beds. I had to create my own system for my birdies beds. If you go to Maker Pipe and look at the Community, I have a picture of what I made for the birdies beds.
I am very happy you made the video comparing them! I have been looking into gardening beds for while but could not decide weather it will worth buying or not and I will be able to put them together or not… now it’s going to be easier to decide. Thanks ❤
You are very welcome.I am glad that the video was helpful to you.Thank you for watching. And if you decide to purchase one of these types of beds, I would appreciate you taking a moment to come back and click on my link. It helps support this channel and my family. supporting the channel, happy gardening! Thank you.
Birdies wins hands down If your trim on your birdies bed shrinks is because you cut it to short. What I do on mind is cut them longer than you need to have them by about an inch or so and over lap them never had a problem.
Thanks for watching and thanks for the positive comments. Good luck with your birdies but I hope you'll click through my link to make your purchase. Happy gardening!
I heard from Kevin at Epic gardening and he is going to talk to Birdies about the shrinking. He stated that the Birdies, even though it shrinks, holds up to the sun better than the Vego edging. Time will tell. Thanks for watching.
Birdies would not sell here for years and then were only available a couple of places. Vegos are widely available. Mine arrived at the speed of light also, which is saying something lately.
That's a fair point. When I ordered mine in December they both came very quickly, so I didn't face any customer service or Freight delay problems with my purchase. Thanks for watching.
Perfect, Michelle! Been watching Mark and Kevin for years and both have sold me on Birdies Beds. I was looking for reviews but not much was coming up on 🦆🦆go! I recently bartered my homegrown veg for the lumber to replace a deteriorating wood raised bed, cut it to size, still gotta sand all the pieces, then apply linseed oil, then construct it, demo the existing bed, and then install the new bed around the soil … 😫 BUUUUT, I really was interested in Birdies to replace some additional cedar beds I have in the garden and thought BB would be a great option- especially for the longevity. I’d much rather spend my time, energy, and 💵growing veg then all that is required to remake failing wooden beds. 😅 Thanks for sharing your experience! 🌱🌱🌱
Thank you. Im glad you found the channel. That is a great point. Yes, indeed, it is way more fun growing than building wooden beds and replacing them over and over.
The Australian bed is still good after 10 years on the inside and out side Self Sefince me in Australia showed us last year Sorry can not spell the word right
Hey Michelle, You are amazing! I loved watching you put together the beds with common sense using your patio furniture as lifts was fabulous. I am now going out to build my birdies bed. You made me feel empowered! It was wonderful how you explained and took the video to maximize the understanding in a compact amount of time. I was so excited to see you put these together. thank you!!
Thank you! I look forward to updates. I bought 2 Birdies beds and just got them. I also had a hard time deciding on which one. Ultimately Birdies was less but when ai received it I was disappointed that it was a bit too short for my liking and so I bought a Vego 30 minutes before I saw your video. I was thinking of doing a comparison too so now I don't have to. I was wondering why you went with the taller beds vs smaller?
Great question. 2 reasons, the 1st is to discourage the cats and other wildlife from scurrying in the garden. The 2nd is that we wanted something that could grow old with us. If the beds are gonna last 15 or 20 years I'll be in my seventies by then and thought it would be easier to have something that was taller.
@@michelleinthemeadow I just got home to 4 of my inground and 1 low wooden raised beds completely ripped up and poo'd in by cats. You confirmed it. I need higher beds. Husband agrees. I am mid 50s and can already feel aches in my joints so I think my next purchase will be a few larger ones. I subbed. Thank you for your content. No one else has your content!
Size and configuration was the deciding factor for me back in November. I needed a longer and slightly wider bed, and at that time at least, vefo was the choice. I would rather have bought birdies
I too have bought beds from both companies. Basically they are the same. Where they differ is the companies service , and there is a significant price difference now. Vega sent me the wrong bed from what I ordered. When I contacted the company they would not make it right. When you pay over $300 for something you want it right. They would not. My experience with epicgarderer the American seller of the Birdies bed was very impressive. They were very helpfully. I can tell you I will never buy from vego again 🤷🏻♀️
Thanks for watching, I'm sorry you did not have a good experience. I did not have to use customer service for either company so I didn't have that experience myself.
I have 3 of vego beds. I hope everyone reads my comment about what happens later after you've filled and planted. As far as construction is awesome. After I planted and plants abt foot high,they began to die and disappear. I found tunnels all under abt foot. The beds have no bottom. I'd like to add this abt weedeater or weedwacker around beds. I watched a video abt weeding around mobile homes, not damaging the metal at bottom touching the ground. They put roofing shingles around edge so nothing grows close to metal bottoms. Great idea and really works. Kat
Thank you for sharing your experience. Yes I think in some areas you might have to use hardware cloth to protect from burrowing animals. I'm sorry that your garden experience the loss. I hope it all can turn around for you and you have an amazing Garden this summer.
Hey Michelle - Fantastic video, thanks for doing this comparison! One of the best reviews I've seen of our product. A few factual notes for additional information:
- We've improved the interior packaging, specifically on that Tall 8-in-1 model you ordered, so corner damage should be much less of an issue going forward. Your method for bending back was perfect, though!
- We use stainless steel bolts, and zinc-plated nuts for our hardware. You'll notice Vego uses 1/2 as many bolts but does use full stainless steel hardware. This is basically a sacrifice in bed stability for the absolute longevity of hardware. Our zinc-plated nuts *will* oxidize slightly, but it has no actual bed impact, just cosmetic, and on the inside of the bed buried in soil - nothing you will ever see.
- The angle of the corners on Birdies beds is sharper, meaning you get a higher interior square footage of growing space vs. Vego. Theirs are more rounded.
- The safety strip Birdies uses is a UV-stabilized vinyl, which stands up in temps from 0F-100F+. Vego uses a rubberized wire mesh type of strip. This is a type of strip that Birdies *has* used in the past, but it was discontinued due to the fact that it tends to degrade in high sun and heat environments. We have a few Florida customers who have used both, and the Vego strips have effectively disintegrated. The sacrifice we make here on the edging is that we'd rather use an edging that will hold up for many years being blasted by the sun, and we lose a bit on the "perfect fit" that the rubberized edging provides. But a perfect fit doesn't matter much if the edging flakes away in 2-3 years.
- Birdies is the original inventor of this style of bed - Simon Bird came up with it 13 years ago and those original prototypes are actually still in his garden and holding up well. They use Australian-made steel, Australian labor, and no components come from China or potentially questionable factory environments. A big question for customers to ask themselves is: why is a bed made with dramatically cheaper labor and parts *more* expensive than the original Australian manufacturer, and *which* company is more likely to be there for you in 5-10 years when / if you need some help with your beds, need replacement parts, etc? Both Epic Gardening (we are the exclusive distributor) and Birdies plan to be here for many, many years to come - while the competitor products in Australia out of China have come and gone many times over a 13 year period. I expect the same to happen here in the USA.
All in all, a fantastic review and can't thank you enough for doing such a detailed breakdown!
Keep on growing,
Kevin
@Kevin
Thank you for these details. I purchased 4 tall birdies from you for this season and so far they’re holding up very well with Hugelkultur set up. I’ve since gotten targeted with Vego ads on instagram but I do NOT plan on ever getting those. To me, it’s just a straight up rip off of the original birdies’ raised beds, which have been around forever (and time tested well by you and Mark from channel Self Sufficient Me).
