As with any gardening project, experiences vary. You want a hoop structure for metal raised beds? Try four or six short lengths of rebar pounded into the soil next to the bed, then slip conduit/pipe over it and bend it in an arch - works great. An arched trellis over the top of my beds gave my tomatoes and cucurbits plenty of space to grow vertically. Don't like leaning on and over the beds to harvest and plant? I love being able to pull an outdoor chair next to the bed to do whatever I need to do. I didn't have the same experience as you did with superheated soil in my painted (color exterior, white interior) beds. My tomatoes, squash, eggplant, etc., gave bumper crops. Perhaps the white interior was reflective, or my lining the beds with surplus cardboard boxes helped insulate the soil and retain moisture. My soil does settle some from season to season, but that's a benefit! I'm able to mix fresh compost, peat, etc., into my beds to build up the soil level and the nutrients for each new season. Personally, I'm not physically able to build my own wooden beds, nor can I kneel on the ground to tend my garden. Sit on the ground to garden, as you demonstrate? Not going to happen. It's raised beds (to a height that I don't need to kneel - mine are 17 inches high) or no beds for me. And, like you, I'd much rather grow my own vegetables than purchase them. I don't disagree that the metal beds are more costly than the wood ones (assuming one already has all the tools and is able to find scrap wood and build one's own beds rather than purchase wood and hire someone to build them), but I was able to buy my metal beds at a great discount by purchasing in the off season. I was able to sit outside on the back steps and assemble them, no problem, then pull them into place. I wouldn't have been able to do that with wood beds. My opinion is not sponsored, doesn't contain affiliate links, and is not otherwise on behalf of any particular company. It's just my experience and circumstances, which differ from yours. I don't at all regret my purchase. I'm sorry that you do.
That's exactly what I did to make my hoop house over one of the metal beds. I'm glad they work for you and that you were able to find some affordable ones. They definitely have some benefits for sure! I imagine the white paint and location of your beds could also be helping to keep the soil cool. As soon as my plants grew bigger and grew over the sides of the beds, the soil stopped drying out along the edges. Last summer was my first time using them so I'm sure I'll learn new tricks this year too.
I was thinking the same about the usefulness of these beds and how to think outside the box when it comes to using them. There are so many benefits with this metal.
We do the same thing as you with our beds like these with the rebar and pvc pipes. We keep those up during the winter for the frosts and to get early start on other things. Love these beds and we haven't painted them white or anything, they've done great for us here in Florida.
I have had these garden beds for 2 years now, and I love them . They are much cheaper to buy than wood and easy for this 68 year old woman to put together myself. I live in SW Florida, and I garden year-round, and I haven't had any issues with them. I have no regrets, and my garden looks esthetically pleasing. I have brought all of my own beds, and I don't sell them. To each is own.
Agreed. I'm in north central Florida. My beds are the better quality coated versions from Olle and do not noticeably heat up. I quit using wooden beds, because untreated wood will rot within 1-2 years in my climate and I don't want treated wood chemicals anywhere near my food source.
@@charlescourtney4412 Are Olle beds insulated or made of a different kind of material used? I have the tall and short stock tanks that I put holes in living in Virginia 7b. This is my first year so I'm not sure about the heat factor but I can tell you that I'm dealing with underground critters (moles, voles, gophers, chipmunks, etc.) which is why I went this route meaning having an open ground bed wasn't an option. With the short stock bed (12" high) I drilled holes through the sides 1" above the seam line to retain some water so it didn't flow out the bottom as much so when water starts coming out I know to stop watering. Water is so expensive where I live. This is an experiment so I have no idea how it'll work out. I got the idea from winterizing in water jugs and makes for a great mini greenhouse environment. Found the idea on YT and worked great for me and all are flourishing in the garden plus I had a jump start to the season in Spring. I've never heard of the Olle brand so I'll have to check them out. If they do well in FL then they'll well anywhere.
I haven't had a problem in Florida either plants love them. Heat doesn't effect them at all I have 9 of them all thriving plants after 2 years no problems! What works for someone else doesn't always work for you!
I love my Vego beds. My tomato plants, onions & peppers do so well in them. I do not regret them here in zone 8 in Texas. I will not to back to wood raised beds.
I'm surprised to not see more comments about concerns around Vego beds being manufactured in China where there are less restrictions around safety with the coating on the materials, etc. I am really concerned about toxins leaching into my soil. Birdies are at least made in Australia.
I have both Vego and birdies raised beds, they are both made by the same manufacturer they are identical and the colors also. Mine in SWFlorida are not too hot also she looks like she needed more irrigation. I make my own soil buying cheap top soil peat moss and some perlite, along with my homemade compost. My bed stay moist enough in the hottest southern sun 80-100deg. I decided on the 17” tall beds when the plants grow their up higher anyway and we must move to stay healthier and young, if you can bend down that’s a good sign, if you can’t stretching should allow you too. My soil is just as hot in my 2 left wood beds, ants devour the wood here.
I watch quite a few gardening channels. One thing I would like to see is the general location of the person teaching in the information. It makes a difference.
I agree with you on all 3 factors. I’ll add one more - it gets really hot and bright here in TN, zone 7b … I didn’t want the reflection of the shiny metal annoying me on sunny days. I’ll admit, I do have 2 large bisque color raised beds for my asparagus, and made a shade cloth structure around it - any reflection is shaded now. All my wooden beds are more like 5” high frames for in ground planting. We have a sloped property so all the “raised bed frames” act like swales. I agree with you on JP - I had the same reaction 😭
Thank you for your honest opinion. Not being scripted is also appreciated as a clear conversation. I get everyone has opinions. And budgets so it's good to hear negatives as well.
We're in Northwest Florida zone 9a. We used wood for years but had to replace too many times and lumber is getting very expensive. Switched to metal raised beds over the past few years and love them. We do not have heat issues with soil like you mentioned having, curious if your problem was because of the type of bed in your video? Appears to be galvanized without any type of powder coating. We decided to purchase Birdies beds and so far after 3 seasons they're showing no wear & tear. Yes, I agree with you as far the cost, but I'm 54 and convinced I most likely will not have to replace in my lifetime. Where are you located, and what type of wood is available in your area? Good luck with your garden and have a blessed day!
Yes I think the powder coated metal beds must reflect the light more and keep the soil cooler. I'm on Vancouver Island and have pretty good access to scrap wood and locally milled wood. My last place had garden beds made from rough cut hemlock and they were going on year 8 and just starting to show signs of wear. I'm curious how the powder coated beds hold up in freezing temps... like will the paint eventually flake off? The metal beds are still fairly new in the gardening world and it will be interesting to see how well the various brands hold up over the years and in different climates. Good luck with your garden as well!
