Are Metal Garden Beds HOTTER?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 14 жов 2024
- Metal garden beds, wood garden beds, concrete garden beds. Which is hotter? Or does the material have no effect on soil temperature? Gardener Scott tests the soil temperature in his garden beds to determine how garden bed materials influence soil. (Video #197)
Soil/Compost Thermometer:
amzn.to/30KJ1bq
Check out Birdies metal beds from Epic Gardening: lets.growepic....
Use code "GARDENERSCOTT" for 5% discount
AgFabric Row Cover:
shareasale.com...
#EnjoyGardening #GardenerScott
Click this link to SUBSCRIBE: / @gardenerscott
Support the channel with Gardener Scott merchandise at the Gardener Scott Store: / @gardenerscott
To order a GreenStalk vertical garden system, click on this affiliate link:
lddy.no/kdvq
Use code"GARDENERSCOTT" for a $10 discount.
You can help support the GardenerScott channel in five ways that won’t cost you anything extra:
1.) Be part of the community by liking videos, subscribing, clicking the bell, commenting, and sharing.
2.) Watch the ads whenever you can. It just takes a few seconds and helps me a lot.
3.) If you use Amazon and want to buy anything at all, click through with this link: www.amazon.com/...
4) Check out Gardener Scott's Recommended Gardening Books at: bookshop.org/s...
5) Click on this affiliate link to TubeBuddy, a great way to explore information about your favorite UA-cam channels: www.tubebuddy....
Your support helps me pay for plants, gardening supplies, and all of the other costs associated with running a UA-cam channel.
Thank you for your support!
Links included in this description and referenced in videos might be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase a product or service with the links I provide, I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you for those affiliate links and your support allows me to provide free content every week on the Gardener Scott channel. Thank you!
Very interesting results. To get even more scientific, I wonder if the readings would differ if they were taken closer to the edge of each bed 🤓
(We don’t just plant in the middle)
I knew or at least strongly suspected the answer beforehand. Soil all over the world, no matter the outside temperature , at 6 in or more down, always ranges between 70 and 75 degrees. It's one of the defining characteristics of soil as opposed to mud, sludge, or dirt. It wonderfully absorbs both heat and cold. It's also why the folks in Coober Pedy can live underground the way they do. It's an extremely hot climate and little to no A.C.
so glad I found this video, I have two metal beds planned for the spring and now I know to give them a coat of paint, I’m in zone 9A and don’t wanna take any chances with warmer beds
It made me think more about micro climates.
the 647-0 like-dislike ratio on this video is so satisfying to see (and well-deserved:)
754-0 now
1.1k-1 now
That's because UA-cam doesn't show dislikes.
@@kansasgardener5844 any longer
I have nothing but Wooden raised beds but this did Surprise me temperature I thought in a metal bed would be much higher.
thank you
I’ve been shocked!!!
Thank you. So glad I found this. You may have saved my husband a large amount of work today.
I use similar metal cattle troughs to those shown in this video. I painted the outsides of the troughs terra cotta and we cut holes in the bottoms. We are having increasingly long periods of very high temperatures in summer, twice experiencing heat domes. This year, when I pulled some carrots, I was shocked at how warm they were. I was joking that we had pre-cooked carrots. I expect continued hot summers in our area and have decided to move from metal beds to wooden ones. I didn’t think to test with a thermometer. My neighbour uses a low wooden bed and had a much more production.
Good experiment! I also am concerned about the metals used, and using metals that rust in the middle which are not as food safe. Some cinder blocks can contain some ingredients that can leach into the soil and are not food safe.
I have a garden bath tub that was swapped out for a walk-in shower. It has a nice crack in the bottom from a sand filled vase hitting it. I thought about building a wood box around it and using it for a garden bed.
Thanks for your quick response! Perhaps I will need to put my winter crops into the ground, not raised bed at all.