I appreciate birdies’ continued focus on quality. Even if Vego or another competitor comes along and makes the exact specs, there’s just something wrong about ripping off another person’s design with no improvement whatsoever, making it cheaply, and then massively marketing to would-be Birdies consumers.
I imagine running a supply chain AND content producing outfit is not an easy feat. Thank you so much for doing this, and for sharing your love for growing.
Kevin thank you for those details. I appreciate your weighing in on the review. I'm the fan of the birdie's screws for sure the design makes assembly easier too.
Good to know on the edging strip, strip One challenge that I see is that it's shrunk more than 2" since I put it on the bed and now I have a gap. The edging also will not stay down, so do you have any suggestions of what I could put on there to help?
@@michelleinthemeadow hey michelle, I usually use a little bit of black electrical tape, but I'm going to speak with birdies to see if there's something we can do about the shrinking. I typically over cut it just slightly, but I know that's not an optimal solution
Thank you particularly for the information about the updated safety strip. I watched Mark from Self Sufficient me review his five year old beds. There was deterioration of the strips and I assume they were the old style.
I hope that eventually Birdies will carry an optional update to all stainless hardware as the oxidation I saw on Mark's five year old beds is an issue - not a large issue, but still one hopes for maximum time without deterioration.
Hi Kevin, I am afraid my first 3 beds are Vego, wanting the 4' width, but if I had known that they were made in China, I would have bought Birdies. Next time!!
Bottom screw note: I fastened the top half then flipped it over to fasten the the bottom half. I am an 84-year-old woman. I have the Birdies.
You are an inspiration! That's a great suggestion. Thanks for watching and sharing. What are you growing?
This is an extremely well-made video. Your editing and shot composition is pretty great and I was surprised to see that this is the first video on your channel. Hope to see more!
Thank you for the compliment and for watching the video. I truly appreciate it.
Well done ! Why not use rivets and washers ?, big time saver.
@@koosto902 I use the parts that came with the beds. Wouldn't rivets be permanent how easy to do they come back apart?
@@michelleinthemeadow I used to think like you until I started using rivets. Aluminum rivets are strong enough, never loosen and drill out extremely easy when and if you need to remove them. BUT, you have to have the tool. That said, I would still use the hardwire that came with the beds. BTW, Awesome video!!!!!
@@larryrussell4905 If I had the tools -- I could totally see rivets being an awesome option. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for taking the time to do the comparison, it sure helped me make up my mind. Since they're both similar in every way, the fact that Birdies is not made in China makes it a clear winner for me.
You are welcome, I'm glad the video was helpful thank you for watching.
I agree!
Totally agree, especially as the gardens are way too expensive to justify made in China. I guess they just want to make huge margins on all anyone who purchases them.
There is another. VEGEGA
Thank you. I'll keep an eye out for those.
This is the 1st time I knew that vego was made in China 🇨🇳 that made it easy to decide now will get Australian made will trust them better
Totally!
Everything is made in China, even the Birdies, I am sure. If 1 nut is put in a container in Australia after product is made in China , it will be classed as made in Australia. It sounds as the Vego is better quality with the care package and the metal in the trim, also for different configuration and colours. As the depth of metal in build might also be denser. I have the Birdies, hard to get where I live, no choice on colour or sizes. We dont do Vego beds here either. Not much choice here.
@@judytelles5617 I may be wrong but that question was answered by self sufficient me by saying the factory was in Australia
@@zedbaby72 I dont think that Mark is concerned with the ins and outs of the production of Birdies product. I think the Vego and Birdies are too identical to not say they are produced in the same place, China. Its quite obvious to me . 80% of antibiotics used in USA produced by China. Are you forgoing antibiotics as made in China.
@@judytelles5617 not only drugs try food cars basic everyday items even simple garlic 90% comes from China but just Google how they grow garlic you will never touch garlic again but you are going off topic little all am saying I rather not buy anything from China they cut corners and there merchandise fails much faster then other countries merchandise. For me personally even if vego is cheaper I would not get it now don't want anything built in China period
I had researched both these garden beds I knew Vego is based here in Houston, I called and asked them if they were manufacturing them here in the USA they said they were made in China so that made my decision to go with birdies I just received it today and love the way it looks I know Mark from self-sufficient me has had his for many years so I already know that his are still looking great after 12 years (: I love watching this video I think she did a grand job!
Thanks so much for watching. And I'm excited to hear more about what you're growing in your Birdies.
I'll be planting green beans jalapenos tomatoes green onion and watermelon
I was so happy someone on Amazon recommended Birdies. I don't understand why such an expensive product (Vego) can justify being made in China.
I was disappointed when I found out my Vego was made in China. I then purchased a Birdies, which I think was a bit better in quality. I've also made cedar raised beds. The most recent ones I have found are Planter Box Direct, which are made in USA, cheaper than Birdies or Vego, available in about 20 colors, and can be configured into about any shape.
@@capeflatterytrail yet many other items made from china is good?
I had mine built by a local roofing company in their roller machine.
They came galvanised, instead of just zinc plated. They were riveted together and were a third of the price.
They built them using heavier steel and we're still less expensive.
I had to supply my own rubber edging, no problem. And they are not painted, but certainly last longer.
Bonus they came assembled.
What was the name of the roofing company? And, where are they? (Do they ship if not close by?) How much (if you don't mind my asking) did you pay, and for what size?
Very smart… I may look into that… thanks ✝️❤️
I'm in Florida I don't know what state you're in but I wonder if they would ship them to me and do you mind telling us the prices and the dimensions thank you so much
@@drileydriley2814 Hey there, I don't mind telling you the full details, but unfortunately it all went down in South Australia your Honer. They made them to my requirements, but they did massage the size to fit their machine and the sheet length. Not all sheet metal roofing companies can do it but I'm sure they can advise you where you can get them rolled .
I had two @ 3 meter, two @ 2.5 meter, two @ 1.5 meter and one round one at 1.2 metre diameter. They are a sheet width high (820mm) and are of the thicker steel corrugated iron comes in and galvanised. They cost me, in total $1500.00 Aussie, I picked up.
If you live in Oz I'm happy to let you know who.
@@soniahofmann4969 hey Sonia. I posted a msg with the details, if you didn't get it let me know.
I have a few of the birdies beds, 10 years old and still going strong 💪
That's fantastic. Thanks for sharing and happy gardening.
I’m from Australia and have ten Birdies raised beds of various sizes. I put the first ones in five years ago and they look much the same today as they did back then. I haven’t tried the Vego beds so I can’t compare them. Happy gardening. 🍅 🥬 🥕
Thank you for sharing happy gardening to you too. And thanks for watching.
Thank you for this video!!! We just retired and I have been 'designing' my new garden for years. After watching I'm so much more comfortable going with Birdies--especially because our new house is on Birdies Lane! 😉
How Lovely! I'm glad that was a helpful review -- and that is a perfect reason, too. When you decide to make a purchase, I'd appreciate your using my referal link in the description ;) it helps support the channel. Thanks for watching and let us know how it's "GROWING."
Hi Michelle! Thank you so much for this insightful comparison! We appreciate the care and honesty you took reviewing your Vego Garden bed, and hope it serves you well in your garden. Some helpful notes and Vego updates for you and your viewers:
-Extra Height
As for the height of our beds, we chose to add a few inches to industry-standard heights to give gardeners some extra root depth, and to make things just a bit more comfortable on your back while you’re gardening. When it comes time to fill your beds, we recommend the hügelkultur method to save some money on soil, reduce watering demand, and to help provide a biodiverse ecosystem deep inside your garden beds.