Pretty much all we have access to in Florida is southern pine, which if not pressure treated will rot quickly, usually in two to three seasons. You can get cedar but very expensive. We too try our best to leave as small as of a footprint as possible, and for our area metal beds are the way to go in my opinion. One of your viewers commented the metal is an eyesore. They're not an eyesore to me but do agree wood is much more pleasing to the eye. Anyway, I appreciate your perspective and honesty. Good luck with your garden, and have a blessed day @@ecoendeavour
I’m in northern fl .. and you can make your beds out of cedar wood or cypress wood .. it’s big and water resistance, last longer then regular wood, and still WAY cheaper then those metal beds or Birdies metal beds . Those things are up to 300 bucks a bed. By time to factor in the soil cost, that is crazy , but to each their own. I going to use the cement garden corner blocks so that when or if I need to replace the wood , I only have to take out that one piece. You don’t have to tear apart the whole bed .
@@SouthernPioneer1965 the cedar I had access to was at Lowe’s and Home Depot, and way too expensive. The metal beds are expensive too but a good choice for us. I like your cement corner idea
Concrete blocks are the way to go. Cheaper than wood and lasts forever. You can stack another layer of blocks on top every 10 years or so to raise the bed height with time and save your back when you are older. The openings in the blocks can be used as either planters (I have strawberries in some and insect repelling flowers in others). You can also use some of the holes as places to secure hoops if you want to cover your plants. No real issue with chemical leaching on modern concrete blocks. (Cinder blocks used long ago would have been a different story.) Biggest downside is the labor involved in initially building them.
Yeah, I think you’re right. Wood rots, and I’m tired of the time and expense of replacing rotten wood. Metal has the drawbacks she listed. Cement blocks solve all the issues, with the exception of not looking very pretty.
Ooh. Theres an idea mate. Thank you. I am really convinced now that reading the comments under instruction videos is a great thing to do. (Except for people who abuse the poor video-maker. ). Im 62. The idea of adding concrete blocks / bricks to my changing gardening needs really appeals. I might be able to get some second hand ones from wreckers, (I’m not buying new stuff). Ive been meditating on how raised beds get hotter /etc. I thought i might pack dirt around the outside of the raised bed, like an extra three inch thick wall of external insulation, and then hold it in place with mesh. Just a thought. Ill try it. I could do that just as well on the outside of concrete blocks, as i could on any other raised bed , couldn’t i ? I like your idea too, because I don’t know how people garden without sitting on the side of their raised beds. (Maybe I’m weaker, or lazier, than many folks, lol ). But it makes me able to stay there longer, reach to the centre easy, stop and have a think, and -importantly- its more social. Something not mentioned a lot. Having my elderly neighbor, or just friends over , sitting on a big wide ledge of the garden bed, creates an environment where we can sit and talk about the garden, or the world, whilst gardening. You can sit your cup of tea there. The cat can sit beside you whilst you garden (important to me!) . And your concrete block idea allows all of this. Plus i could add extra ones and make a seat beside the bed. And then I could dismantle the seat or re-build different things at will. Thanks heaps for this idea mate. Greetings from Melbourne Australia
One easy thing you can do is just pile up woodchips against the bed on the outside. I do this in the winter to keep them warm, and I've done it in the summer to keep them cooler. Since they're metal the woodchips won't hurt them.
Hot tip for all gardeners: buy a sturdy plastic stool so that you don't have to squat, kneel, bend over, or sit on the side of your garden bed. Just about the best $10 you can spend on your garden.
You could get one of those shower stools cheap or even free if you check Grandma's old stuff. You can even leave them outside because they're waterproof.
Look forward to watching as another Vancouver Islander builds soil from the sand and a food forest of diversity. Often times I forget many UA-cam garden influencers are in it for the money. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, thoughts and insights.
Oh my gosh, my soil is sandy gravel. I dug a trench to plant an asparagus bed yesterday and added another 7,000 rocks to my rock pile lol. My food forest turns 1 in March and the soil building takes time, but it's happening.
@@ecoendeavour : yes, there is no just digging a hole and planting a tree on ‘the rock’ = Vancouver Island. There is picking rock, shifting gravel until you get down to sand and then adding (whatever amendments you can source)to build a soil structure that microbial life will thrive in first. We built our vegetable garden in raised beds once we saw how compacted it was here.
Haven't been a problem, my tomato and pepper grows great in them. Awesome harvest with photos to prove it. I'm more northern side, but we get to high 80s to low 90s here in the summer. I enjoy hand watering daily which is probably redundant, I do not like automated gardening where I have no interaction. I do add compost every fall to my beds as a replenishment and then cover it with a few inches of leaves which breaks down over the winter, this amount of organic matter helps with water retention. The beds I bought on Amazon in 2020 were 5x2.8' for $90. They're still holding up great four years now. I found a 6x3' one for $53 just now which is even cheaper. Not sure the need for spending $300 for one. I don't like buying beds that are wider than 3ft because it's hard to reach to the other side. Also the bigger they are the more issue with flexing and bowing, hence I like these round beds that are no more than 3ft wide. Wood beds are just as expensive imo, in fact sometimes more expensive because of increased cost of lumber. You can use PVC pipes to make hoops and attach your nettings to it, cheap enough. I actually find it to be much more durable than the junk hoops they sell on Amazon. Every gardening and farming supply are very expensive now, so I agree it's important to be frugal. But 53 post-inflation dollars for a 6x3' metal bed that lasts more than 10 years, I think it's a good investment. I do agree that some big youtubers do shill very overpriced products. The youtuber you mentioned sells a small bag of fertilizer for $64, this is rip off on a level that even I would be ashamed of.
Thanks SO MUCH! I am the most frugal person I know and I have been plagued by the metal raised beds. I couldn't get a $459 one off my mind, and it wasn't even large enough for my needs! I didn't want to want it, but I couldn't stop wanting it! I wanted it SO BAD! The color was so .... aesthetically pleasing and all the pieces ... I could shape in so many ways ... AGGHHHH! -- Then I've had the 2 x 6's and some corner brackets in my on-line home depot cart for 4 months that would cost me all of $20 to make a perfect-sized bed for my needs. FINALLY I can buy the stuff from home depot and get my summer stuff down. Thanks SO MUCH, Truth Lady!
We have super hot summers in the midwest and my metal beds don't get hot. Mine came with the rubber edging but I didn't put it on. Also James Prigioni isn't a sell out just because you want to say so.