I have 10 metal garden beds, each 45 cms high and I love them. I don't like wood - it is too difficult and heavy for me to construct and worst of all, they rot. I have had wonderul success with the metal beds and I add a nasturtium to most of them at the side. They create a riot of color, the flowers buds and seeds are spicy and tasty, they shade and decorate the outer part of the bed and when I need to shade something (we have an unusual spate of hot dry days in the 90°Fs - not common here in N. Germany), I take one of the long naturtium runners and drape it over the lettuce, for example. Also, they seem to discourage some bugs (sadly, not the ground fleas!). Never was worried that the metal may get too hot - it never did. Maybe the added warmth even speeded up the plants. I enjoy listening to you - you give excellent advice.
GREAT info!
You have got me thinking. The soil temperature could make a big difference in how a crop grows. I plan on taking the temperature in different parts of the garden and see what I come up with. Thanks for the idea.
I could listen to you talk all day
Great shirt. Thank you for your help!
I grow lettuce in my livestock tank. Was still harvesting up until a couple days ago. Minnesota.
Thank you for the test.
Im brand new to gardening and have planed my spaces for three beds.
I was going to buy the wood this weekend for three new beds.
I have a source for free roofing excess metal sheets and cheapsource for trim parts, you changed my mind and saved me a bundel
thanks
I watched an interesting video about having a hot garden bed to keep cool weather crops warm enough, and start warm weather crops out doors earlier. He built his bed on top of an active compost pile.. very interesting stuff.
It is interesting stuff. I'm considering doing a hot bed like that going into this winter.
I'm growing my first western garden (originally from Michigan) in the Sierra foothills. Today we will reach 111 degrees, and we never have rain in the summer. Because we are not ready for a permanent garden, I have 3 foot galvanized fire rings (no bottoms) lined with landscape fabric set on pallets. My hubby can use his machine with a fork to move the assemblies around if needed. I have to water 2-3 times per day, but so far everything is alive and producing.
Thank you for the information, your channel is always so informative and entertaining!! I will definitely use my learnings from your videos on my own plant channel, thank you 💚🌱😊
My guess from between your first and second reading, is that the temps will be about the same considering they're all in the same location and climate; though wooden and concrete beds may be more porous and release heat more easily than metal beds.
I’m really glad I found your site was just questioning if I made a mistake putting in raised beds in FL
@Gardener Scott, I would say the painted bed, has less to do with the 'extra layer', and instead has to do with the colour or lightness. Think of the colour spectrum and how black and darker colours absorb more light (and therefore heat) and lighter colours and white reflect a lot more light (and therefore heat). If you had painted it black or a dark colour, it'd be very warm, I believe.
I guessed there would be a 2 degree difference in the metal bed...I was wrong but good to know in case I want to do some outside the garden. Harvested okra, purple hull peas and tomatoes today. Needing to plant a few fall crops but it’s been raining here and can’t plant in the mud. The weather is nice here in Tennessee but getting rain most every day...where I’m located. Have a great evening
YES! I am very surprised at your results. I have a new home in Cottonwood, California - just a 15 minute drive south of Redding. It gets *extremely* hot here in summer - last summer the daytime temperatures were 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more most days from the end of May through September with few exceptions and we often go for many days in a row at 100 degrees plus during the hottest part of summer. The hottest day was in July at 113. There are gophers galore around here, also. So I want to build a backyard raised bed veggie garden with hardware cloth gopher exclusions at the bottom. I like the looks of metal beds and was concerned about the heat around my home - but your science shows me that as long as I paint the sides of the metal, and keep enough plants growing that shade the ground - I should be OK. Thank you for this scientific exploration of a very important topic for us gardeners in summers with high temperatures!! I appreciate you.
Great information indeed.
I have been looking for information on this for awhile. Thank you so much for doing this experiment! It really helped me.
Interesting,
I wondering about these things.
1) it appears the long metal roofing raised bed is narrower than other raised beds, and maybe not as shaded by vegetation as say the concrete block bed.