-Materials
All of our hardware (bolts, washers, and cap nuts) are food safe, 304 grade stainless steel. We wanted to ensure our hardware would never corrode over time and was safe for growing organic veggies. The hardware placement alternating every other ridge is actually a new update to our 32” beds, and we are so glad you noticed! We did a lot of testing before making this update to ensure it wouldn’t impact the stability of the bed, and ultimately found no difference. So, the hardware has been reduced on our Extra Tall series to shorten assembly time and reduce waste. We include those cap nuts to ensure you never scratch your hands when digging into the beds, too.
-USDA-Certified Paint & Specialized Metal
Finally, something you can’t see with the naked eye, is a difference in Vego’s material itself. Most metal garden beds on the market use something called Aluzic, which is where we started too, and it's a great material, but we found some room to improve. Our newest generations of beds are made with a material we developed unique to Vego Garden. We call it VZ 2.0, a highly corrosion-resistant steel substrate, hot-dip-coated in a specialized layer of Zinc, Aluminum, and about 3% Magnesium. While Aluzinc is quite impervious, the addition of Magnesium to this formula revolutionizes the metal’s ability to resist corrosion, especially on cut or raw edges. Over time as a cut edge of the metal is exposed, the Zinc and Magnesium work together to form a protective film, sealing the exposed steel substrate and protecting it from rust and corrosion. With the addition of USDA certified paint, you really can’t beat our material.
You can read more about it here: vegogarden.com/pages/feature-material
-Bye-bye Plastic
Our plastic film is a pain, we know. It's also not very sustainable. Since your purchase we have phased out the interior plastic, and are soon to update to a version that is much easier to peel. But keep an eye out, because we are planning to totally eliminate the plastic soon. We are in the final stages of testing some sustainable ways to achieve plastic-free beds without jeopardizing the beds’ condition in shipping.
-Innovation
Something Vego offers that no one else does, is our patented line of customized add-ons like modular trellises, cover systems, elevated rolling beds, and more. These modular systems are totally unique to Vego Garden, which helps to differentiate us from other brands. Our hope is that by expanding our product line we can offer a premiere gardening experience to more people, simplify the process, and ultimately make gardening & sustainable living more accessible to everyone.
-Manufacturing
With regard to our production, we want to let you know that we continue to work on moving our manufacturing right here to our home in the United States! While the supply chain and pandemic have made this challenging, we’ve been hard at work on it from the start, and are looking forward to having manufacturing close to home, not only for sustainability concerns, but also so that we can reduce fulfillment and shipping times for our customers. Our Vego roots are deep here in the Texas soil, and aren’t going anywhere.
-Give Back & Non-Profit
Speaking of our deep Texas roots, we spend a lot of time investing in our communities through our Give Back Program. This is our non-profit program through which we donate beds to people and communities in need. Schools, individuals, community gardens, families, all benefit from this program.
Let us know if you have any other questions or curiosities, and in the meantime happy gardening!
- Sarah, on behalf of Vego Garden
Sarah, I appreciate you weighing in and sharing this updated information for me. I will be doing an additional video this week doing my 60-day update comparing the two garden beds and I'll be certain to be fair and transparent with the information that have been shared by you and Birdies. Thank you so much I look forward to learning more.
How does the Vego hold up to extremely basic water Ph, like what is found in Texas.
Maybe Vego can weigh in on that, as I understand it their company is based in Houston so they should have some experience with the type of soil around there. Thanks for asking.
A lie! vego did not develop coil steel with magnesium, as stated above. This type of steel has been in Australia since 1995, I know as I work in the industry.
Your beds are made in communist china. I avoid, as best I can, anything made in communist china.
I stick with Birdies.
I live in Western Australia and in the wheatbelt. Temps here can get upto around 50deg in the direct sun and have found no issues with the beds. I have around 11 Birdie beds and they are varoius configurations depending on the position.
I found that taking the plastic off is easy but not warranted so I just leave it on the beds and remove them when they start to degrade. With the trim I don't put it on until I have filled the bedsand let them settle for a while, it solves the shrinking effect for the trim.
When putting the bottom screws in I just leave them til last on all the panels and just raise up a side and put a block of wood under it. That way it just means I need to get down for a few screws.
Apart from that good honest video well done
Thank you very much and thank you for the tips. I definitely learned a lot about the ways to do things. I like the idea of leaving the edging off and letting it sit in the sun until I'm at the final stage of the garden.
I'm up in Gainesville and have had 7 Birdies for about 3 years now and they are doing great! I am on a very small lot in a subdivision and it has made gardening so much more productive considering how poor my soil is here. (Lots of builder's sand)
I've never considered Vigo until my best friend bought several but now that I know they're made in China, I won't be getting any from them. Thank you for this video, it was quite helpful.
Fantastic. I don't have builder soil but I have heavy, heavy dense clay soil and so directly in the ground definitely is not my friend here.. Thanks for watching the video I am glad to know it was helpful.
Great video, thank you for making it. It’s so much easier to see a side-by-side rather than compare specs online as I did.
I have had Vego beds for three years now and have been very happy with them. I ultimately chose Vego for the increased height, particularly for the 17” model. I hate the plastic (I’m six beds in now) and have found it’s easiest to peel them panel by panel in front of tv the night before assembly, as opposed to going out ready to roll in the am and finding myself peeling plastic for an hour first.
Either way, I think one can’t lose - these are game changers for gardeners.
Thank you, and you're welcome. Definitely a game-changer for me. Great tip on the plastic, too. Happy Gardening!
I got 2 Vego garden beds during the sale they had in December like you did...and the same 32" 9 in1. I think it took me more time to rip the plastic off than it did to assemble them. Like you did, I put them together by myself, and to reach those bottom screws, I gently turned the bed on its side. Thank you for sharing such a thorough comparison.
Awesome. Thank you for sharing. After I told my mother in law about what I did, she said why didn't you just turn it on the side. Being on the concrete it never occurred to me to flip it on the edge. Next time I will assemble it and flip it on the side that's a great idea.
What a great video, so well done, I bought 6 Birdies beds about 3 years ago (love Mark from Self Sufficient Me) I got Birdies because they are Australian made and I’m in Australia, no brained really, I’ve never seen Vego here but there are a few other brands of similar style but are no where near as good as Birdies, very happy with mine so far, thank you for your very informative video.
Mark is why I know about the beds for sure. And I do love his channel as well. I'm so excited to see how mine hold up. Thanks for watching the video and thank you for the compliment I really appreciate it.
When I assembled our Birdies bed I realized that you only need to get the bolts+nuts finger-tight. The serration on their flange nuts allows you to then go around with the cordless driver (set a torque limit on the clutch, if you have one) and tighten them up without needing to hold the nut, turning assembly into a much easier task.
Thank you for sharing this unique opportunity to directly compare the two. Looking forward to your 10-year update. :D
Great point on that I wish I had realized it at the time. Thanks for watching me too I can't wait for the 10-year update.
Well done video Michelle.