These lower height planters should be all soil, no perma underneath. My gardening experience has taught me that plants need a minimum of 24 inches of soil. Right now you have maybe 6-8 inches which isn’t enough. I’d remove the wood underneath and fill it with compost. Since your summer is really dry, you will need to run the drip system around the edges. Lastly, you can make a hoop system from cow fencing or rebar and conduit since it’s galvanized. I honestly don’t think you set the beds up correctly considering your environment. If you build the hoop system, the mesh will help keep the sides cool. You can also paint the sides white to reflect the UV rays. It’s going to be more expensive to purchase Cedar (don’t use pressure treated wood) and build new boxes. It’s still early, fix them and I bet you will have a better experience. Oh, raise the ground with dirt or rocks so the beds will be higher.
Great advice, thanks for sharing! I only used really small sticks on the bottom and a bunch of shredded leaves to reduce the amount of compost and soil needed, but I think you're right, I should have done all compost and soil. I also plan on painting them white as I think this will help. Ideally I'd move them so the long part isn't directly facing but oh well, lesson learned.
@@ecoendeavour An inch or two of sticks won't affect much. If your beds have no floor except for bare ground then they are already deep enough because roots can extend into the ground. Don't sweat it unless you're planting potatoes and long carrots, haha.
I never heard of drip line to the edge, why- don't plant close to the edge or put shade cloth during the hot spells draped over the edge if its an issue.
I have what appears to be the same size raised bed that I bought 4 of at Northern Tools for 60% off, which turned out to be approximately $42.00 each. I set up my raised bed hoops using 10' lengths of half inch PVC pipe which I bent and inserted on the inside of the bed. I put in three hoops for the 8' bed and used 1/2" self drilling screws at the top to secure them by drilling through the metal from the outside into the pipe. I've been through a few good winds and all seemed to hold up with no problem. I will also say I haven't had any problems with excessive heat due to the metal bed, my wooden ones seem to dry out at the same rate.
Love my raised metal bed! Mine was $60 from Amazon, 6'x3'x12", painted light green and has a top rubber like edge. I am in GA and do not find heat a problem. Wood beds filled the same way would need to be topped off after time as well, or more likely just need replaced due to rot.
My vegega beds don’t get hot and they last 20+ years. My gardens grow wonderfully. I even added drip tape irrigation with an automatic timer. You can by hoope made for the beds and also trellises.
I'm a super cheapo guy... so... three, four hundred dollars are big bucks to me! Nope, never going to spend that kind of money on a raised bed... even without the problems you have presented. I make my own raised beds for free... with untreated woods from pallets, or even from scrapped woods laying around the house (or friends' and neighbors').
Thank you for your perspective and your willingness to share your experience. We are property shopping for a small regenerative homestead, so I'm learning all I can in the meantime. Being able to see different opinions helps me consider different angles.
I hear you and appreciate your experienced opinion, but I'm going to buy a stock tank and paint it to look faux CorTen steel. My neighbors have an aggressive maple tree that spreads roots halfway across my yard. Nearby, the roots are fibrous and every year it takes me hours to cut them away. That can't be healthy for the tree. I plan to bury the shallow stock tank (about a foot tall) and use that soil to fill it along with branches, leaves and compost, of course, I'll drill a few drainage holes. I'll plant it with perennials and maybe then they'll survive. I'm tired of trying to grow plants that are touted as easy to grow only to have them succumb to root competition and dryness. This area is partially shaded by that aforementioned maple tree.
Oh yikes, ya that sounds like an on-going battle with the maple tree. Have you looked up companion plants or tree guilds for maple trees? Your solution sounds like it will work.
I got sucked into buying them when they were cheaper and on sale. I am very cheap. The biggest ones i got were under $50 and a few smaller ones at $20. A couple remedies is i am only using them in my perennial food forest which means they do warm up sooner in the spring before the leaves start diminishing the light and in the dead of summer they have partial shade so they don't get as hot and dont require as much water. To counter the sharp edges, i get pool noodles at walmart, cut half lengthwise and cover that edge. I would never buy them for my regular garden for a few reasons. If i were to do raised beds i would need to get the ones 36+" tall because i am aging and as such would need to build my garden up to be able to continue with potential mobility issues and that cost is even more exhorbitantly high and of course the heat that would be generated. I do appreciate your honesty about them as everyone else is just jumping on the bandwagon.
Yes they do have the benefit of warming the soil early in spring. My food forest was in its first year last year and all my trees are still just babies and don't offer much shade yet. I definitely put these in the wrong location and I've planted clover around the edges now to grow up and cover the metal. I've seen a few people comment about using pool noodles but I worry about the sun degrading the pool noodles and micro-plastics shedding into the garden bed. I suppose it would take a few years for that to happen though. I appreciate your comment, it was easy to be honest because I am not selling them, or sponsored by the company, of have an affiliate Amazon link for them lol. Happy gardening!
I'm in my 60s and building wood beds that need replaced every couple of years isn't an option for me. I buy oval galvanized livestock tanks--no sharp edges and a side that can be sat on because it has a rounded top edge. They're made to last 10-20 years holding water year-round. Also, a 4x2×1 (LxWxD) is about $130 and a 4x2x2 is about $150. Much cheaper and will last much longer than metal raised beds that need to be assembled or wood beds that need to be replaced/rebuilt every 2-3 years.
I want to add, i have one raised bed made out of a curvy black locust tree that fell. It was too crooked for posts. It will last 100 years. It is 6' x 30 ft long. It works well. Cedar is expensive, but might last?
As an Arizona gardener, 9B, I was wondering if the metal beds would get hot because I lot of people here use them. I thought they would be made of aluminum to absorb less heat. Thank you for your report on them. Someone in the comments mentioned cement blocks but in a hot climate that's a bad idea. Stone absorbs heat and holds it, heating up the soil and keeping it hot and dry. I'm with you on the wood. No excess heat, flexible add-on options, and better for the environment.
I have purchased 10 metal raised beds and in the last 3 years. 3 have rusted, 1 has severe rust and will not last through the year. I had wood beds in the past but they showed signs of termite damage. I think I will move more towards how I started, direct sowing in the ground 😂 FYI-I live in zone 9.
Glad to find your channel! I wondered about these myself. We are moving into a new home and I thought how great will these look…. But i wondered about the heat. I love the look of wood and I love that hoop cover. Great idea for wanting to start extra early in NC.
I absolutely love my Birdie metal beds. I garden here in central Texas and have never once burned myself due to the sides heating up. I have also never experienced the soil pulling away from the sides or the bed drying out too soon because I mulch. The soil has settled over time which I see as a positive. This allows me to amend my soil using compost each spring. I bought mine when they were on sale so when I ran my cost analysis versus the rising cost of wood it was a no brainer. My beds will last 20+ years. Where will wood prices be? I’m by no way knocking wood. I was going to go that route but my bed cost is fixed and that’s all that matters to me. Like you said it’s all about choice.
I am in Tennessee and experienced the same thing. I had 3 huge metal raised beds (hügelkultur).By summer my plants were getting burned and failing. Lots did not make it to production. I switched to wooden raised beds with a ledge.