2) The different consistencies ( if any) of the soils between each bed or ground planting. Ie sandier, tilthy(er) more compost, more clay...
3) And how watering affects the temperature at 6” deep with different soil mix consistency.
4) Heat only moves to cold. So for the soil to dissipate heat it needs to move down into the earth unless the sides or the surface is cooler. Shaded soil could be cooler, shallower beds are closer to “cooler ground / earth”. And the painted metal feeders may be cooler allowing dissipating via sides, plus they looked quite shaded.
Hmm, anyways, I would of expected larger swings in temps.
Nice video
I just found your videos a week or so ago and I’ve been going through them 20 or 30 a day and you’ve answered all of my questions I did a lot of gardening and I’m driving truck now so I can’t garden till I retire in five years I was going to make raised beds out of metal and you answered the one question I had thank you very much for your videos
I would think it's the color of the paint that matters. I was shocked by the temperature differential when we repainted a dark brown house to a cream color. Even though I knew the dark color would absorb more it was still amazing to experience the change and the dramatic reduction in air conditioner use.
I painted the outside of my beds with white paint and it was night and day for temperature. Those blistering hot days last summer the outside of the beds felt cooler then the surrounding air to the touch. I am very interested in doing a soil tempature reading this summer and comparing it the ground level soil.
I was shocked. I have considered the livestock containers, so happy with your results!
That was so much fun to watch! "Wait for it...72°" LOL Very interesting video...loved it!
I wouldn’t have guessed the beds would be so close. All of my large beds are corrugated metal similar to the one you have. I also have 36” hdpe black culvert beds cut to 27” (Same height as my metal beds). After watching this I had to go check. I expected the black to be hotter... it was not. I guess because the pipe is double wall. Cool stuff.
Interesting! Thanks for the experiment. Since wood is so expensive I considered building metal beds. Happy about your findings even though I wasn't really worried.
That was quite an interesting experiment, I’m always learning new things from you, thank you Gardener Scott 😁
i know im asking randomly but does anybody know a tool to get back into an Instagram account..?
I somehow lost my login password. I would love any assistance you can give me
@@onyxtanner705 request password reset by email
@Onyx Tanner instablaster :)
@Sonny Andres i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and I'm in the hacking process atm.
I see it takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.
@Sonny Andres It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D
Thank you so much you saved my ass !
I didn't expect much difference, but I would of thought the inground temp would be a few degrees cooler. I really thought there wouldn't be any difference between metal and wood bed temps by the time you got to the middle of the bed, only the outside few inches. Nice video, thanks for sharing.
I would have thought there would have been a bigger difference. But perfect timing for me getting ready to make a raised bed and I have two sheets of metal roofing left over from a project but was worried it wasn't a good idea. Now I know. Thanks
Absolutely love this. Being in zone 9a I always wonder this. I want one of those metal beds but wasn't sure if it would sabotage my efforts because it would get too hot. Thank you for doing this!
How is your plants thriving now in the metal bed? I’m in zone 9a too and it gets to 115F here so I’m a little nervous
Great experiment since I want to make a raised bed using the metal roofing material but, didn't know if that would be to warm and overheat the soil/plants.
I use black plastic as a ground cover in my garden to prevent weeds and hold the moisture in the ground. it is mostly shaded from the plants. This helps to warm the ground in the Spring and Fall. I have had great results with this in SE Michigan.
i am in the high desert. i have various metal sculptures, posts and trellises. i notice that some of the metal gets so hot that plants winding around the posts from spring, get cooked in summer. we are 3000’ up though and in a dry desert climate. my wood and concrete planters dry out much faster than my plastic ones, though everything really need water in 100+ deg summers.
9:40 mark: that answers my question. I was surprised by the results, but started wondering if the vegetation was a factor. (I tend to be scientifically minded and I love experiments.)
Soil is a poor thermal conductor. Earth homes use it as insulation .