I’ve built many raised beds from scratch and have at least 16 Birdies of varying sizes, heights and colours. The quality of the steel and coatings are the real key here and it’s impossible for anyone to compare that until many years have passed. Correct me if I’m wrong; Birdies is made with Bluescope steel (BHP Australian steel + Colorbond coatings) which have stood the test of time here in Australia’s very harsh climates for decades on homes (roofing and siding). In fact we live a house shed made of exactly that material and this is what I used to make my own raised beds (huge amount of work btw). Based on that, I would go with the Aus made product when the price is virtually the same. The China made beds might be excellent, but they’re made in China, don’t have the company history like Birdies, and may have questionable labour practices as many China based productions do (eg Apple).
For me, I’d go for the Vego ONLY if the price was WAY lower given the above, but I have many years experience with Bluescope steel and Birdies. Competition is good, but I’m amazed Birdies is level pegging in price with Vego given one of the main reasons to make stuff in China is to cut costs, undercut the competition, and increase profit margins usually.
Having said all that, Birdies falls flat on the plastic rim protector which fades badly over time and comes off at the ends often (ie doesn’t stay secured on metal well). There may be a good, relatively cheap UV stable plastic strip protector type material you can find after market. Despite this, I’d still use Birdies as I don’t want to find out 5 years from now that the other brand has weaker galvanising, paint and steel strength.
TIP: Don’t add a little piece of plastic to that rim gap. It’s actually good to leave a gap in there to allow expansion on hot days, and contraction on cool days (just cut according to the temp on the particular day) otherwise you end up with buckling or too big a gap.
Thanks for watching and thank you for the input. I love hearing from folks who have a lot of experience with the other beds for sure time will tell how this new to the market brand holds up. Thanks for the tip on filling in the Gap too. Happy gardening
I think Birdies are better, as well. Planter Box Direct are also good options--cheaper, made in USA, available in a ton of colors, and can be configured in L-shapes and other shapes.
Thanks for mentioning Mark's raised beds. I wondered who made them. And thanks for the video of course!
You bet! Glad it was helpful. Happy Gardening.
It's always nice to discover another Florida, residential gardener.
Likewise Sue, we are so lucky to have such great weather to garden practically year round. And get that A little break during the hottest time of year.
Considering vego isn't considerably cheaper coming from China the birdies is hands down the winner... If there's not significant savings for a Chinese product what's the point.
Agreed! Well stated.
I rather not buy China, even if it cheaper.
Birdies is made in Australia and have been used for decades.
Check out self sufficient me’s channel he has had his for over 10 years and still going strong
We have 6 birdies and they are amazing we’re based in Australia and can take the extremes
The vego’s look borderline copyright with birdies.
Huge fan of our Birdies, made it through new england winters well too! 16 installed last season 7 more to add this season! Plus awesome customer experience 😀
@@roxychic367 totally agree and our garden design is very influenced by Mark 😀
I chose the Vego beds. Putting them together on my own was not my favorite thing but the extra height and the different configurations worked best for me. I love them. I don't think we can go wrong with either one of these companies. For my small garden this is a great way to add additional space that works for my 61 year old back and hips!
Congratulations! Definitely gave you some extra exercise in putting them together. Thanks for watching.
I have vego beds and love them. I called the company and the said the are hoping to move manufacturing of the beds to TX from China soon. I hope that’s true. I went with them due to free shipping. At the time I bought them birdies shipping was outrageous, but I believe it’s free now. I wish this video was around back then! Thanks!
That was great news! I would like to see more USA Products. Thanks for watching
As Engineer, I am impressed with your ability to assemble and fix the bend in the metal using hand tools. Good for you girl
Thank you. My dad encouraged me to learn so I could do things for myself. 😉 Welcome to the channel.
Thank you for making this video. I feel birdies won. I am happy with the comparison. I couldn't believe the colors look the same!
They are practically identical. Truly at some point I may have to make myself a note as to which one is which but I have a pretty good idea.
Hey Michelle - great video. We got two 8 in 1 Birdies Beds BECAUSE of the Country of Origin specifically. It was super windy here in SW Arizona when we wanted to put them together so my Husband & I started the 4 side panels of each & the corner & connecting pieces in the house. THEN we brought them outside to connect together. Had already leveled the areas so we just had to do the Hugelkultur first then the smaller sticks then straw some native soil along with garden soil & compost. One bed we have Strawberries the other Sweet potatoes & White potatoes. We did put soaker hoses in each bed more for our convenience because we do still have our original ground level garden areas (fenced off from these Desert critters) where we put up cattle panels to grow a lot of veggies vertically. So, really enjoyed your video. Judi
Thanks for watching I love hearing about your garden. I have used soaker hoses in the past and had a drip system ready to go in but didn't get installed before I had to have my shoulder surgery. Keeping the critters out is an important thing for sure. I'm working on my next video of how I filled the beds and did as much hugelkulture ideas as I could too.
Oh my gosh, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for doing this video!!! I had been looking at both beds over the last several weeks as well and you just helped me out tremendously!
So glad that I could help. Good luck guarding and thanks for watching.
In 2021 I purchased two of the largest Vego beds in the 31-1/2 inch high version. They were assembled in September 2021. On the recommendation of a friend who's a master gardener I lined the bottom of both beds with unopened bags of mulch, 6 per bed in the 2-1/2 foot by 9-1/2 foot configuration. Then both beds were filled to about 15" below the top with yard waste. All of this was left to stew until late spring of 2022 when I used composted manure and top soil to fill only one of the beds to just about the top. Neither bed seemed in any way damaged by exposure to winter here in northern Illinois.
I'm planting potatoes and a pumpkin or two and a watermelon or two in this first bed and will cover the top of this bed with mulch to help retain moisture. So far, I'm happy about the way the beds look and about how they stood up to our winter. I'll fill the second bed sometime much later this year. I have yet to decide what I'm going to plant in this second bed but I'm thinking about bell peppers, carrots and perhaps some peas.
Fantastic, thanks for sharing about your Vego. Why did the friend say leave in the bag?? Do you have ground digging animals there? Thanks for watching!
@@michelleinthemeadow The bags of mulch are used (1) as weed block, (2) to fill up 4 inches or so of height at the bottom, and (3) help retain moisture in the bed. They also curled up the sides a bit providing a "seal" to keep anything from oozing out along the bottom of each bed. I just looked at my two beds and I have way more screws holding the panels together than your Vego bed. I have screws every trough like your Birdie bed. I bought my beds early in the growing season of 2021, but didn't get them assembled until September. I'm new to gardening. My experience has been limited to having 3 or 4 tomato plants growing in 21 inch pots on my patio. I chose the 31-1/2 inch high beds as I'm 76 and can't bend over easily. Stand up weeding...don't you just love it???
In answer to Epic Gardening below, when I was looking on line for metal raised beds I never came across Birdies being sold in the U.S. Of what else I saw on line, Vego seemed to be the best. So, that's what I bought.
After watching Mel Bartholomew on PBS I always thought that was going to be the best thing for gardening for a beginner. However, I didn't initially take up on it as all that bending over to plant and weed and harvest was going to be too hard on couch potato me. But, didn't really have time to devote to gardening until I retired. When I discovered Self Sufficient Me on TH-cam back in 2020, I saw his raised beds and knew that was what I had to have.
Ah. I see. I think Vego changed the screws recently. Mark inspired my raised beds too. :)
Hi from Australia , we have 16 of those Birdie beds that you have there and honestly we would not change for anything , we have had others but those didn't even last 6 months and trust me it gets stinking hot here :)
Thanks for sharing that and thanks for watching. I look forward to doing future updates to see how they all turn out.
