Why You May Want To Reconsider Adding Costco's Self-Watering Garden Bed To Your Cart

When it comes to raised garden beds vs in-ground gardens, the raised bed approach certainly offers some advantages, such as better pest and weed control, and the ability to completely control the composition of the soil since you're the one who put it there. You can spend the time to design and build one to your own specifications, DIY a raised garden bed on a budget, or save time by choosing a store-bought version, such as the CedarCraft self-watering spruce planter from Costco. The CedarCraft wood-and-metal model sells for just under $180, shipping included, and is currently an online-only deal on Costco's website. 

The price is significantly less at Costco than through other retailers, and even from CedarCraft itself, where it costs $80 more. This model is a rectangular, spruce wood planter with powder-coated aluminum legs on locking casters. The interior planting area is 19½ inches wide by 44½ inches long by 8½ inches deep, so there's room to grow multiple plants in it without taking up too much space on a patio or deck. 

The raised bed planter also comes with a 6-gallon self-watering reservoir — essentially a sturdy plastic tray for water, with a molded plastic piece atop it that wicks water into the soil. Though users give it a 4.3 out of 5 stars cumulatively, it's worth nothing there are quite a few unfavorable rankings as well, including a fair number of 1-star reviews. Many people expressed concern over how the tray/bottom sits perched inside the raised bed on only narrow L-brackets; others experienced issues with difficulty in assembly. Of the more than 1,540 total star-based reviews, 64% gave it 5 stars and 16% gave it 4 stars. Even though this is an online-only offering, Costco brick-and-mortar locations accept returns. 

User reviews on Costco's website are mixed. Though many few found assembly easy, others said it was difficult because the instructions say to use only a manually operated screwdriver, rather than a power drill. Some mentioned warped planks as well, or legs that don't seem entirely sturdy when attached to the planter. Some users love having the ability to wheel the planter to a sunnier location, or out of extreme weather situations. One of the points brought up frequently in the reviews on Costco's page for the product, however, are complaints about the water reservoir, and specifically that it only sits on a couple rails with no bracing underneath it. 

There is no structural bottom to the planter beyond the reservoir. Many reviews mention it sags, leaks, or falls out completely if loaded with water. A user named Scottjl said heavy rain made the tray sag so much it fell out of the unit, ruining the plants growing inside. "If you get one, I wouldn't recommend more than 2 inches of dirt," they added. Youtuber Green Love did not have this issue; she grew several large tomato plants and herbs in hers, and said she appreciated the convenience of not having to go to her main garden for a few herb cuttings.

One issue could be that the planter design itself has changed. "This is my 3rd unit like this all great so far this one is terrible," writes one recent verified purchaser. "Leaks!!! Put together properly." Reviewer Michael echoes the sentiment, stating that a previous version worked well, but "With that history, we bought this version on line and have been VERY disappointed." They note difficulty in assembly, and that the narrow L-brackets holding the reservoir didn't prevent total collapse once water was added.

We based this writeup on verified buyer comments found on Costco's product page for the self-watering planter, and on the instructions linked from the company's product page for it. Repeated comments about functionality, stability, and ease of assembly were taken into consideration, as well as the price for the same model sold elsewhere. If this product doesn't work for you, consider Costco's top-rated composting garden bed.