Here are a few frequently asked questions I thought I'd reply to here to save us all some time! 1) How does the water wick up without a wick or depression into the gravel? Honestly, I don't know. Perhaps there is enough contact on the sides or movement through condensation to start capillary action. Perhaps it is not working as well as it could be, but I've made it through two hot summers where we've been away for up to 10 days and the beds are doing great. If you are thinking of building your own wicking beds, you may want to tuck the geotextile or weed matting material in on the edges to ensure there is contact right to the bottom of the tank. I may even try and do this in a future video and experiment. Here is a good read on the pros and cons of wicking beds if you are looking to build one yourself - deepgreenpermaculture.com/2016/04/03/wicking-bed-construction-2/ - which does suggest tucking the material in on the sides. 2) Why are we wearing masks outside? At the time of filming Melbourne had just come out of it's first lockdown and wearing of masks was highly recommended to reduce the spread of COVID. 3) What size are the tanks / garden beds? The IBC tanks are 1200x1000 including cage. 500mm high without the base when cut in half. The smaller 2x beds are 2160x1380. The larger 3x bed is 3170x1380. Gaps are 500mm. The height of the beds vary as the ground is not level. 700mm at the highest point. The mesh frames are 650mm high. 4) What did it cost? IBC wicking beds, especially in a design like this, are not the cheapest option when it comes to gardening. In fact, they're one of the most expensive. These beds are under a big gum tree, so planting in ground was not an option. Normal raised beds might have worked, but gum tree roots are really invasive and I wanted something stylish that added value to the house and front yard. The build cost about $3-4,000 AUD. A new picket fence would have been about 1/3 of that.
Thanks for the advice Nunya, although I'm not sure there's actually a question there. The soil was hydrophobic, nutrient depleted and full of weeds, so would have been terrible for growing veggies.
@@TheBiteSizedGarden mate fills the bottom for ya. hydrophobic means fck all, just needs reconditioned. Same with weeds, just green manure. Couldve saved yaself couple of hundy in both dirt and a skip and not dumped good dirt
I just love that you waited a year to show the actual result with plants. It looks great ! Many times with this kind of project, we are left wondering how this will evolve after a while. Thanks for the great quality of both your craft and video editing work
Ha! This is probably more to do with me being too busy to edit the footage than any great plan but i agree. Seeing how a project holds up over time is a great end to a build video. It’s something I will try to do in more videos if I can. Thanks!
Agreed! I love people sharing what they build, but a lot of times you hear "This is my first time building this and here's what I did!" I'm less interested in copying something like that than "I've built a ton of these, and here are the results a year later."
not only are your carpentry and design skills off the hook fabulous but the editing and overall production of this video was terrific. The finished product is quite impressive. Many thanks for sharing
For those who don’t have access to ibc totes they sell large cement mixing tubs at big box stores cheap. They work well for this method. Fill the bottom with rocks or hydro pebbles and use a piece of pvc to go to the bottom. Cheers. Stunning build, really looks nice.
I had a hell of a time find ibc totes that weren’t brand new and $400+, never thought of cement tubs. I eventually found inexpensive ibc food grade totes from a guy who had access to a pet store that had ibc totes that were filled with fish oil. A nightmare to wash out, probably didn’t need to but I did and it was worth the expense and time. My area has become a desert in sw ks and I hated the idea of watering daily by hand so wicking beds are a win in my area but finding ibc totes is nearly impossible. At the time I could only transport one container so since then I got a metal tank with a bottom that I’ll be using in combo with the ibc totes. Definitely try out lava rock/scoria as it’s a fabulous wicking material and isn’t as heavy or messy as sand
Going on year 4 with these. Mine are deeper and set up on cender blocks so I don't have to kneel in my old age. I started putting a large shallow tupaware box upside down at the bottom with the lid on and poke holes in the top which now the bottom. Way cheaper than drain pipe. No gravel, no fabric, just dirt. Got about 20 expanding another 20 this year. These things are amazing for dry climates or bad soil.
Wow! Fave part of your whole creation was the end where you created your design first with cardboard and milk containers then manifested it into reality. Absolutely amazing!
Lots of positive comments here, and I can only add to them. Really great idea, excellent diy and truly transformative for your front yard. Great work! 😊
This just gave me such a good idea for my tiny front yard. I had no clue what to do with it, and have had some gravel on it for a year now. This is a great idea, thank you so much!
I love your garden bed and the fences. It added so much value to the property. It's so eye pleasing and give you so much options to grow your own foods or flowers. Well done!