Excellent video! This was the most descriptive video I could find. I put my tall 8-in-1 Birdies bed together by myself today. I put blankets over a large pavered area in the back yard. I was able to sit down on the ground and put all the side panels together. I had to go to the other side to put the last few screws in. Then I added 2 curved pieces to each panel flipping the whole piece over when I needed to get to the bottom screws. Then I had 2 long C shape pieces that could stand up. I connected these 2 pieces together and voila! I did have to ask my husband to stop working for a second to help me put the support bar in place and move the bed. I wouldn’t have figured out how to easily get to the bottom screws without this video. Watching this video, triggered a light bulb. I had bent panels and used your technique to fix this.
That is fantastic! Congratulations you should be very proud of yourself. I'm so glad I could give you some ideas that helped too. Thank you for watching and thank you for sharing.
Thank you for taking the time to make this video. Really appreciate it. Can’t wait for the update video!
Thanks for watching, I have posted the first update for 30 days. Happy gardening
Thank you for making this video
You're welcome. Thanks for watching!
I’m sure both have steel made in China. Vego contacted me and said the steel is from China, but all work is done in Texas. I purchased 5 from Vego simply for the extra height and Americans doing work on them.
Thanks for sharing that information. And thanks for watching.
birdie uses australian steel which is better much better quality
@@josienic361 Thank you for sharing that and thanks for watching.
Well, that settled it and is nothing to do with steel. 1 of my orders from Vego showed up, another is 2 weeks late. After contacting Vego I finally got an email from customer service and the person included he/him/his in their title. All remaining orders are now canceled and Birdies will get the $ instead. Go woke/go broke 🤷🏻♂️
No birdies is Australian made.
It’s the same steal used on Aussie roofs and property dividing fences which last at least at least 15 years if not longer.
I have 6, three of which I purchased three years back and another 3 I put in this summer.
We also have our fence between of one of neighbours made of the same metal which slides a panel between two H posts of the same metal and colour.
No paint job required ever.
People also have there roof made from this same metal, it has a long life span.
Australian business are not in lock down but shipping world wide is a problem due to flow on effects of c19.
Though saying that Shanghai China was shut for weeks so that could be a reason why things are going slower for Vego.
We live now in world where things are not working as a well oiled machine like they used to.. things take longer and some things are on a go slow… it just requires more time that’s all :) it will get there in the end.
I was just happy to see that one lady cut put one together!
I was glad that I could prove that too. Thanks for watching. An extra set of hands could have made everything faster though.
I have been trying to decide between these two for a while. After seeing them side by by side in your video, I decided on the Birdie beds. The thing that decided me was the fact that the points the Birdies beds are joined at are more numerous and less likely to fail completely if one of the bolts gives. Thank you for doing this video!
You are very welcome I am glad the video is helpful. Thank you for watching. Happy gardening
Thank you so much for doing this.
You're welcome, thanks for watching! Happy gardening.
Please let us know if you experience a greater need for watering especially in the summer heat. I water my ground garden daily if it doesn’t rain. My concern is these raised beds will dry out more quickly requiring twice daily watering. Water is more expensive in my county than it is in yours.
Thank you. I will be doing updates as we go. I did fill the beds with about 2/3 wood, mulch, and leaves, then topped with M3 garden soil. I typically water every other day if there's no rain.
Watch self sufficient me. He shows you how to keep the beds " self sufficient"
I have a full Birdies bed garden and I used straw as a mulch and it worked great for keeping moisture in compared to one's I didn't.
I love your resourcefulness in setting up the various structures to make it easy for you to assemble the panels. Thanks for this thorough explanation.
Thanks for watching. I'm glad it was helpful.
Thank you, Michelle. My two main concerns with either of those two beds is the depth, thereby requiring a great deal more soil, fertilizer, etc., and, for me, since I fertilize my yard, I want there to be a bottom piece. So I'll be looking for something with legs or on a plinth.
I see there's actually a YT channel "Self Sufficient Me" that has a video titled "What Happened to My Steal Raised beds After 12 years?" I've not watched it, but for those who are considering this route might want to check it out.
I certainly understand wanting that come up that, one of the things I haven't talked about yet is the slope that the beds are on, so for me the wood underneath will capture flowing rain water and help keep the beds moist with less watering I'm hoping. I did see that Vego has some elevated bed options as well. I might consider those for my patio.
Just wanted to let you know that I truly enjoyed your comparison. I have been considering raised beds after watching Mark from SSM. This really helped. Thank you darling.
You're welcome John glad I could be of help. Mark is where I first learned about the birdies beds as well. Thanks for watching.
I bought a Birdies and love it, however it took forever for it to get to me with everything going on in the world today. I actually got it at the end of the season last year so I did not put it together until this year. And I put it together myself and I’m 72 . Lol
And I love Mark! Lol
I was very fortunate, when I ordered mine they arrived very quickly from both places. I love Mark too, he makes great videos and seems like a right good guy. Thanks for watching the video.
THANK YOU!! My husband and I were trying to decide between the two last month, and there were no videos to help us decide. We missed your post by just a few weeks! Thanks for posting!
You're welcome, thanks for watching. Good luck in the garden.
I recently purchased two of the Birdies bed you have there. One arrived a little dinged up, the other one was perfect. I have the first one completely set up and filled hugelkultur style. I can't wait to get the second one up and running! Good luck with your new raised beds!
Also wanted to mention that this was a great video that filled a vacuum nicely! Subscribed.
Awww thanks for the compliment and thanks for subscribing, too!
The vice grip and wash cloth fix was genius!!
Thanks my uncle would have been pretty happy too, he gave me that set of vice grips. Thanks for watching.
We have 16 Birdies beds and are adding 7 more this spring (though we do some connecting to each other to make longer beds). We are in Mass zone5b and were concerned with how they would hold up to winters here but they have done great! I have been posting vlogs on our garden projects here and I know a lot of others have been asking how they held up to the snow and freeze.
My husband fell in love with Mark from self sufficient me channel's garden and especially the trellis tunnel and we also watch Epic Gardening so it was an easy choice for us.
Best of luck gardening this season! Great job on the video. I'll sub 😀
Thanks for watching and thanks for the sub, I've subbed to you too. Glad to know they hold up in the cold weather for sure. Excited to see how these do overtime. I'm ready to keep moving on my own little Suburban Garden here.
@@michelleinthemeadow thanks! If you have any questions that I can help with on the beds let me know 😀
I love how you show doing the assembly raised up on something. Saving your back!
Thank you. I saw another TH-camr James lift them up and I said that's the best way to do that. Thanks for watching.
I ordered the birdies beds before I knew about vego. So, I instantly worried about buyers regret. But, it sounds like I'd be ok either way. Thanks for this video! I can't wait to hear about how they both do in your garden!
Thanks for watching. Really comes down to a matter of choices and once it's put together they they really are very similar
Excellent job, thank you!👍
Thanks for watching and happy gardening my friend!
Thanks for posting this, I had the same dilemma last fall. I ended up with VegoGarden's 10-in-1 because Birdies didn't make that configuration and it is what I needed to fit my space. ALSO, I deal with a lot of bunnies in my suburban garden and the extra height of the VG standard beds (17" VG vs 15" Birdies) is that much more helpful. I look forward to any updates from you as the season goes on!
A couple of extra inches to keep the bunnies out not a bad idea at all. I'm looking forward to making more follow-up videos and I've learned a lot just from the questions we've had here on other things to feature for folks to have watched. Thank you for watching.