When I started gardening 20 years ago, I initially went with wooden raised beds. I had 3 4x24 beds and still not enough room and after 3 years of that I finally gave it up to plant directly in the ground. I ended up having 4 24x24' beds fenced in. Just in the last couple years I saw everyone going for the metal raised beds. They were too expensive for me. What is not esthetically pleasing about a nice, fenced garden area? Lot cheaper. As far as the wooden boxes... so what, 5 years later you might have to replace the lumber?
Planting directly in the ground has its benefits for sure! My soil is very rocky so my root veggies are best in raised beds but I hope to reduce the amount of raised beds soon as I also like the look of a fenced garden area with in ground planting. Thanks for sharing
I have been thinking of buying the vego raised beds but then I started thinking I have pretty good soil and for $20 I can get chicken wire to fence it off from ground hogs. Supposedly the new pressure treated wood is OK for gardening and lasts maybe 5-8 years. I know raised beds give you a head start because the soil warms quicker in the spring and it's organized but you can put garden fabric down to warm the soil too. I can see where the taller raised beds are good for people to keep their hobby gardening if they have health issues but I'm starting to think I like the wood beds I've built in the past. My local city yard composts and provides free soil. I should take advantage of that but I always wonder about what might be in it. I guess I don't know what's in the bags of soil I purchase too. Thanks for your opinion on these raised beds.
I think all pressure treated wood isn't safe to grow in as it's treated with chemicals no? I'd be more worried about pressure treated wood than community compost, but I suppose the city compost could also be full of seeds and spread disease if not hot composted. Pretty great that you get it for free though!
We have the Vego beds and they work great in the Nevada desert zone 9. I think the difference is they are coated with an aluma-zinc process they are not bare galvanized steel.
Yes, the coating makes a huge difference in heat transfer. I have Birdie's beds and never felt the metal get hot. Exposed galvanized steel would heat up like a tea kettle!
@@ecoendeavour I don't think painting will help. The more expensive beds are coated with an aluminum magnesium, its an enamel like coating. Its not paint. I have Birdies beds. Yes they are expensive, I have four that I have bought gradually. The oldest bed still looks brand new. Yes, they are expensive, but I wont be replacing them like cheap metal or wood. I have all 30" high beds becuase I am old and am done bending over in the garden, plus I have dogs who love to dig. My coated beds do not heat up.
Thank you Jackie. I have always admired thise metal containers but couldnt afford them. I never thought about the heat.. I've used (6) old claw foot bathtubs (found in my barn from a previous owner). I havent had any heat issues with the tubs. Good video!
You can use pool noodles to cover the edges. Just slit down one side and pop on. Paint them gloss white on the outside to cool them in the summer. I'm looking at them for a few reasons: keep my blackberries where i planted them, to keep critters from tunneling into them by being able to run wire mesh in the bottom, and because i can't dig up all the gravel, concrete and sand to replace with good soil. In some areas, i actually have to build up to get around these problems.
Yes my soil is very sandy and full of rocks which is why I bought raised beds for my annuals. Mesh on the bottom should help with your critters. I know a lot of people love their metal beds, they just don't function as well for me during my hot and dry summers. Good luck with your blackberry project!
Thank you for this honest and informative review. I'm old as are a couple of my wood beds. I've been looking at these. Now I think I'll replace wood as needed. The really old wood can just be "hugel-cycled" straight into a new bed anyway! 😅 (Safety tip: avoid treated wood in gardening, bad chemicals.)
I have spent a couple months in the Fall and early Winter prepping 30 new raised beds for the Spring. All but one is metal (from Temu), with the other being a 14 x 3 cedar board bed. It is designed for my tomatoes, and leafy greens as I am installing a 20 x 7 mesh greenhouse over. I purchased this property (1.2 acres) in the country because it had a major selling feature---concrete pads in the back. They were used as foundations for buck barns. Previously, I filled in the cracks between with concrete, so I had a massive continuous pad. I spaced my beds 3ft apart so accept my wheelbarrow. Since I had recently moved, I kept all my boxes and removed the tape from them to use as the flooring material for each bed. I had my landscaper collect twigs and small branches from his customers and used those on top of the corrugated board foundation. I then used stump grinds (I had three trees cut down and stumps ground) which made excellent base fill. I then measured powdered Urea onto the stump grinds because I knew the twigs and stump grinds would suck up the nitrogen. Because filling that many beds would have been impractical to fill my bag, I ordered several tons of topsoil with an equal amount of compost. I then added 150 soaked and expanded coco coir bricks along with several yards of vermiculite. I took a tiller and tilled the topsoil, compost, vermiculite, and coco coir mix together. That was used as the primary raised bed fill. I bought 8 bags of Royal Oak Wood Charcoal and put each in a contractor's bag, and ran over it with my vehicle several times to crush it. I bought a metal tamper from Harbor Freight and dumped each bag into a 20 gallon bin. The balance of the charcoal wa crushed to a small grade no larger than a marble to form my biochar. The biochar was inoculated or charged with approximately 3 gallons of Compost Tea diluted so that I had over 100 gallons of biochar that charged for about a week. This was distributed on the topsoil/compost mix. I then mixed shredded paper (no print colors or tape) along with equal parts pine mulch to form the top protective layer. This will sit for about four months. I have also been making four compost tumblers for several months to supplement bed material that sinks come Spring. I will gather some soil samples and send them off for analysis and be prepared to add worm casings and alfalfa pellets to get a balanced NPK. I was raised with a garden and garden as an adult throughout grad school before giving it up. As an engineer I knew I could maximize my productivity and yields if I took the time and learned soil science. What did I find out? I knew very little about soil science before, so there is much to learn. Having spent about five months studying soil science, I am eager to see the results this growing season. My cedar bed is already showing aging from being outside for a year and I am leaning toward the metal Temu beds.
Buy 2 2x12 pieces of lumber, cut 2 ft off both pieces and you have a 2x10 raised bed for about $13. Or you can buy 2 2x12 and 1 2x8, cut that in half and you have 4x12 for about $20
Yes, the medium will pull away from sides as it dries. I line the sides of my raised beds with wool- it retains moisture, flexes with the soil as it expands and contracts, does not attract termites and slow releases nitrogen. Contact your extension agent to locate a small flock of meat sheep and offer to buy their annual wool shearing.
Thank you for your honest evaluation of these metal beds. I’ve been debating on this type of beds for months but I think I’ll just stick to my wood beds. Thanks again! 😊
I can't believe I just stumbled across your stuff, as I am always looking at gardening channels. Thank you for sharing, I've always wondered about that exact same thing but, no one has ever mentioned it. I'm in central Texas and the temps during summer months, where I'm at, reach 100+ for extended periods. I was about to purchase galvanized water troughs to use as raised beds, now I'm thinking of making my own beds, Thank you for covering this.