These beds and video is gorgeous?"! I love how organized and well done everything is. So thorough and...user friendly? Efficient? I can't think of the word, oh my gosh! That floor! AlThe whole garden is gorgeous! So impressive 🌱
Scoria aka lava rock (although expensive in certain areas) is superior to gravel for wicking up water to the soil above. Gravel doesn’t wick but I’ve seen it used as a way to store water surrounding the ag pipe or containers but you really want a wicking material for the best results. Alot of ppl use sand or scoria but sand is messy whereas the lava rock is lighter weight and does such a good job I have no issues getting water up to my soil. Anyways a tip for anyone who wasn’t aware
the experiment by Chris Curtis showed gravel and scoria worst and sand and ?? dust best.. worth a look i am so hung up on the wicking and fabric or plastic used. if a material (plastic) is used to separate soil from water reservoir how does it wick and if soil separated by fabric and can wick through fabric how is it any different then soil being wet all the time?
Nice job, I'm just finishing up making 20 of them & was after an idea for finishing the top to hide the plastic. If you make more, we found that a cordless reciprocating saw cuts through both the cage & plastic while its all together. We used the horizontal cage bars as a blade guide for a nice clean cut, took maybe 1 minute per ibc to cut them up.
Thanks for the tip Andrew. I've never used one before, but am keen to give it a go. There have been plenty of jobs where I've thought it'd be good to have one, maybe it's time!
I ALWAYS make models now! They can help so much in figuring things out. I have several acres and models have saved me many, many mistakes! I keep them for YEARS!
exactly what I'm looking for. Subscribed. More please. Looking to learn about self watering garden. Cardboard model is brilliant! Gonna steal that. Thx.
Good looking beds!! I also use some IBC raised bed with success. But yours look better, it give me ideas to improve mine! I worked in food industries and IBC plastic is not permeable, hence it can be washed and rinse. I made holes at bottom and left bottom valve/ 6'' cap open to let excess water (rain) flow out. I filled the bottom with old wood and tree leaves as it will transform in food when it decays and it is free. Then I made a mix of peat moss/compost/black earth to fill the top 12''. Perfect ground for tomatoes and easy to reach! Thanks for sharing your project.
I need to build about 50 of these for a pocket Agrihood I’m developing. In the heat of the southern U.S. I have mastered the drain tile SIP system with waist high planters but have been deciding if coy pond neoprene liners (that I use for myself) are the way to go for this large scale, but this gives me an idea.
Great Work. 2nd hand IBC tanks, look for the ones that have had AdBlue in them. AdBlue is 68% distilled water and 32% urea. They are easily cleaned out with tap water and should not harm any plants as urea is a fertiliser.
Wonderful project mate, beautifully made. Cudos. I've found through experimentation that it did work better for me to skip the fibercloth and perhaps also gravel. I think it might be because the plants can more easily access the finest particles of nutrients that would otherwise flow down with rain and be beyond reach below the firbercloth. I got 3-4000 cherry tomatoes from one plant in the equivailent of one IBC. As well as several hundred cucumbers another year. I also added bokashi composted food waste as well as composting worms and lots of compost to get these results, but controlled tested it with boxes with intact firbercloth that could not come close to these results. Some plants might not like to stand with the roots in water but since there is the overflow security I don't think its going to be a big problem. Thanks for the neat video :)
Thanks Mathias, It sounds like your experiments are reaping huge rewards. This year has been a bonanza of beans and cherry tomatoes for me too. The cucumbers started well but I think they fell behind the tomatoes and never recovered. The timing of your comment is interesting as just this weekend I re-planted two of my beds, but before I did, I dug down to see how the soil was. After almost two years, the weed matting has almost totally gone. Roots have made it down the side, and so has some soil. You're probably right with not needing the barrier, but I wonder if the gravel will allow more space for water storage. I also added a lot of bokashi, semi composted material and some sheep manure to build the soil back up, so hoping to reap rewards in the coming months! All the best, Josh
how does the water wick up into the dirt without some way for the water to make contact with the dirt/soil? i was wondering about this because another video i watched they did it the same way, flat rock level with a fabric to separate the soil. However when you watch people make them in a small 5 gallon bucket setup, they have a cup with holes that can get filled in with soil or rope that dangles down into the water to "wick" the water up. I did read a comment in the other video that when that person makes there they dig a channel or a deeper part of the soil into the rock so it can soak up water as needed through the contact. I am just curious how it wicks up this way, condensation? obviously something is working. i just figured that once the water level gets lower it wont contact that fabric. looks good though, i like it. Im tossing some ideas around in my head.
This has been an ongoing question and answer in the comments, and some people know a lot more about it than me, but there are a few factors which result from pressure/temperature differentials. Many people have told me I made a big error in not creating a depression, or wick, but I've not had any issues. The only downside I can see to creating a depression or channel is losing a bit of water storage space, which isn't a big deal, so by all means try that method if you're worried about it.