Just the video I was looking for, thank you!
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
Great comparison! I've been looking at getting one of these for a while.
Glad you liked it, thank you for watching. Good luck in the garden.
Thank you Michelle for your helpful review! I just ordered 8x 8-1 Tall beds w/ your discount code :D Thank God we have tons of mesquite trees to use the hügelkultur method!
th-cam.com/video/0NJwgvDaNLg/w-d-xo.html
Congratulations, and thanks for supporting the channel. How exciting. Be sure to check out my 5 mistakes video to avoid the few goofs I made. th-cam.com/video/0NJwgvDaNLg/w-d-xo.html
Thanks and will do!@@michelleinthemeadow 👍
PS and very welcome
@@michelleinthemeadow
I might be a little biased. But I would go with the Aussie made one being Australian myself.
Something to note, the birdies is made with Aussie steel. Which is the same as American steel in terms of quality.
I would be keen to see what happens to the vego rubber edging. If its like a tyre then that metal in it might backfire. But time will tell.
Time definitely will tell thank you for watching. I'm excited to see how they do.
I will be purchasing Birdies, and I'm an American.
I received my Vego 17" 9 in 1 raised bed yesterday. It'll be a great addition to my vegetable garden.
Thanks for weighing in. I certainly hope they have worked that out but I haven't heard anything on them getting manufacturing here now. I know they are based in houston. Take a look at the outside of your box if it's made in the USA they surely will have put it on the outside of the box. Thanks for watching what are you going to be planting?
@@michelleinthemeadow I saw the outside of the box, and that's why I edited my comment. It's possible, Vego Garden does what Apple Computer does... design it in the U.S., but have it built in China. At least, the Vego is still sold in the U.S., and every sale supports an American company. For sure, I'll be planting some tomatoes and cucumbers. I might go with lettuce, too.
Nice. Congratulations and keep on growing.
I love Birdies beds and haven't seen any deteriation in the steel - inside or outside, in well over ten years. The plastic edge strips are also still intact and the rod for bracing is still doing it's job perfectly. I'm in Australia and we have a huge range of designs available that might not be available everywhere. I agree they need to improve the packaging - that's a lot of money to spend on something that arrives damaged. Time will tell if the Vego steel is up to scratch and given it's the same price, I certainly hope so.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Maybe we can eventually get some of those additional options here in the US to, that would be nice. I understand they are improving the packaging to reduce that type of damage. Thank you for watching.
Designing my gardens at our retirement location right now. Need the options like the u-shaped beds. Hoping that @epicgardening they are taking notes so that these options become available in the US.
Also a little concerned about the stripping lasting through our Wisconsin winters. It can get to be -30 here. Ugh!😖 @@michelleinthemeadow
Thanks for sharing. I understand. I picked up some of the L shaped beds when they were on sale. I hope to see more styles, too. I do think the hexagon has some unique features for assembly. You may want to check those out. Happy Gardening!
This is a great assessment and comparison. I like your demeanor in this presentation. It seems authentic and genuine. Legit! I like it.
Wow, thank you! That is always my goal, I appreciate your kind words.
Thank you for doing this video, we've been looking to get one of these beds but I just couldn't decide which one, but now it seems I can't go wrong either way.
I look forward to more videos from you!
Thanks Tiffany. Excited to keep making. Yes, they are so very similar. Thanks for watching!
Pls keep us posted
Will do! Thanks for watching.
The vego has all kinds of accessories that fit! ❤
You make a very good point, I do like some of the additional sizes they have that may work well for me in other settings. Other commenters have stated that Vego is working on Manufacturing in the US. Thanks for watching.
@@michelleinthemeadow I will believe they are working on manufacturing in the US when I see it. There are several US manufacturers so my guess is they (Vego) are tied to a long-term Chinese contract they are finding hard to break.
Time will tell for sure. I had a conversation with the CEO of Vego recently. He stated that it would likely be cost prohibitive to source the steel in the US. But he did want to remind me that they have more than 50 US based employees working in their factory.
I built an 8x8 wood bed looking to build another bed next year ..you just sold me!!! I think I'm going to go this direction great video! Very educational!
Happy gardening and I'm glad I could help. Definitely easy to build, just time consuming. But then it's going to last a long long time. Thanks for watching.
Thank you for the lovely comparison. I had been wondering. But one thing you didn't mention as a comparison is the number of screws. I like how Birdie's has a screw in EVERY rib. Because the Vego only has one every other rib, I'd be concerned that over time, the pieces would start to warp in between the screws with the pressure of dirt & water and even before then, I could see it losing more dirt through the 'gaps' than the Birdies.
That is a great point and I will add that to my next video and keep an eye for any warping on the ribs. Thank you for mentioning it and thanks for watching the video.
We built a new greenhouse last year much like yours. We are in West Texas where temps are over a hundred for weeks at a time.
We have windows and the same vents. It was over 110 inside much of that time. We are putting a permanent metal roof on in the next few weeks which, hopefully, will help with the heat.
Another problem we had was a white fly infestation when we left the door open to help with the heat.
I did FINALLY find a product that works on them.
I'd need to roll those windows backup right now I just have stragglers that haven't been harvested yet in that little greenhouse. It was supposed to be down by now but my shoulder surgery has put me behind on stuff. Even now without the hottest days it gets to be a 110 in there. I was trying to think of a way to keep the frame and put a shade cloth over it so I could grow greens in there through the heat of the summer.
So glad you did this comparison as I was wondering the same thing. I think the extra planting space for the birdies wins me over. But I do like the versatility of wood for sitting on the sides and being able to attach irrigation tubing and hoops for row covers.
Fantastic. Thanks for watching the video. More room more food! Have a great day
I loved your video and so did everyone else. I want to say thank you.
Thanks for watching Kristi. Happy Gardening!
Thank you for the comparison! I just unboxed my first Birdies Bed. I was wondering how the Vego compared to it.
You're welcome. Really only minor differences. Time will tell if the newer styled vego holds up as well as the Birdies has been shown to.
We got two Vego raised beds as it’s harder for us to bend over like we could when we were younger. I like the Vego. I didn’t know about an alternative at the time. Thanks for the video. It was very helpful. I wish it had been around when I was doing my research. But then again, I wish I didn’t have a misspent youth.
Congrats! You are most welcome. I am always excited to hear from folks. Ah the lessons of a misspent youth. LOL. Thanks and welcome to the channel. Happy Gardening!
Thank you for doing this review! I wish I would have seen this sooner. I just put together 6 Vego beds but they were the 17" ones. I do like them, however, I had some issues with the twin herb beds that I received being damaged. I have contacted the company twice, once for an update on shipping and missing items and then just yesterday for the damage issue. I have had no reply on either. The frustrating part is you cannot call them, they do not answer the phone and you cannot leave a voicemail, I spent over $1000.00 with them and I am sure I am not alone. So they are definitely lacking in their customer service area. Based solely on that I might have to take my business to Birdie. Is there anyone that can testify to Birdies customer service?
Thanks for watching, and for sharing your feedback. I didn't attempt to contact customer service at either place So I'm not sure about that period Kevin from Epic Gardening, the US Birdies distributor, did weigh-in on this video and perhaps you can reach out to him on the comment. I'm sorry you've not had an awesome experience with your order.