Thanks for your video. I found that heat was an issue with grow bags this season as well. I have wood beds mainly. I tried grow bags to get elevation to deter rabbits and to protect potatoes from voles. I am interested in the fence behind you in the video. Is it for deer? What is it made of - mesh? Wire or plastic of some sort? I have a big squirrel, raccoon and crow problem and am thinking of a whole garden enclosure. The material on your fence caught my eye. Thanks again. You saved me from the metal bed trial.
Oh good to know about the grow bags. There is a heavy deer population where I am and to keep costs down, I used the nylon garden netting from Lee Valley. It has kept the deer out, but the rabbits have chewed holes through it in several places. I've also had 3 rabbits this summer get tangled in the spots where they have chewed through parts of it. It has been great for climbing plants though. Once I finish building my house and expanding the gardens, I will be swapping it out for metal mesh fencing and should be able to repurpose most of the netting in other parts of the garden. I've also thought of just adding chicken wire to the bottom 2 feet of the garden to keep the rabbits out and leaving the netting in place for the deer. I don't mind the rabbits in the garden as they only eat the clover pathways, but I don't like that it's tangling and killing rabbits and the big holes in it don't look that nice. I'm not sure it's a good option for you if you have squirrels and raccoons as they will likely chew through it as well.
Could it be the orientation of the planters that is causing the overheating? It seems to me if the planters are placed in an East to West direction, the narrow ends would have reduced exposure to the Sun's heat.
Oh yes, the direction is definitely causing the overheating of the 2 beds as the one that goes east to west doesn't get as hot. I've got clover growing along the edges now to shade the beds for this year and I will move them next year.
I'll be keeping mine and planting my heat loving plants in them. I'm also going to plant a cucumber in one to cascade over the south side of one of the bed as this will keep the direct sun off the metal and keep the soil cooler. There's always a way to make what you have work for you.
Paint it white, while being a roof painter in Hawaii, I have notice that light colored roofs was cooler to walk on barefoot ed than darker colors; white was the coolest.
Great video with information, thank you. got my metal beds for $70 from Tractor supply for my roses. I use the cattle troughs and take out the bottoms or the old ones rusted out. Ok so the only thing that might bother me is the heating of the metal and that could be taken care of with paint, mulching, taller grass, small bushes, etc, the second one: I buy soil/mulch by the truck load-its cheaper and add anything I might need. the third is not a thing to me.
I agree. I bought just the 2 small round metal ones but its just for the style and its easy flower beds for someone who does not have much time to build a wood one. Otherwise wood is way better. I wonder if treating wood with raw linseed oil would help preserve it?
I thought so... They get hot. Maybe you can sink them into the ground to keep weeds away from some fancy flowers. My mom and I tried cinderblocks, but we quit using them for the same reasons, hot and dry. Plus, pillbugs got all over them. Rocks get weeds around them.
I agree with everything you’ve just said I stayed away from these beds because I know that they would heat up however I have considered them for possibly front landscaping for aesthetic purposes, but I know that the front lawn gets a lot of sunlight and gets really hot so common sense tells me to just stay away from them. I have wooden beds that are now about eight years old and they are still holding up strong. I’m in the process of redesigning my backyard to something more simple and plan on doing just one wooden raise bed.
I got a pretty cheap one on Amazon. This is my first year using it. Im hoping there is no issues with it heating up the soil too much out here in Central AR where it can get into the 100 F range.
Consider your placement of them and you should be fine. The 2 beds of mine that have the long edge facing direct south and receive very little filtered shade are the ones that overheat in the summer. I'll be shading the metal from direct sun this summer and that should help with my heat problem. Happy gardening!
Love your perspective in this video! I was heavily considering the Birdies beds promoted by Epic Gardening, but I'm not fully convinced given the cost. Haven't made up my mind on what to do yet.
Always pros and cons to consider! Some people in the comments have said that the painted beds don't get as hot. If you have a very sunny spot like I do, you could position them differently as well. But for me, I'll be spending my money on seeds and fruit trees and making beds from scrap wood.
@@ecoendeavour Yeah, for sure! The expense alone is a big con and has me leaning towards a salvaged bed if I can manage it. For now, my containers will have to do as a starting point 😊
I am so with you on this. I made a whole bunch of wooden raised beds from scrap lumber (pallets and wood from a neighbor replacing his deck). I actually think they look better than the metal ones, if less 'trendy'. The cost for me (for 2 DEEP beds with rails that I can sit on and three movable planter boxes) amounted to less than $100 -- for screws and eco-friendly stain/sealant. That was about 3 yrs ago. I live in a place that gets a good deal of rain, but they are far from needing to be replaced. I'm about to build some hinged lids for those -- and probably a few more raised beds since now I have to replace a bunch of boards from my own deck.
This is definitely the way to go. I’ve since built 2 beds out of reclaimed wood and I much prefer them to the metal beds and they were essentially free to make!
I think brand matters. My Vego beds don’t get hot and have a rubber gasket to protect you from the edges. I bought the first 2 four or five years ago and have added a couple each year. The first ones still look like new. I have to add soil each year to wood beds as well. The first year is the worst because of settling. I am forced to make a major move in a few months. I will be able to disassemble my beds and take them. Of course I lose the soil. I am 75 and building wood beds is difficult but these I put together with no assistance. This is like many products. If you buy the knock offs you don’t get the quality and features of the original.
Mama: We bought many raised beds from Vego, and if we sell, the deduction is there for Home Improvement and Landscaping! You essentially getyour money back, including the soil!!!
I'm considering my options. This year I planted in the ground. Next year I hope to have raised beds. The metal ones like yours came off the list as there was no wide rim to rest my knees on. It's just a relatively thin metal lip -- even the kind with a rolled edge. I also thought about the heat. Good to hear that I was correct in my thinking (though a number of people commenting don't see to have a problem with it). The last thing, and it was not covered in your video, is the galvanized coating on the metal which makes it less prone to rusting and corrosion is sure to leach into my soil. I'm sure there's "safe" versions - perhaps the stuff used for livestock water troughs is less harmful, but it certainly can't be better than untreated lumber or whole logs.
All I can say is you nailed it I have wooden frames and I can add to them anyway I want with Hoops are vertical frames for vertical gardening I got a nice gift from my son and daughter-in-law it's a nailer that is on metal frame that folds up when you use it one way you can kneel on it and it's low to the ground so the legs are what you can push on to get stand up if you flip it over the other way it's a stool to sit on I love the thing
SOME OF THE METAL BEDS DO HAVE A RUBBER PIECE THAT THEY PUT OVER THE SHARP EDGES OF THE BEDS. THIS WOULD DEFINATELY HELP. HOWEVER, IT WOULDN'T HELP WITHT THE TEMPATURE OF THE SOIL IN THE METAL BEDS. SO THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD PERSPECTIVE. TO PREVENT THE WOOD FROM ROTTING ON A WOODEN BED, A PERSON COULD PUT NEATS FOOT OIL ON THE WOOD, JUST BRUSH IT ON. WAIT TWO OR THREE DAYS, THEN SHELACK THE BEDS TO PREVENT ROT FROM THE RAIN WATER.