Seeing how it's working! I can't say much against how you did it! Most wicking tubs have the soil that goes down in to water reserve to wick the water up to the plants. They look great!
Nice work. We've got a lot of those pods and I'm going to show this to my already busy husband. but thanks it looks stunning. Was wanting them as a raised bed garden but thought they looked ugly. Never occurred to me to cover them up. Nice work!!
I put about 12" of gravel in mine and drill the drain hole 12" from the bottom. Annual vegetables, herbs, and flowers are fine in 12" of soil. I put porous landscape fabric over the gravel to slow roots from getting into the gravel so I don't get anaerobic decomposition of dead roots. I don't bother with the black pipe, and I remove the bases. I watered once last year, but some years I water 2 or 3 times. I've had over a decade of excellent results and moles are no longer a problem. @@City_Homesteader
Most of the time I just end up watering with liquid fertilizer in a watering can like in a normal garden bed, with rain doing the rest. Otherwise there is space enough under the caps to fill with a hose.
thanks for the nice video and the good explanation But there's one thing: The music doesn't support the explanation but makes it more difficult for me to focus on the essence Would be nice to have a version without music
Your makeover really transformed the look of the front yard, very impressive! I love how the bricks enhanced the look. I'm inspired by your garden design and the use of IBC tanks. I was considering purchasing several galvanized raised beds for a spring project, but change of plans. Your use of IBC tanks with the framing is exactly the look and function that I want and will now plan, design , and build my own. One question, what is/was the purpose of the netting? Thanks
Good luck with your build! I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. The netting was to stop the neighbourhood cats from using the fresh soil as a litter tray until I was ready to plant and mulch!
Wow, this is good man. I live in terrace house with about 20x20feet porch. I hace soace about 5 x 8 feed for gardening. So i need to build a mini version of this design.
I would like to introduce you to kreg pocket screws. They are used where you used those little right angle brackets, but the end result is much more sturdy while also being cheaper.
@@TheBiteSizedGarden There are 3 drawbacks.They can mis-align the wood on fastening by less than 1/16th. Outdoors it doesn't matter, but it is annoying if you are making a table top. There is an ugly side and a pretty side. You can use plugs to clean it, but some planning usually makes it not matter. Last is that you have to use screws designed for pocket holes. There are only threads on the end, and not the shaft, also the shaft is usually a smaller diameter with a flange that exactly matches the screwed hole. In general pocket screws (I never use the plugs) are a quick and easy way to fasten the end of a board to another piece of wood. If I am not using a 3 1.4 inch screw through 2 pieces of 2 by, I am usually using a pocket screw.
all aspects of the video, production, delivery, etc... absolute quality. I learned a lot of things from your video that I could have done better and a few things I think I did better. Mainly the overflow. It gets very dry where I am in the summer months so my outlet is extended upward to the level of the scoria reservoir. That way, when I'm filling it in the drier months, I know it's full when it starts to overflow. If I need to empty it, I just swivel it downward so the egress is at its lowest point to get the max water out. This is Australia so droughts and floods. Also, the one you used the pallet instead of gravel/ scoria, are you able to manually water that one or is it left to nature? Your carpentry far exceeds mine. I learnt a lot there too. Very beautiful outcome.
Thanks Dean, I learnt a lot from this build too - never too old to learn! I'm in Melbourne and it usually gets dry here in summer but the last couple of years it's been much more humid, so it will be interesting to see how they go if/when the dry summers return. The pallet one in the middle still has gravel in it, and yes, I can fill it using an ag pipe hose like the others if it gets too dry. Cheers Josh
How do the soil absorb the water? I can't really understand how they mix as long as the water is not overflowing? In other self watering solutions i have seen pillars with soil going down into the water to be able to absorb it, but here you have gravel and and the matting to seperate them.
I have seen people build wicking beds both ways, with a depression and without. In my experience and from everything I’ve read, there is enough water movement without pillars, a wick or a depression. Perhaps it is pressure, natural movement through condensation or enough soil seeps down the sides to create a wick. Whatever it is, these beds are holding up well and have just thrived through their second summer with flying colours.
I was curious while watching the video that you mentioned adding the top boards to protect the plants from the sun then painted the whole thing black. Based on the final result it must work in your climate. Here the black would create extra heat and cook the plants, also require ongoing water top off.
The boards on top are less about protecting the plants and more about hiding the plastic (they do offer the plastic a bit of sun protection too though). There is at least 3cm / 1inch between the plastic and the wood, mostly double or more than that, and the timber is quite thick too, so the radiant heat on the inside is minimal.
We don’t see freezing temperatures here so I don’t know, but it shouldn’t harm the plastic as there is vertical space to expand into - like water freezing in an ice tray.
