Editorial standards

This page describes how Raised Garden Bed Planters handles editorial independence, conflicts of interest, factual errors, and accountability. It exists so readers can hold us to a standard we've stated publicly, rather than one we'd have to be asked about.

Editorial independence

No brand, retailer, or affiliate network has any say in which products we cover, how we evaluate them, or what we recommend. We don't accept paid placements, sponsored reviews, or commission-rate increases in exchange for coverage. We have no equity, advisory, or consulting relationships with any product manufacturer in the categories we cover.

Our affiliate relationships are limited to publisher-style network programs (Amazon Associates, Skimlinks) and display advertising (Google AdSense). See our affiliate disclosure for the full list and how it works.

How we handle conflicts of interest

Every product link on this site potentially earns us a commission. We address this conflict in three ways:

• Disclosure. The site-wide footer links to our affiliate disclosure. Where an article's recommendation depends materially on a product we link to, the article itself notes the affiliate relationship.
• Negative recommendations. When a product is poorly built, overpriced, or wrong for the use case the article addresses, we say so — even when we'd earn a commission on it. Reading a recommendation against a product is often the most useful guidance we can give.
• Equal-rubric evaluation. Products in higher-commission categories are evaluated against the same methodology as products in lower-commission categories. We don't tilt the rubric toward what pays better.

Corrections policy

We make mistakes. When we do, this is what we commit to:

• Acknowledgment. We respond to factual-correction emails within a few business days. If a correction is substantive and we need more time to verify, we say that in the reply.
• Fix-and-note. When a correction changes the substance of a recommendation, the article is updated and a correction note is added showing what changed and when. When the correction is a typo or a minor factual edit that doesn't change the recommendation, we update the article without a separate note.
• Source-of-error transparency. If the error came from a source we relied on (a manufacturer spec sheet, a third-party review), we say so in the correction so readers can calibrate how much to trust the same source elsewhere.

To report an error, email [email protected] with the article URL and what you believe is incorrect. Where you can, include a source we can verify against. We read every correction email; we reply to the ones that need a reply.

What we won't do

• We won't publish sponsored content disguised as editorial. We don't currently publish sponsored content at all. If that ever changes, sponsored content will be labeled as sponsored, in the byline area and at the top of the article, in language a reader cannot miss.
• We won't manipulate reviews to inflate or deflate a product's standing. The rubric is the rubric, and the source pool is the source pool. We don't selectively cite negative reviews of products we don't want to recommend, and we don't selectively cite positive reviews of products we do.
• We won't pretend to expertise we don't have. Where a question requires expertise we don't have (a specific horticultural claim, a regional growing-zone variation we haven't researched), we either bring in the right sources or we don't publish on the question.

Accountability

Raised Garden Bed Planters is operated by Richard T Radloff in Wisconsin, USA. Editorial decisions are made by the operator. There is no separate editorial board; mistakes belong to the operator, and so do corrections.

For how articles are researched and written, see our methodology. For how we make money, see our affiliate disclosure. For anything else, the contact page reaches us.