Hi Sandra! I am so sorry that you've struggled to get in touch with our Customer Service team. We have had a massive influx of business this Spring, and our CS team has been very overwhelmed. The best thing to do is contact us via email, and the CS team will get to your ticket as soon as possible. We know its frustrating (and it is for us too!) but we are working hard to get all of our customers taken care of, and are quickly expanding our CS team to meet demand. I hope this helps, and look forward to easier CS soon!
I own 2 birdies raised beds & love the look & function for growing veggies & flowers together in the same bed. Happy Growing ✌️🌎
Thanks for sharing. It's such fun! Happy Growing to you, too.
Thank you for the video. I just bought a vego because it is slightly cheaper but I'm getting the vego a month sooner. But i didn't realize vego was made in China. So I'll most likely switch to birdies in the future.
Good luck gardening and thanks for watching the video.
I've just finished assembling 4 birdies beds. This is my introduction to gardening so I've got a lot to learn. Your presentation and enthusiasm is infectious, I hope to follow you on your journey.
Joe Palma Melbourne Australia
Welcome to the channel, and welcome to gardening! How exciting!! Thanks for watching from.down under too!
Thank you for this review. I just assembled my Vego 32" 9 in 1 & began filling it. I had a hard time deciding but also ordered a 17" that I could add extra panels to. Still waiting on the 2 feet extensions so the other assembly will have to wait. So far I am really happy with my choice but I'm in the upper right panhandle of WV, near DC so there will be differences in temps. Will be watching to see what you think of both beds after they have been in use for a while. The main reason that I decided on the tall bed was that I have issues with my back & I hope that this will help with that. Also, I have a huge amount of "yard waste" that I am using in the bottom of the bed (after the wire under itl for gophers etc & weed block as well as a healthy amount of cardboard. Then all of my undecomposed sticks, dead stuff etc. Now I will use some junky soil, native soil (full of rocks, sticks & clay) as well as some old potting soil etc. Then I will fill with compost, worm castings & premium stuff & finally be able to plant & mulch. Looking forward to seeing how it will perform.
That is fantastic. I'm working on a video now of how we filled the beds and I look forward to sharing that but that's what I did about half with wood and then the other debris and then put in the best stuff on top. Thanks for watching the video.
Great video. Golly that's a bazillion nuts and bolts! You could get carpal tunnel by the time you're done, so I am so glad I have cordless power tools to do the nut twisting. Sure would save my arthritic wrists and forearms.
I guess you could say it was just nuts, and bolts, and washers. LOL
Very interested to see how this turns out, as to which one you like better. I’m trying to make a decision on which to buy for my garden.
Thank you for watching the video, I'm excited to see too I'll be posting an update video soon.
Awesome production, Michelle. I'm looking forward to seeing your next entry.
Thanks Harold. You can check out the whole series here: th-cam.com/play/PLlFCKM1rTPP4ITKEgIAyP_CMThasAxYS9.html Happy Gardening and Thank you for watching.
Honestly you may wait for twenty years to see how they do , I believe they will last longer than THAT. I bought 9 Vego beds of varying sizes .. hard to fill up use the Hugocultiure 16:31 method for the bottom they take some time to get ready to plant in. This should be a consideration when
purchasing. I also bought four metal galvanized beds from Northern tool ( the shine goes away very quickly once it’s in the weather but are much much less expensive and my guess their life span at the bottom would be around seven years. Just guess, not sure. Vego my guess is thirty years plus .. seriously.
I
Ok I just put my large round Birdie bed together I like the screws better less putting nuts,washer and bolts together, the edging was not as thick as the Vego. My Vego took a little more work …larger bed more nuts and bolts the trimming is better quality. All in all I I’m going to enjoy both of them,they’re about the same. Your video really helped me with putting mine together after watching it several times😀 Yes Happy gardening.
That is so awesome congratulations! I am very excited for you. Happy happy happy gardening!
I recently did the same thing, bought the Vego and Birdies beds. For the most part, they are the same. Shipping damage is really normal for the Birdies beds, my corners were fine, but had paint scratches down to the metal. Vego arrived perfect. The edge protection for the Vego seems slightly better, it's some kind of rubber coated metal as opposed to plastic. Appreciate that Birdies is Australian made, but want better packaging and a distributor that doesn't manipulate reviews (Epic wouldn't publish my review about the scratches). Would probably stick with Vego at this point.
Thank you for sharing that bit of info, and thanks for watching.
Interesting… thanks
Good information to know 👍
Vego won’t either.
@@melodybarry3127 It wouldn't surprise me, review manipulation is super common despite being unlawful. FTC is starting to crack down on it at least, hope they continue. So far haven't had a reason to be critical of Vego beds, but the packaging on the Birdies beds really needs to improve. There's a thin piece of 1-ply cardboard separating the angled panels edges from the flat panels, and this cardboard easily gets cut through, causing deep gouges to the flat metal panels. In comparison Vego is using a thick double ply cardboard for the same purpose, which is even thicker than the shipping box, and it seems to do the job fine. Unsure what leads to the bent corners others are seeing. I'd venture to guess about half the Birdies beds are getting damaged from poor packaging.
That's Michelle..so very helpful!! Looking forward to how they work out for you..
Thank you, and you're welcome. After a year, I'm still incredibly happy with them.
So good to know !! Happy Spring !!
Happy Spring!
I have both birdies and vego-raised beds. The quality seems to be equal for both, but I prefer the vego beds for two reasons. #1 They are more versatile, you receive more panels with the vego and are then able to create more shapes and sizes to fit your needs. #2, which is the biggest for me, is that vego has a ton of modular add-ons like a cover system for frost and a trellis you can attach. I did my own DIY systems the first year which didn't hold up well, the premade covers and trellis are much easier to work with and look nicer too.
Thank you for sharing. I do hope to add on some Vego covers coming the next season. Definitely a plus. Thanks for watching and happy gardening.
It would be interesting to see if those add-ons fit the Birdies. I've considered both the trellis and the cover system, but haven't gone back to do measurements like Michelle did during her video.
As soon as the covers are back in stock for Vigo I'm going to test that out, but mean time now they do offer some add on braces over at the epic gardening website. Then you add your own piping to make a custom cover based on the size bed you have. Thanks for joining us on the channel. Happy gardening!
One thing to consider is which company sells add ons like a frame and pest cover. I know VegGarden beds sell such items, I have four beds. Not sure what Birdies sells. Thanks for a very a thoughtful and well made video.
You are 100% right. If I recall, at the time, neither brand had accessories. I look forward to making more vids about those soon. Welcome to the channel.
Would you be able to follow up on this comparison in 30 days, and at timed increments afterwards, with updates on the pros and cons of each??
My husband and I have had two greenhouses destroyed in less than two years, and we are looking to invest in raised, metal garden beds in hopes that they can withstand the high winds and hail in our area of NE Colorado.
Thank you in advance! 🙂 Loved your video!
Thank you for the request, yes I definitely can do some updates.
@@michelleinthemeadow that would be a great help as well. Perhaps end of the planting season thoughts and an update in a few years?
I live in northern MA and we were a little worried about how the beds would do with our new england winters (zone5b), we also live on top of a hill and get a decent amount of high wind. They don't show any signs this spring. Super happy since we have a full garden of them!
Coral Springs.. Excellent presentation …we have 4 Vego 17” tall raised beds ranging in age from 20 months (2) and less than 6 months (2). Getting the plastic off was the most difficult part of the assembly. Lol.. Found the quality and finish to be were excellent.