Possums have been sampling a few cherry tomatoes. Cats and birds are the only other animals I really have to worry about here but no real issues so far.
Hi Debi, The over flow drains are made from a combination of 13mm irrigation fittings, from memory it was 1x double headed male thread piece with a ridge in the middle and two 90 degree angle female thread pieces that attached on either side.
Awesome. One question, why do you build before painting? Figure you could paint them first and they would be fully coated. Not a critique, learned a lot, thank you dude ;-p
The wood is treated pine so I was happy not to paint the interior, except where it is in contact with soil. But you’re right, you could also paint first and assemble later.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Here are a few frequently asked questions I thought I'd reply to here to save us all some time!
1) How does the water wick up without a wick or depression into the gravel?
Honestly, I don't know. Perhaps there is enough contact on the sides or movement through condensation to start capillary action. Perhaps it is not working as well as it could be, but I've made it through two hot summers where we've been away for up to 10 days and the beds are doing great.
If you are thinking of building your own wicking beds, you may want to tuck the geotextile or weed matting material in on the edges to ensure there is contact right to the bottom of the tank. I may even try and do this in a future video and experiment.
Here is a good read on the pros and cons of wicking beds if you are looking to build one yourself - deepgreenpermaculture.com/2016/04/03/wicking-bed-construction-2/ - which does suggest tucking the material in on the sides.
2) Why are we wearing masks outside?
At the time of filming Melbourne had just come out of it's first lockdown and wearing of masks was highly recommended to reduce the spread of COVID.
3) What size are the tanks / garden beds?
The IBC tanks are 1200x1000 including cage. 500mm high without the base when cut in half.
The smaller 2x beds are 2160x1380.
The larger 3x bed is 3170x1380.
Gaps are 500mm.
The height of the beds vary as the ground is not level. 700mm at the highest point. The mesh frames are 650mm high.
4) What did it cost?
IBC wicking beds, especially in a design like this, are not the cheapest option when it comes to gardening. In fact, they're one of the most expensive. These beds are under a big gum tree, so planting in ground was not an option. Normal raised beds might have worked, but gum tree roots are really invasive and I wanted something stylish that added value to the house and front yard.
The build cost about $3-4,000 AUD. A new picket fence would have been about 1/3 of that.
here is a question to add... hope you didnt throw that fcking dirt away ya spaz! shouldve dumped it on the driveway where the skip was and used it
Thanks for the advice Nunya, although I'm not sure there's actually a question there. The soil was hydrophobic, nutrient depleted and full of weeds, so would have been terrible for growing veggies.
@@TheBiteSizedGarden mate fills the bottom for ya. hydrophobic means fck all, just needs reconditioned. Same with weeds, just green manure. Couldve saved yaself couple of hundy in both dirt and a skip and not dumped good dirt
even divided up between the beds and adding and mixing through with ya bought dirt makes it next to instantly not hydrophobic ;)
Evapotranspiration. Look it up!
I just love that you waited a year to show the actual result with plants. It looks great ! Many times with this kind of project, we are left wondering how this will evolve after a while. Thanks for the great quality of both your craft and video editing work
Ha! This is probably more to do with me being too busy to edit the footage than any great plan but i agree. Seeing how a project holds up over time is a great end to a build video. It’s something I will try to do in more videos if I can. Thanks!
Agreed! I love people sharing what they build, but a lot of times you hear "This is my first time building this and here's what I did!"
I'm less interested in copying something like that than "I've built a ton of these, and here are the results a year later."
thats the point of gardening.... waiting and seeing how things turn out. Not having someone do it for you.
I’ve shared this with my wife. I’m also remarkably nervous about how much she’s gonna love this!
Now you've done it!
not only are your carpentry and design skills off the hook fabulous but the editing and overall production of this video was terrific. The finished product is quite impressive. Many thanks for sharing
Thanks Randy, I appreciate the kind words. Very glad you like how it’s turned out too!
It looks fantastic. It's not just you that will get the pleasure of this, but your neighbours and everyone else that walks past to see what has grown.
Thanks Gillian. You’re right and it certainly starts a lot of friendly conversations!
For those who don’t have access to ibc totes they sell large cement mixing tubs at big box stores cheap. They work well for this method. Fill the bottom with rocks or hydro pebbles and use a piece of pvc to go to the bottom. Cheers. Stunning build, really looks nice.
Good tip. Thanks for sharing!