I have had my metal beds for over 7 years now. 2’ high. I’m in Delaware near the beaches. My gardens are awesome and I share tons of produce with my neighbors. 5 of my metal beds were only $25 each. IMO, a lot of what she said didn’t make sense to me. I tried wood, it rotted in 3 years. But to each his own, i love my super cheap raised beds and will continue to buy more as needed.
Yes good idea. Metal being a heat conductor has benefits for winter gardening and warming soil in spring. I could also rotate them so the shorter part is facing south instead of the longer part.
Yeah I wish I would have seen this video before I bought the most expensive birdie beds and I bought four of them! The fourth one is still sitting in the box. The birdie beds are very sturdy and I am not having the heat issue with them like you mentioned and I live in Texas. But there's all sorts of issues when you want to put netting and plastic etc like that to make it a hoop house it's ugly as you say.
The birdie beds are beautiful but such an investment. I hope they work for you for many years! I did stick some bamboo poles in mine and drape over insect netting this year, it doesn't look super pretty, but it worked.
Never thought of the heat issue. That is a concern for many. I wonder if the direction they face would make a difference. I dont think you can say that the amount of soil it takes to fill them is a drawback to metal beds because all raised beds have the same need for soil initially, as well as topping off in subsequent years.
The first thing I thought when you mentioned the sharp edge was...pool noodle it. I have some scrap metal laying around that I'm considering using for raised beds, and I was already thinking of how to mitigate that sharp edge. I am trying to wean my family off the corporate teat, while being kinder to Mother Earth, so I don't want this metal to end up in the landfill. Even if I don't make beds out of them, I have to find a use for them fo rmy own peace of mind. Thank you for the tips and info. I will adjust my plans accordingly.
I’ve seen some people make beds out of a mix of metal and wood and they look really nice. Metal is used for the sides and wood is used for the corners and on top to provide a ledge to sit on. I’ve been thinking about the pool noodles but my neighbour has used some to mark the property line posts and the sun has degraded them so much already that they are shedding microplastics everywhere. I don’t want that to happen and contaminate my soil so I’m going to cut and old kinked garden hose and put that over the edges as it might hold up better. And yes, so much weaning from the corporate teat you be done! Thanks for doing your part, your kids are lucky to have you
@@ecoendeavour I was worrying about how much the noodles might break down and shed in the yard or worse into the crops. But I couldnt think of anything else I could use. I'm trying to live frugally, as I only work part time, and that isn't hourly work (freelancer/gig life) so funds are not freely avaiable for this project of mine. I do have some old hoses laying around though and those would work. Also, using wood to create a place to sit/kneel is a good idea too. I'll play around with some ideas, and share if I come up wth something. Thanks for the insight!
@@gwendolynjordan1846 I am also on a frugal mission and love to repurpose things. The hoses might slip off, but it's worth a shot. I imagine the pool noodles would hold up better if removed in the off season. Good luck with your garden.
Thank you for this. I have looked into different kinds of planters for our small back yard. Your "1st Reason" is exactly what I suspected...metal gets HOT especially in the harsh sun of western Colorado, and the soil up against that metal would be hot, making it harder to water and keep the plants happy. And the sharp metal top edges, as well, would be a problem for me. I see from the comments that they have worked for other people (although I wonder about the "allegiances" of some), so good for them.
We've had a much cooler summer this year and the beds haven't heated up as much as a result of it, but with increasing temps and changing weather patterns, I still think growing in the ground or wood beds is best. Wood is just a better insulator.
I have a very small budget for gardening so these beds are out of the question for me. I currently have eleven wooden beds, four made of reclaimed concrete blocks and one made of brick and stone. Total cost of all? Less than $100 and $15 of that was for a 4' x 6' cedar bed kit I purchased at a yard sale. With the exception of my first two wooden raised beds, all materials were scavenged and I even reused some of the nails during the pandemic. I'll admit that the ease of pulling a bed out of a box and putting it together is enticing but unless I find a used one cheap, it's just out of my budget. As for soil, I used to have access to a good quality top soil for less than $2 a bag but the quality has greatly diminished over the years. Lucked into a pallet of organic raised bed soil on clearance for $2 a bag a few years ago and just used the last of it yesterday. Also produce as much compost as I possibly can and grab free wood chips whenever I can. Thank you so much for your honest review as I notice so many vloggers are recommending them.
I am glad you found scrap wood. But have you looked at the price of lumber now. And I found metal beds at a much lower price than you did. But I do worry about the heat.
Looking at ideas for some more of these beds. We have quite a few of these types of beds here in Florida. LOVE them. We started with wood, but won't do that anymore, attracted more bugs and break down and rob the soil of so much nitrogen. We use native soil for the base (sand, dirt, for the base, then we make a soil consisting of peat and black kow with a bit of sand mixed in. We rarely need to fertilize and the plants do amazing. June through August we pull anything that won't take the heat, regardless of the bed or in the ground, but have our cold crops ready to go in. We do add a leaf mulch that helps retain moisture and keep them cooler.
I do agree with you on all your points, that being said i also got some of these beds but now I use them to create Hugelkultur beds. I dig down a bit inside them and fill them how you would then after a year a pull them up and you have a mount that is the size you want. helps make the beds looks neater. That being said once i am done making new beds i will be recycling or donated the metal beds
Every year I grow anything I always put extra leaves or old branches because the best thing is that they decompose now your building into the bed and eventually you will be using that first for other parts of your yard. It just does not stay the same level because it’s not all dirt it’s your leaves or wood. If you do this in order for the decomposing part to happen it needs to heat up. Peppers love it, when you start early planting. I don’t have these planters what I used was cement blocks for the corners and my wood in my back yard to keep the dirt in the bed.
I understand the cinder blocks have chemical leach to them - where do you get the concrete blocks that don't do that and are they called something particular? Thank!
I have both wood and metal beds and to me they are equal. I cut roofing steel into 12" wide sheets to make my beds. I have never found heat on the sides to be a problem I split old gardens hose and silicone it over the top edge of the steel so it is not sharp
Bed placement is something to think about if you do go with metal. Two of mine have the long part facing direct south and those are the ones that get really hot. I think the painted beds could also help to reflect light, but then I don't know if the paint could add toxins to the soil if it gets scratched off?