Really appreciated the scientific experiment and the surprising results. I like being surprised when I think I know the answer. Love your videos. Keep 'em coming!
Very interesting experiment Scott!
You might try insulating the container with bubble wrap or foam board or wrapping the container with a space blanket. I recently covered my windshield with a space blanket with some remarkable results.
I don't know if warmer soil produces better plant growth. I do know that warming a seedbed works very well.
Hi Scott! I found your channel through my dad, Dondo, telling me about it! I love gardening and your channel is super helpful. Thank you, and keep up the good work! 😁🌱
Thanks! Glad you found the channel and I hope the info provides you years of enjoyment.
Good information! Scott, you just increased my gardening brain power. I’ve always wondered if temps were different based on the type of bed but never looked into it. Really loved the video! Thanks, Steve
I predict that there won't be much of a difference in the temperature of the soil, but in some particularly hot climates, the metal may heat up nearby plant leaves and that may affect the plant quality.
My experience with shade fabric was shocking also. Although the fabrics were different weave the white was a lot hotter to be under than the black fabric. The sun was much brighter under the white fabric allowing more heat build up.
As far as raised beds I think the amount of moisture could affect temperature. Wood seems to dry out quicker.
I would suspect color and reflection have some baring on heat. I would think dark colors would be hotter and definitely need to water those containers more. The shiny metal would reflect heat. Also what type of soil mixture may make a difference, like between clay which is heavy--no air pockets or sand-- the opposite or the perfect mix.
Then again are those Hot spots in the garden--micro climates. I have a couple spots that need shade because the sun heats like a laser in those spots and without vegetation nearby I'm sure that soil would be hotter.
Great info, thanks!
Hahaha ~ I absolutely *love* this comparison! Soil temperature in raised beds is a common question here in NW New Mexico & NE Arizona as well, since the sun remains hot and bright most of the growing season. It's really terrific that you've developed the different demonstration zones. Great t-shirt, too. Many thanks! 😎👍
Always so helpful!
The painted beds ARE cooler than unpainted because lighter color reflects light and therefore heat. A light metal roof can be walked on with bare feet on a warm day, try that with a galvanized roof and you will be really uncomfortable. I live in zone 5B. I painted my insulated concrete greenhouse floor black to add thermal storage for winter heating.
I predict the soil in the metal beds is hotter. Can’t wait for your results.
Those ARE some interesting results Scott! I was planning on more raised beds next year. Now, I may modify my building material...but only slightly. ;)
Thanks for this information. We were on the fence about using galvanized steel for a raised garden bed. We are looking at the steel because the cost and availability of wood as of late, and I think we will put a couple gardens with steel this year.
Love the scientific approach to this! I initially read the title of this and thought for sure the metal would be hottest… but then seeing the beds, I wondered about the air cooling and color. They’re both light in color and the amount of air passing along the sides would help cool it off? Versus the in-ground beds that only have air blowing along the top
I just assumed that metal beds would be hotter. What a surprise! Are you going to do a video on your tall metal bed? I really like the look of it! Thank you for teaching us gardening the right way, and why it's done that way.
Thanks. Yes, I will have a video on the metal bed. I still have more expansion to finish before I do.
Thank Sir for a great video
Looking forward to seeing these results! I predict metal is hotter than in ground and black is hotter than white plastic containers
I have some 27 inch tall tin sided raised beds and I have put some burlap draped over the sides on the sunny sides of the beds. It keeps the soil cooler but I haven't take the temp to verify that. I like the look of the tin raised beds but I also like the look of the burlap on the sides too. When it cools down a bit I'll take the burlap off. Great video!!
That was invaluable information, thank you!
The high temp can help and can hold back growth.
Yes some thing to think
Lot more even than I thought
Thanks for showing interest
I wondered about the metal beds, also. Thanks for doing this experiment. Fascinating
Perhaps the round beds are cooler because they have less mass and more side area to cool and radiate extra heat.