I had a hell of a time find ibc totes that weren’t brand new and $400+, never thought of cement tubs. I eventually found inexpensive ibc food grade totes from a guy who had access to a pet store that had ibc totes that were filled with fish oil. A nightmare to wash out, probably didn’t need to but I did and it was worth the expense and time. My area has become a desert in sw ks and I hated the idea of watering daily by hand so wicking beds are a win in my area but finding ibc totes is nearly impossible. At the time I could only transport one container so since then I got a metal tank with a bottom that I’ll be using in combo with the ibc totes. Definitely try out lava rock/scoria as it’s a fabulous wicking material and isn’t as heavy or messy as sand
@@jewdd1989 I just bought lava rock! Glad it’s working as wasn’t sure.
Going on year 4 with these. Mine are deeper and set up on cender blocks so I don't have to kneel in my old age. I started putting a large shallow tupaware box upside down at the bottom with the lid on and poke holes in the top which now the bottom. Way cheaper than drain pipe. No gravel, no fabric, just dirt. Got about 20 expanding another 20 this year. These things are amazing for dry climates or bad soil.
Sounds like a great set up!
The mini-size garden beds in the last part of this video are so cute.
Ha, perhaps I should have saved it and planted it out like a bonsai veggie patch!
This is the one of best designed raised bed I’ve ever seen great work👍🏽
Thanks Alea ☺️
That came out beautiful!
Glad you like it!
Massive front yard improvement. I really like what you did with the garden pathways as well. New sub here!
Awesome! Thank you!
Wow! Fave part of your whole creation was the end where you created your design first with cardboard and milk containers then manifested it into reality. Absolutely amazing!
Glad you liked it. I thought it was worth including because it really helped me visualise the project.
Lots of positive comments here, and I can only add to them. Really great idea, excellent diy and truly transformative for your front yard. Great work! 😊
Thank you, it certainly gets people looking as they pass by!
This just gave me such a good idea for my tiny front yard. I had no clue what to do with it, and have had some gravel on it for a year now. This is a great idea, thank you so much!
Glad I could help!
Found this video today by accident and love it!!
Always need more fellow Aussie gardeners in my feed 🤩
Thank you so much. I'll apologise advance for not being very regular with my posts, but hopefully they are worth it when I do!!
That is an amazing transformation..LOVE IT!! Keep Crushing It!!! STAY HUMBLE, STAY HUNGRY, STAY FOCUSED…~The Jarhead Entrepreneur
Thank you, all good words of advice!
I love your garden bed and the fences. It added so much value to the property. It's so eye pleasing and give you so much options to grow your own foods or flowers. Well done!
Thank you!
Excellent end product - looks like it's right out of a magazine - love everything about it! Thanks for sharing!!!!!!!
Thanks for watching!
It’s absolutely gorgeous!!!!!
Thank you!
Wow! Looks fabulous and beautifully executed.
Great to see an Aussie build.
Thankyou.😎
Glad you enjoyed it
You are very talented but my goodness, what a lot of work !!
So much, but worth it!
These beds and video is gorgeous?"! I love how organized and well done everything is. So thorough and...user friendly? Efficient? I can't think of the word, oh my gosh! That floor! AlThe whole garden is gorgeous! So impressive 🌱
Thank you!
Unbelievable! Beautiful & really adds to the curb appeal. Bet your neighbors are jealous
Scoria aka lava rock (although expensive in certain areas) is superior to gravel for wicking up water to the soil above. Gravel doesn’t wick but I’ve seen it used as a way to store water surrounding the ag pipe or containers but you really want a wicking material for the best results. Alot of ppl use sand or scoria but sand is messy whereas the lava rock is lighter weight and does such a good job I have no issues getting water up to my soil. Anyways a tip for anyone who wasn’t aware
Yes, I would've used scoria all the way, but needed to use up the rocks I had. The wicking seems to be working fine across both kinds of rock.
the experiment by Chris Curtis showed gravel and scoria worst and sand and ?? dust best.. worth a look
i am so hung up on the wicking and fabric or plastic used. if a material (plastic) is used to separate soil from water reservoir how does it wick and if soil separated by fabric and can wick through fabric how is it any different then soil being wet all the time?
Sand is the best, use river sand
Lava rocks are incredible use them myself where I can.
I just use dirt. Works fine.
Nice job, I'm just finishing up making 20 of them & was after an idea for finishing the top to hide the plastic. If you make more, we found that a cordless reciprocating saw cuts through both the cage & plastic while its all together. We used the horizontal cage bars as a blade guide for a nice clean cut, took maybe 1 minute per ibc to cut them up.
Thanks for the tip Andrew. I've never used one before, but am keen to give it a go. There have been plenty of jobs where I've thought it'd be good to have one, maybe it's time!
I ALWAYS make models now! They can help so much in figuring things out. I have several acres and models have saved me many, many mistakes! I keep them for YEARS!
So jealous. I dream of one day having half an acre. That would seem so huge to my tiny yard!
