Should I worry about the impacts of weather on my raised garden bed?

Ahh mid-august. That strange time where one day it’s boiling hot and summer is in full swing, then the next day we have torrential rain and all of a sudden cardigan’s are not only a cute fashion choice but an outright necessity. With this unpredictable and abruptly changing weather we are often asked by our customers: “Is my planter box going to make it through this weather?”. Well today we are here to answer this question and to explain why!

Will my planter box be impacted by the constantly changing weather? Yes, but only superficially.

One of the biggest perks of our raised garden beds and planter boxes being made of Western Red Cedar is the sheer resilience of the material. Western Red Cedar is a durable wood that is naturally resistant to rot, this means your box will last an incredibly long time without being susceptible to the elements or other potential concerns like insect attacks or decay.

Do I need to take any action to protect my garden bed against the elements? Not necessarily, but there are some things you can do to help prolong the life of your box and its appearance!

Applying a sealant or stain (such as Osmo’s which we happen to have available on our website!) helps to retain the longevity and appearance of the Western Red Cedar, it prolongs the colour as well as the quality and lifetime of your planter box.

Over time without applying a sealant, stain, or protective winter cover, your planter box is likely to fade to a slightly different colour to the rich orangey-tone that we all know and love. Within a few years you would expect to potentially see your box turn to a more silvery-white tone (this happens when the exposed outer-layer of cells that are still alive are damaged by the elements and causes them to lose their colour and smell, the sun then dries out these cells causing them to fade to a more silvery-white tone).

Also keeping your planter box out of direct sunlight is an effective way to help prolong the colour of your box!

Do I need to cover my planter box or raised garden bed in the Winter months?

Covering your box to protect it from wind, snow, rain, and any other element that you can think of is essential to keep your box looking as good as new! The covers that we sell are specifically designed for all Cedar Planters' products. They offer the ultimate protection in the colder months, when you may not be gardening. The sides feature breathable pockets on each end and the fabric is completely UV resistant and waterproof.

We hope that this article has helped answer some of your questions and addressed some of your concerns about how the weather could impact your Cedar Planters raised garden bed or planter box! The moral of the story is: nothing too bad will happen but some changes could occur, whether you like the physical appearance of these changes or not is really what it all boils down to, and now you know the action that you can take if you would prefer your planter box stay "box fresh!".