@gardenerscott, I was expecting minor temperature changes between different type beds but I was shock to find the metal bed was not the highest in temperature. This was a fun and educational video. I am more comfortable buying a metal container for black bamboo i thinking of getting. Thanks
I bet if you tracked the temperature over the course of the day (1/2 hour intervals) you would see larger swings in the raised beds. The in ground beds would remain much more consistent. The evaporation of liquid also has a cooling effect so that could also factor of the cooler temperatures in the raised beds. The evaporation rates are higher. Interesting experiment.
Neat! Thank you. Great info as I have just moved to a new house and trying to decide on which type of raised bed to use.
It matters also what is planted there.
My Guess is there will be a 4-5 degree difference. I was Surprised that the hoop material made such a big difference in sodio temperature in the wooden raised bed.
Interesting results especially with the concrete bed. It would be interesting to do this test in early spring and fall when outside temperatures are cooler. With colder night temperatures, will the metal and concrete beds be to cold?
I'll be doing that test this year and am interested in the results.
Thank you! I was always curious about this too. Great video!
I thought about it when I looked at steel raised beds today.
Great results !
Thank u for sharing this
Im about to put in some garden beds and as i live in a very hot place in Australia I was.worried about using corrugated iron sheeting in case it got too hot for the plants now i know just paint them and it will be fine
Good topic. Wondered myself. Now I have a warmer regard for using cattle troughs. No pun intended. What kind and color of paint did you use.? Very attractive choice you have made.
Thanks. It was a standard exterior latex on top of primer.
I'd think the COLOR of the paint is of most importance. Brown & Black absorb the most heat: white/light the least. Experiment with bare feet on different color rocks sometime! Ouch!
Great tests. I questioned using metal beds because of soil temperatures. Your tests were taken in middle of summer. Id be interested to know about spring fall and winter too. Do they warm up or cool down at faster or slower speeds. Does the soil freeze or thaw sooner. Hope you’ll test those too. Id love to see the results
Testing last spring showed the beds thawed at about the same rate as other beds and open ground. There may have been a day or two difference but I didn't detect it. I plan to check cooling this fall.
Awesome video Gardener Scott! Some very interesting results. My hypothesis was that all the raised beds would have a similar temperature and that this would be higher than the in-ground beds. Very surprised that the in-ground beds had a higher temperature! in some cases! Perhaps the raised beds maintain more consistent temperatures than in-ground beds throughout the season? Would be interested to repeat this experiment in Winter. My raised bed tomato plants always tends to survive longer than the in-ground ones and I’ve always just assumed that it was because they are less exposed to frost and cold.
Best wishes, Roy from London, UK
Thanks! I am planning a follow up during winter.
Depends how close to the edge of the bed you are
I know the video is mainly about the soil temperature difference in beds made of different materials, but you mention the ag row cover and the fact that it’s helping you protect your greens. Im not sure if you remember but I mentioned during your live that I’m a first year gardener and have tomatoes and jalapeños growing in containers. I alo decided to get 2 greenstalk systems after seeing your video. I will use one for late summer and one for fall planting. I live in zone 8a and have started direct sowing some of my late summer seeds. Well everything was sprouting nicely but today I lost several to birds that just snatched them completely up!! I need to buy something to stop them before nothing is left!!! Would you recommend getting the cover from this video or a 30% or 40% shade cloth like you mention in other videos?
The row cover will keep birds away and so will shade cloth, but going into fall you will want more sun and less shade. Consider bird netting as an option. You be able to find it at this AgPro link: shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=1308309&u=2415314&m=85481&urllink=&afftrack=
Gardener Scott thank you so much! That is what I thought. I also figured I will probably need to buy both eventually, but starting with the bird netting for the fall makes sense. Thank you so much for the reply! You are one of the reasons I “enjoy gardening”! ☺️
Awesome video, as usual. Thank you for the information.