Thank you for sharing the great video. The self - watering garden beds look great 😊
Thanks for watching!
exactly what I'm looking for. Subscribed. More please. Looking to learn about self watering garden. Cardboard model is brilliant! Gonna steal that. Thx.
Thanks and please do!
Good looking beds!! I also use some IBC raised bed with success. But yours look better, it give me ideas to improve mine! I worked in food industries and IBC plastic is not permeable, hence it can be washed and rinse. I made holes at bottom and left bottom valve/ 6'' cap open to let excess water (rain) flow out. I filled the bottom with old wood and tree leaves as it will transform in food when it decays and it is free. Then I made a mix of peat moss/compost/black earth to fill the top 12''. Perfect ground for tomatoes and easy to reach! Thanks for sharing your project.
What a nice neighbor great video
This is a really nice improvement.
Thank you
I need to build about 50 of these for a pocket Agrihood I’m developing. In the heat of the southern U.S. I have mastered the drain tile SIP system with waist high planters but have been deciding if coy pond neoprene liners (that I use for myself) are the way to go for this large scale, but this gives me an idea.
Sounds like an awesome project!
This is 👌 I'm percolating ideas for raised gardens for my yard, this is perfect! Looks fantastic!
Go for it!
Love this - very simple instructions to follow. And - in Australia ... Keep up the great work !
Thank you!
Wow, great work - thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Great Work. 2nd hand IBC tanks, look for the ones that have had AdBlue in them. AdBlue is 68% distilled water and 32% urea. They are easily cleaned out with tap water and should not harm any plants as urea is a fertiliser.
Great tip, thanks!
You gave me hope with my backyard design. I’ve always wanted a bridge over a pond. It’s like 2 videos in one. Thank you so much.
If you haven’t watched it already, I’ve got a video of building the pond bridge. It’s a pretty easy build. Good luck with your yard!
Hi. Lots of great ideas. Dollar tree is a great place to pick up all sorts of things. I love the candles
These are FANTASTIC
Thank you!
This is so beautiful!
Thank you. Glad to hear you like it too.
Love the trellis!
Looks great and a good design.
Thank you! Cheers!
Love your dedication and ingenuity. Gave me food for thought.Regards from the East Punjab
Thank you. Hi from Melbourne's inner west.
Wonderful project mate, beautifully made. Cudos. I've found through experimentation that it did work better for me to skip the fibercloth and perhaps also gravel. I think it might be because the plants can more easily access the finest particles of nutrients that would otherwise flow down with rain and be beyond reach below the firbercloth. I got 3-4000 cherry tomatoes from one plant in the equivailent of one IBC. As well as several hundred cucumbers another year. I also added bokashi composted food waste as well as composting worms and lots of compost to get these results, but controlled tested it with boxes with intact firbercloth that could not come close to these results. Some plants might not like to stand with the roots in water but since there is the overflow security I don't think its going to be a big problem. Thanks for the neat video :)
Thanks Mathias,
It sounds like your experiments are reaping huge rewards. This year has been a bonanza of beans and cherry tomatoes for me too. The cucumbers started well but I think they fell behind the tomatoes and never recovered.
The timing of your comment is interesting as just this weekend I re-planted two of my beds, but before I did, I dug down to see how the soil was. After almost two years, the weed matting has almost totally gone. Roots have made it down the side, and so has some soil. You're probably right with not needing the barrier, but I wonder if the gravel will allow more space for water storage.
I also added a lot of bokashi, semi composted material and some sheep manure to build the soil back up, so hoping to reap rewards in the coming months!
All the best, Josh
Very attractive beds. I bet the neighbors are helping themselves to the garden though. lol
The only neighbours helping themselves are the possums, but they only take the odd cherry tomato so I'm okay with that.
Love the garden the layout and the material used. Thank you for sharing, might use this simple but practical idea but in smaller version.
Hope it goes well!
This was top notch, fair play and glad it turned it well for ya!
Cheers mate!
wow, this is amazing craftsmanship. very inspirational!
Thank you, glad you liked it
Mate Cracker Job !! Looks Awesome
Thanks 👍
well thought through build my man. Good job.
Thanks mate!
Thank you for your good video. Be green and sustainable🌲🌹
Thank you too
Stellar job! Looks amazing, and super practical/functional.
Glad you like it!
how does the water wick up into the dirt without some way for the water to make contact with the dirt/soil? i was wondering about this because another video i watched they did it the same way, flat rock level with a fabric to separate the soil. However when you watch people make them in a small 5 gallon bucket setup, they have a cup with holes that can get filled in with soil or rope that dangles down into the water to "wick" the water up. I did read a comment in the other video that when that person makes there they dig a channel or a deeper part of the soil into the rock so it can soak up water as needed through the contact.