My initial thought about heat is orientation. Place the widest sides away from the hottest direction. Ideally, east / west. So you have the most narrow side facing the hottest south direction (In australia, that's north). As afternoon sun can also be ferocious, consider shade on one side and work from the east. You could do such things as planting corn on the west side to cool the bed in afternoon sun, for example. Placing trellises between beds, right down the long middle section gives you excellent shade and extra growing space. Use the east side for cooler crops like lettuce and tomatoes. You can walk beneath a climbing tunnel of plants like zuchini, pumpkin or passionfruit. This leave one hot, long west facing side where you could plant the side with mediterranean herbs. Plant out the soil outside the bed on that side to shade the steel on the west. Or you can grow trailing plants like rosemary, pumpkins, watermelon or wandering vines. Their leaves will shelter that hot side for you. On your hottest side (south), you could grow something like a tall rosemary bush or salvias to bring in pollinators. Sacks do work to shade the edges too, but i prefer plants. The sharp edge is easy to cover with the rubber thingy that birdies beds do come with. You can also run some poly pipe around the top if you cut it just right (clamp it between some very straight timber to cut). The cost is always worth it to me because these should be a product that lasts a very long time. Buying quality products is always smarter. Reduced rebuilding is definitely worth money to me and we have termites anywhere that is watered. I also wondered if branches at the top edges of the hottest sides would help shield the root zones and act as a bit of a moisture sponge. Mark from Self sufficient me taught me most of these ideas and he is in a hot bit of Australia. Do take a look for his optimal growing techniques. All the best!
I appreciate hearing your in-the-field evaluation! I guess if you can find a metal raised bed at a reasonable price, you should buy one and test it out before committing to more -- but there's never any need to purchase through the youtubers selling them in their stores-- many of these channels have become commercialized, and I prefer to support independent local businesses, including single-owner run ones based out of a home. I get many of my native perennials from a single owner selling healthy zone-hardy plants grown in his back yard at very reasonable prices.
Thank you for the video! ❤ I'm with you sister... I started gardening when covid hit. All of my beds are made from cedar wood. I purchase the cedar fence picket boards for 3 bucks a pop, built my beds and have been SUPER happy for years. I like your reasoning. Esthetically, the beds look like old times washtubs. I too ❤ prigioni and when my gardeners start selling stuff I disregard those bits of info. Thank you again! Great video!😊
We are in south central Texas. Translated that means high summer temps. We have 21 17-32" metal raised beds. Never had any issues with getting crops from these beds if you use the correct soil, fertilize and water correctly there will be no issues. All edges of Vego beds are protected by a top rubber strip.
If I have to cut down trees I use the trunks as the walls of my beds. They rot but if I have small perennials like blueberries the roots hold the soil in. And then I have mounds which are stealth raised beds but I primarily just grow in the ground
I’m in the Sacramento Valley which has absolutely brutal summers. I had been considering giving metal beds a try, but had been concerned about heating. Good to know.
I am in southern Arizona. I have not had this same experience although I have the name brand birdies not Amazon ones. I’ve honestly never noticed them to be hot.
Oh yes of course. My metal beds just seemed to settle more than my wood beds but that's from the layers of sticks and leaves I used. My shed roof is corrugated metal as it's one of the safest roofing materials to collect rainwater from. My house will also have a metal roof for the same reason as I will be collecting rainwater to filter to drink.
@@ecoendeavour Oh what a great point. I was working on a metal roof for other reasons, but with the EMF increases around here it hurts as much as it helps, so it's a struggle. If I do, the rain cleanliness and the white color someone else recommended will be what I do. Thanks for that rain info. Totally makes sense we shouldn't dump roof water from asphalt shingles on our yards - ew! I'll also not pursue the metal beds because at least in U.S., we have very high ambient radiation these days even in tiny towns like mine due to increasing wifi connectivity, so having metal segments of a yard just creates a veritable pinball machine and attractor for all that.
I put in my first metal bed last year and chose it because they are fairly inexpensive (an 8x4x2 black metal bed for about $90) and seemed like they would last longer in a temperate rain forest like the one I live in. I’ve since put in three more. They are tall enough so that I can stand and garden and heat hasn’t been an issue since I get limited sun. But it’s all an experiment, isn’t it? You try things out and figure out what works best in your own situation. Since you had scrap lumber to work with and are young enough that short beds work, those sound like good options for you.
@@cs4849 Yes it’s definitely all an experiment and everyone is going to have different needs and preferences. I much prefer my wood beds but I also live in a temperate rainforest on Vancouver Island and perhaps I will appreciate the metal beds more after I’ve had to replace the wood beds a few times 😅
The heating up of the metal in California summer is why I decided to build the wood raised beds myself. It's a lot cheaper as I wait for lumbers on sale from Home Depot.
I guess it's a matter of preference. I have not had any of the problems you have had. I got mine for 25 dollars each so not that much also my wooden beds decomposed very fast. I am very happy with my metal beds and they were in full sun. I got a amazing amount of produce from my beds. It's to bad yours didn't work for you after having spent the money for them.
Yep. They can overheat. But you can remedy that by buying some chicken wire and surrounding them. Leaving a space between to pile leaves etc that will keep sun off the metal. Just remove the chicken wire and leaves at the begining of the season if you want the beds to heat up. Also, you can easily buy a hoopbender (easy to find with Google) to make a small hoophouse for each bed(s).
I have 9 yes nine various sized 17 inch deep Vego metal raised beds in South Florida and have no soil heat or skin burn problems. These beds are coated, have trimmed top edges and have performed exceptionally well for me. I can easily change sizes to fit my needs. Fantastic beds!!!
I paid about $150 or less for many 2' x 8' x 17" coated, painted beds. I've grown in these this year and it's been the best garden of my life. I'm 58 and have grown in many styles including, of course, wood beds. First year so I can't speak of long-term durability. But, I'll say these things so far. I've not noticed a heat issue with my beds. They don't get hot. In fact, I've not even thought about hot metal all season. I suspect yours are so hot because they're not painted/coated. I can certainly understand that heat could be a killer subject with some. Cost is not bad for the long term investment. Filling is also an initial cost for any raised bed so not a factor plus it's only topping up in future years. ECO? Well, metal recycles and are natural elements. So, maybe after a couple decades, hopefully, they'll be brought in for recycling. The use of all resources, including trees, metals, and minerals concern me, but at my age, I've about surrendered to letting the youth manage the issue now. Overpopulation is the biggest threat to our planet, but no one talks about that.