Great test comparison with the raised beds. You have an awesome backyard garden. My wife and I just built our first raised garden bed this summer out of bricks. Can't wait for the 1st season in our new raised bed. Love all of your videos. 👌✌
Results?
Thank you for the great video, learn something new from watching each video of yours, you have a great wy of teaching us all, your simple step by step guidance is awesome, me being a new Gardner I'm so glad I've found your channel it's so easy learning from you. ❤😀
You’re always giving me something to think about...
Thank You!
♥️👍☀️🐝🤓
Thanks so much for this and the many other videos! My family is going to make some raised beds for my Christmas gift. Thanks for all the time you put into your videos, it's great for the beginners!
Good test. I bought some livestock feeder plastic tanks for above ground planters for my Fall beds and they were black so I spray painted them light green to reflect the sun. I wonder then, and you can affirm next Spring, that raised bed planters do in fact warm up faster than the ground soil? A good follow up for next Spring.Thanks. BTW, interesting T-shirts Scott. :)
Thanks. I am planning a similar test in the spring to confirm if raised beds do warm faster. That's what I've always assumed.
I was surprised by the results. I have a raised metal bed (unpainted), and anything planted near the edge seems to wilt if not watered more than the rest. I just assumed that it was because of the metal sides, but maybe I just need to mulch more next year. It's my first "real" garden, so my biggest harvest this year is lessons. ;)
I wouldn't mind an illustration of the beds or chart so we can see all the numbers on one screen, if you do something similar in the future. Thank you for the video/information.
You have really great and interesting vids. And a great “real time” presentation on everything. I really like your channel. I’ve been gardening for a loooong time. But you are a good teacher! 👍 Thanks for the vid!
Informative. I was wondering about depth of soil/temperature, also.
Okay, that was surprising😳 great information 👍🏻
Warmer on the perimeter, same everywhere else. Raised beds are more temp affected than the ground
I have wood and concrete block , but i covered them with insulation board before filling them with soil to protect the wood and cover any cracks in the block , i never gave it any thought as to the tempature difference , very interesting thought Scott.Do you think the temperature differences will make any difference? So many factors its tuff to think of everything.
I don't think there will be much difference, except that the slightly warmer beds do require more watering in my dry air.
Would like to see that test on the different container sizes too.
Thanks Scott! I am trying to decide metal vs wood, so your info helps. I live in zone 7.5 and some winters our ground does not freeze - but this winter is projected to be unusually cold. My concern now is that the raised metal beds will freeze solid and harm perrenials, which wood be a disaster. Also, I am interested in using one of my raised beds for winter crops. Here in BC, that means growing the plants pretty much to maturity by the end of the regular growing season, then covering them over with plastic and remay on hoops, so that the plants stay in stasis waiting to be harvested through the winter. Would you be willing to continue monitoring the temps of your beds into the winter to see how the metal stacks up against the wood.
The metal beds also radiate away more heat at night, and the smaller beds have a larger surface area to volume ratio which enables them both to gain and lose heat more quickly. There are actually a lot of factors involved. If you had the equipment, it might be far more instructive to set up several temperature probes in a line from the edge to the center of the bed and take measurements every fifteen minutes or so, then look at what happens. Most likely the temperature fluctuates quite a bit near the edge of the beds with a daily cycle--more so for beds with a conductive surface like a metal sheet--but stays more constant near the interior. College level math and engineering students who have studied Fourier series may recognize the issues surrounding your beds as being similar to something known as the "wine cellar problem."
Interesting!! I actually thought the smaller painted metal beds would be the warmest. I was wrong. Apart from the info learned from your investigation, I've become more motivated to up my game re taking a more 'research' based approach to my gardening. I wonder what the temperature difference will be between my new raised wooden beds, and my older terraced beds (built down a slope). And the difference between adding cut up pieces of harakeke (a nz native plant) fibre to my compost to better hold moisture, and not adding it. Hmmm - I like the idea of doing my own experiments - for fun and better growing results. Thank you for the inspiration!!!!