Thanks for watching and the info on your beds. The plastic was not fun ... but I did it at the end in cooler weather and I think that helped. I hope that you have a safe weekend with Hurricane Ian bearing through.
@@michelleinthemeadow
Thanks. Be safe.
Birdies hands down, made in Australia and been around for 15 years.
Thank you so much. And thanks for watching. The Vego bed has something to live up to for sure.
I appreciate this video and I agree with your conclusions. I also bought both beds, Vego in 2021 and Birdies in 2022. I was not aware that the Vego beds are made in China, which explains the huge delay in the Dragon Fruit rolling planters. I purchased the Birdies beds because I wanted to support a local vendor and the additional length and shorter height work for me.
You are very welcome. That might just explain the delays. Though I purchased at a time where neither company was having delays, so I feel very fortunate. And I definitely like having a little bit of extra growing room. Happy gardening! Thanks for watching.
Nice video! I have both types as well. I like Vego better. While I like the Birdies hardware better, I like the Vego trim and braces better. Also, I love that Vego has awesome add on stuff (cover system, trellis, arch, etc). Also, while Vego is made in China, some part of it has been evaluated by Texas A&M (possibly the coating?).
Thank you. I do like their options, too.
Interesting to know about TAMU. Thanks for watching!
Will add-on options fit the birdies as well?
@@luckypenny312 I don’t think so. They are made specifically for Vego beds. I had to create my own system for my birdies beds. If you go to Maker Pipe and look at the Community, I have a picture of what I made for the birdies beds.
@@heathers3876 thanks! Ill go check it out. I have 9 birdies and make to make hoops for them!
@@luckypenny312 I am not sure, the dimensions do not work out equally. So the cover may not but I would expect that the trellises will.
I am very happy you made the video comparing them! I have been looking into gardening beds for while but could not decide weather it will worth buying or not and I will be able to put them together or not… now it’s going to be easier to decide. Thanks ❤
You are very welcome.I am glad that the video was helpful to you.Thank you for watching. And if you decide to purchase one of these types of beds, I would appreciate you taking a moment to come back and click on my link. It helps support this channel and my family. supporting the channel, happy gardening! Thank you.
Birdies wins hands down
If your trim on your birdies bed shrinks is because you cut it to short.
What I do on mind is cut them longer than you need to have them by about an inch or so and over lap them never had a problem.
Great advice and I'll definitely do that next time. Thanks for taking the time to watch.
The video was excellent. I think my decision would be buying Australin. Thank you for explaining so well.
Thanks for watching and thanks for the positive comments. Good luck with your birdies but I hope you'll click through my link to make your purchase. Happy gardening!
The trim on my Birdies round bed also shrunk, but not that quickly. I'd already thrown away all the extra.
I heard from Kevin at Epic gardening and he is going to talk to Birdies about the shrinking. He stated that the Birdies, even though it shrinks, holds up to the sun better than the Vego edging. Time will tell. Thanks for watching.
Excellent video.
Thank you for watching. I'm glad you liked it
We have two of the large Vego beds. We love them. No problems. Love the rubber edging. It holds row covering down PERFECTLY! ❤️
Thank you for sharing your experience with Vego beds. I appreciate you watching the video thank you.
Good job, Michelle!
Thanks for watching and thank you for the compliment. Happy gardening.
Birdies would not sell here for years and then were only available a couple of places. Vegos are widely available. Mine arrived at the speed of light also, which is saying something lately.
That's a fair point. When I ordered mine in December they both came very quickly, so I didn't face any customer service or Freight delay problems with my purchase. Thanks for watching.
Perfect, Michelle! Been watching Mark and Kevin for years and both have sold me on Birdies Beds. I was looking for reviews but not much was coming up on 🦆🦆go!
I recently bartered my homegrown veg for the lumber to replace a deteriorating wood raised bed, cut it to size, still gotta sand all the pieces, then apply linseed oil, then construct it, demo the existing bed, and then install the new bed around the soil … 😫
BUUUUT, I really was interested in Birdies to replace some additional cedar beds I have in the garden and thought BB would be a great option- especially for the longevity. I’d much rather spend my time, energy, and 💵growing veg then all that is required to remake failing wooden beds. 😅
Thanks for sharing your experience!
🌱🌱🌱
Thank you. Im glad you found the channel. That is a great point. Yes, indeed, it is way more fun growing than building wooden beds and replacing them over and over.
The Australian bed is still good after 10 years on the inside and out side Self Sefince me in Australia showed us last year Sorry can not spell the word right
Exactly right. Lets see if the Vego holds up too.
Hey Michelle, You are amazing! I loved watching you put together the beds with common sense using your patio furniture as lifts was fabulous. I am now going out to build my birdies bed. You made me feel empowered! It was wonderful how you explained and took the video to maximize the understanding in a compact amount of time. I was so excited to see you put these together. thank you!!
Thanks Jemma! I'm glad it resonated. Not hard, but repetitive. Thanks for watching. Happy Gardening!
Thank you! I look forward to updates. I bought 2 Birdies beds and just got them. I also had a hard time deciding on which one. Ultimately Birdies was less but when ai received it I was disappointed that it was a bit too short for my liking and so I bought a Vego 30 minutes before I saw your video. I was thinking of doing a comparison too so now I don't have to. I was wondering why you went with the taller beds vs smaller?
Great question. 2 reasons, the 1st is to discourage the cats and other wildlife from scurrying in the garden. The 2nd is that we wanted something that could grow old with us. If the beds are gonna last 15 or 20 years I'll be in my seventies by then and thought it would be easier to have something that was taller.
@@michelleinthemeadow I just got home to 4 of my inground and 1 low wooden raised beds completely ripped up and poo'd in by cats. You confirmed it. I need higher beds. Husband agrees. I am mid 50s and can already feel aches in my joints so I think my next purchase will be a few larger ones. I subbed. Thank you for your content. No one else has your content!
@@onemoredoll5791 oh no!
Size and configuration was the deciding factor for me back in November. I needed a longer and slightly wider bed, and at that time at least, vefo was the choice. I would rather have bought birdies
@@fredherbert2739 Why is that?
SUPER helpful! Thanks for this video.
Sounds like I'll be getting a couple Birdies for my nest this spring.
Congratulations. So glad it's helpful. Thanks for watching, and welcome to the channel! Happy Gardening!
I too have bought beds from both companies. Basically they are the same. Where they differ is the companies service , and there is a significant price difference now. Vega sent me the wrong bed from what I ordered. When I contacted the company they would not make it right. When you pay over $300 for something you want it right. They would not. My experience with epicgarderer the American seller of the Birdies bed was very impressive. They were very helpfully. I can tell you I will never buy from vego again 🤷🏻♀️
Thanks for watching, I'm sorry you did not have a good experience. I did not have to use customer service for either company so I didn't have that experience myself.
I have 3 of vego beds. I hope everyone reads my comment about what happens later after you've filled and planted. As far as construction is awesome. After I planted and plants abt foot high,they began to die and disappear. I found tunnels all under abt foot. The beds have no bottom. I'd like to add this abt weedeater or weedwacker around beds. I watched a video abt weeding around mobile homes, not damaging the metal at bottom touching the ground. They put roofing shingles around edge so nothing grows close to metal bottoms. Great idea and really works. Kat
Thank you for sharing your experience. Yes I think in some areas you might have to use hardware cloth to protect from burrowing animals. I'm sorry that your garden experience the loss. I hope it all can turn around for you and you have an amazing Garden this summer.