I am just curious how it wicks up this way, condensation? obviously something is working. i just figured that once the water level gets lower it wont contact that fabric.
looks good though, i like it. Im tossing some ideas around in my head.
This has been an ongoing question and answer in the comments, and some people know a lot more about it than me, but there are a few factors which result from pressure/temperature differentials. Many people have told me I made a big error in not creating a depression, or wick, but I've not had any issues. The only downside I can see to creating a depression or channel is losing a bit of water storage space, which isn't a big deal, so by all means try that method if you're worried about it.
Seeing how it's working! I can't say much against how you did it! Most wicking tubs have the soil that goes down in to water reserve to wick the water up to the plants. They look great!
Thanks. A few people have suggested the same, but I'd not seen it done that way before. There has been no problem over two summers now.
@@TheBiteSizedGarden Like the old saying is, don't fix something that's not broke! Have a good day!
great work mate , awesome job with the beds!
Thanks Mark!
My next project. Great video!
Good luck!
What a nice job
Thanks Diana!
Fascinating, thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Looks great, mate.
Thank you!
Looks awesome!
Thank you!
Nice job good looking work!
Thanks!
Nice work. We've got a lot of those pods and I'm going to show this to my already busy husband. but thanks it looks stunning. Was wanting them as a raised bed garden but thought they looked ugly. Never occurred to me to cover them up. Nice work!!
It is a bit more work but they do look much better enclosed. My apologies to your husband, sorry mate, didn't mean to give you more work!
very well done! great video! thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
Great work!!!
Thank you so much 😀
I've been farming in self watering IBC totes for over a decade.
Awesome. I'm hope I have a decade or more growing things in these!
Do you have a commercial farm?
@@Dbb27 No I do not.
Did he build them the same way you do? would you do anything different?
I put about 12" of gravel in mine and drill the drain hole 12" from the bottom. Annual vegetables, herbs, and flowers are fine in 12" of soil. I put porous landscape fabric over the gravel to slow roots from getting into the gravel so I don't get anaerobic decomposition of dead roots. I don't bother with the black pipe, and I remove the bases. I watered once last year, but some years I water 2 or 3 times. I've had over a decade of excellent results and moles are no longer a problem. @@City_Homesteader
Such a great job, well done.
Thank you very much!
Wow quality work man. Looks amazing!
Glad you like it!
This looks awesome. How do you fill the pipes? Do the caps pop up?
Most of the time I just end up watering with liquid fertilizer in a watering can like in a normal garden bed, with rain doing the rest. Otherwise there is space enough under the caps to fill with a hose.
Answered prayer I have one of them ugly things standing out in my yard wondering what to do with it thank you thank you
Absolutely incredible
thanks for the nice video and the good explanation
But there's one thing: The music doesn't support the explanation but makes it more difficult for me to focus on the essence
Would be nice to have a version without music
Thanks for the feedback. I may not upload a non music version, but I will aim to keep music and talking separate for future videos.
Your makeover really transformed the look of the front yard, very impressive! I love how the bricks enhanced the look. I'm inspired by your garden design and the use of IBC tanks. I was considering purchasing several galvanized raised beds for a spring project, but change of plans. Your use of IBC tanks with the framing is exactly the look and function that I want and will now plan, design , and build my own. One question, what is/was the purpose of the netting? Thanks
Good luck with your build! I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
The netting was to stop the neighbourhood cats from using the fresh soil as a litter tray until I was ready to plant and mulch!
Brilliant skills and information - Thank You :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
It turned out beautifully!
Wow, this is good man. I live in terrace house with about 20x20feet porch. I hace soace about 5 x 8 feed for gardening. So i need to build a mini version of this design.
You could definitely fit two beds in that space!
Gorgeous!
Glad you like them too. I think they’ve come up really well.
Super job!
Thank you!
I'm sure your neighbors will enjoy the free produce.
So many people say this, but the possums are the only neighbours who ever take anything!
That looks awesome!!!!
Thanks!
looks good... nice job man 👍
Thanks 👍
Wow thankyou for sharing!!
My pleasure!!
You did an awesome job on this raised beds. What is the last bit of fabric that you put down before you add the top trim?
He replied elsewhere that its bird netting to stop cats using the beds as giant litter trays
Thank you. Yes, as @kathynix6552 said, it was bird netting to stop the cats until I could plant the beds out and put mulch down!
Thank you for the reply, I must have missed that part, great video, I appreciate it. @@TheBiteSizedGarden
I want that fence! I collect all type of old fences to reuse. Hard to get proper timber though.
The old one? Don’t worry, we put it to good use!
great job!
Thank you!
Great Job...
Thanks!
I would like to introduce you to kreg pocket screws. They are used where you used those little right angle brackets, but the end result is much more sturdy while also being cheaper.
I will try these on my next build. They do look like a much better option. Thanks for the tip!
@@TheBiteSizedGarden There are 3 drawbacks.They can mis-align the wood on fastening by less than 1/16th. Outdoors it doesn't matter, but it is annoying if you are making a table top. There is an ugly side and a pretty side. You can use plugs to clean it, but some planning usually makes it not matter. Last is that you have to use screws designed for pocket holes. There are only threads on the end, and not the shaft, also the shaft is usually a smaller diameter with a flange that exactly matches the screwed hole.
In general pocket screws (I never use the plugs) are a quick and easy way to fasten the end of a board to another piece of wood. If I am not using a 3 1.4 inch screw through 2 pieces of 2 by, I am usually using a pocket screw.
Time to have some fun experimenting! Thanks again for the detailed information.
all aspects of the video, production, delivery, etc... absolute quality. I learned a lot of things from your video that I could have done better and a few things I think I did better. Mainly the overflow. It gets very dry where I am in the summer months so my outlet is extended upward to the level of the scoria reservoir. That way, when I'm filling it in the drier months, I know it's full when it starts to overflow. If I need to empty it, I just swivel it downward so the egress is at its lowest point to get the max water out. This is Australia so droughts and floods. Also, the one you used the pallet instead of gravel/ scoria, are you able to manually water that one or is it left to nature?
Your carpentry far exceeds mine. I learnt a lot there too. Very beautiful outcome.
Thanks Dean,
I learnt a lot from this build too - never too old to learn!
I'm in Melbourne and it usually gets dry here in summer but the last couple of years it's been much more humid, so it will be interesting to see how they go if/when the dry summers return.
The pallet one in the middle still has gravel in it, and yes, I can fill it using an ag pipe hose like the others if it gets too dry.
Cheers
Josh
How do the soil absorb the water? I can't really understand how they mix as long as the water is not overflowing? In other self watering solutions i have seen pillars with soil going down into the water to be able to absorb it, but here you have gravel and and the matting to seperate them.
I have seen people build wicking beds both ways, with a depression and without. In my experience and from everything I’ve read, there is enough water movement without pillars, a wick or a depression.
Perhaps it is pressure, natural movement through condensation or enough soil seeps down the sides to create a wick. Whatever it is, these beds are holding up well and have just thrived through their second summer with flying colours.
I was curious while watching the video that you mentioned adding the top boards to protect the plants from the sun then painted the whole thing black. Based on the final result it must work in your climate. Here the black would create extra heat and cook the plants, also require ongoing water top off.
The boards on top are less about protecting the plants and more about hiding the plastic (they do offer the plastic a bit of sun protection too though). There is at least 3cm / 1inch between the plastic and the wood, mostly double or more than that, and the timber is quite thick too, so the radiant heat on the inside is minimal.
Such a fantastic job, I wonder whether I can pay somebody to do this? I am currently in the UK
Happy for you to pay me! Only catch is travel and accommodations - I’m in Melbourne, Australia 😅
Great video. Was the aluminum frame sitting on the bricks strong enough to support the weight of the rock/dirt/water or did it collapse in the center?
Thanks John. It’s been fine. I’ve seen lots of much older ones holding up okay too, so fingers crossed there’ll be no issues!
Thank you for sharing
Thanks for watching!
What happens in below freezing temperatures, does the self watering portion become one block of ice. If so, does it harm the plastic tank?
We don’t see freezing temperatures here so I don’t know, but it shouldn’t harm the plastic as there is vertical space to expand into - like water freezing in an ice tray.
This guys a Genius 🎉😂😮❤😊
Ha! Hardly, very much standing on the shoulders of others.
Love the height of your beds . Do you have issues with animals in the gardens
Possums have been sampling a few cherry tomatoes. Cats and birds are the only other animals I really have to worry about here but no real issues so far.
How do you get to the drain valves if needed?
Hi Debi,
The over flow drains are made from a combination of 13mm irrigation fittings, from memory it was 1x double headed male thread piece with a ridge in the middle and two 90 degree angle female thread pieces that attached on either side.
amazing work
so water cannot leave the container? ..is it full after hard rain?
That's why you add the overflow valve.
Awesome. One question, why do you build before painting? Figure you could paint them first and they would be fully coated. Not a critique, learned a lot, thank you dude ;-p
The wood is treated pine so I was happy not to paint the interior, except where it is in contact with soil. But you’re right, you could also paint first and assemble later.
Looks great, mate. I was wondering how much that cost you, can't have been cheep… $$$$$
No it wasn't cheap, about $3500 AUD all up, but I'd be surprised if the value add to the property is not 3x that.
props to brad
Hear hear!