@@Ale-g3z9o That's true if you're concerned about keeping the $$ flowing in the world to support such huge numbers, but it's our growth "rate" not population reduction. The numbers are killing the planet and our resources. We are. How much toilet paper can 1 person use vs 20 people? It's simple to see that 20 people will consume more trees than 1. Extrapolate to all resources and then factor in the removal of habitat of other species (forests) to support needed space to house the sheer numbers growing annually. If you Google "World Population by Year" you'll see that we have never reduced our popluation since 5000BC. We've always grown. In fact, we've doubled from 4B to 8B in the last 50 years and 70M in each of the last two years. And, we're living much longer which makes it worst...for the planet that is. The responsible thing is to educate the youth so they can make more responsible decisions like having 0, 1, or 2 children instead of 8 or 10. There's no need to take strict measures like China did to thwart overpopulation in the past.
If you have a length of old garden hose, you could split it down it’s length and cram it over the edges of your metal beds to add protection. I, too, follow James Prigioni and I will say that the metal beds his website sells are of a higher quality than most, the prices are quite reasonable (especially the sales), and so far I have not had the negative experience that you have had with my beds. I used large pine logs in my hugelkultures, and those beds were the best - the logs absorbed water like sponges, releasing it back slowly for the plants. I appreciate your dedication to the permaculture ideal, as I too hope to create a food forest (since I live in a forest, this presents challenges). It is nice to be able to use these convenient garden beds for growing food while the other parts begin to take shape.
I agree with you on all points. I am growing in a temporary location this year and went with grow bags (which require more watering also). Next year I will be able to build a wooden garden infrastructure.
Interesting. Im in SE Michigan & the metal beds from amazon are far less expensive than lumber that will last. I mulch about 2 inches & they retain moisture well. Never noticed them hot, but I'll have to pay closer atrention. I do have some wood beds that are breaking down after 5 years, very wet fall & winters here. I was leaning towards getting more.
I got a metal bed for $50 on Amazon. I filled it with blackberries. They’re doing fine. The bed gets partial shade. Most of my raised beds are recycled wood. My biggest beef is with the plastic tomato clips. I bought some, (and yes James Prigioni is recommending these, too)thinking I would use them for years. They do not last and I have little broken pieces of plastic in my garden. I am instead using covered wire, and even the Velcro garden ties are lasting for years, even with some being left out during the winter. Thank you for the advice!
Oh good to know about the tomato clips! I've considered buying them but did wonder how long the plastic would last. I like the green garden velcro and use it to train my grape vines and it has held up so far since last year.
Thanks for saving me $1200 or more! I have been on the fence about these corrugated beds. I don't like the sharp top, but they "seemed like a good idea". You got another sub for your honesty!
Good review. She is so right, the steel heats up and dries the soil fast. I built my own out of corrugated steel panels, which is a lot cheaper than buying them. Mine are rectangular so I was able to make wooden tops which prevents the steel from tearing your clothes. I also made plastic hoop tops.
As with any gardening project, experiences vary. You want a hoop structure for metal raised beds? Try four or six short lengths of rebar pounded into the soil next to the bed, then slip conduit/pipe over it and bend it in an arch - works great. An arched trellis over the top of my beds gave my tomatoes and cucurbits plenty of space to grow vertically. Don't like leaning on and over the beds to harvest and plant? I love being able to pull an outdoor chair next to the bed to do whatever I need to do. I didn't have the same experience as you did with superheated soil in my painted (color exterior, white interior) beds. My tomatoes, squash, eggplant, etc., gave bumper crops. Perhaps the white interior was reflective, or my lining the beds with surplus cardboard boxes helped insulate the soil and retain moisture. My soil does settle some from season to season, but that's a benefit! I'm able to mix fresh compost, peat, etc., into my beds to build up the soil level and the nutrients for each new season. Personally, I'm not physically able to build my own wooden beds, nor can I kneel on the ground to tend my garden. Sit on the ground to garden, as you demonstrate? Not going to happen. It's raised beds (to a height that I don't need to kneel - mine are 17 inches high) or no beds for me. And, like you, I'd much rather grow my own vegetables than purchase them. I don't disagree that the metal beds are more costly than the wood ones (assuming one already has all the tools and is able to find scrap wood and build one's own beds rather than purchase wood and hire someone to build them), but I was able to buy my metal beds at a great discount by purchasing in the off season. I was able to sit outside on the back steps and assemble them, no problem, then pull them into place. I wouldn't have been able to do that with wood beds. My opinion is not sponsored, doesn't contain affiliate links, and is not otherwise on behalf of any particular company. It's just my experience and circumstances, which differ from yours. I don't at all regret my purchase. I'm sorry that you do.
That's exactly what I did to make my hoop house over one of the metal beds. I'm glad they work for you and that you were able to find some affordable ones. They definitely have some benefits for sure! I imagine the white paint and location of your beds could also be helping to keep the soil cool. As soon as my plants grew bigger and grew over the sides of the beds, the soil stopped drying out along the edges. Last summer was my first time using them so I'm sure I'll learn new tricks this year too.
I was thinking the same about the usefulness of these beds and how to think outside the box when it comes to using them. There are so many benefits with this metal.
We do the same thing as you with our beds like these with the rebar and pvc pipes. We keep those up during the winter for the frosts and to get early start on other things. Love these beds and we haven't painted them white or anything, they've done great for us here in Florida.
Ha - I'm picking up rebar tomorrow to do the same thing! Also have used 8' #3 rebar to hang deer fencing for a cheap enclosure.
I have had these garden beds for 2 years now, and I love them . They are much cheaper to buy than wood and easy for this 68 year old woman to put together myself. I live in SW Florida, and I garden year-round, and I haven't had any issues with them. I have no regrets, and my garden looks esthetically pleasing. I have brought all of my own beds, and I don't sell them. To each is own.
Agreed. I'm in north central Florida. My beds are the better quality coated versions from Olle and do not noticeably heat up. I quit using wooden beds, because untreated wood will rot within 1-2 years in my climate and I don't want treated wood chemicals anywhere near my food source.
You don't have a heat problem?
@@charlescourtney4412 Are Olle beds insulated or made of a different kind of material used? I have the tall and short stock tanks that I put holes in living in Virginia 7b. This is my first year so I'm not sure about the heat factor but I can tell you that I'm dealing with underground critters (moles, voles, gophers, chipmunks, etc.) which is why I went this route meaning having an open ground bed wasn't an option. With the short stock bed (12" high) I drilled holes through the sides 1" above the seam line to retain some water so it didn't flow out the bottom as much so when water starts coming out I know to stop watering. Water is so expensive where I live. This is an experiment so I have no idea how it'll work out. I got the idea from winterizing in water jugs and makes for a great mini greenhouse environment. Found the idea on YT and worked great for me and all are flourishing in the garden plus I had a jump start to the season in Spring. I've never heard of the Olle brand so I'll have to check them out. If they do well in FL then they'll well anywhere.
I haven't had a problem in Florida either plants love them. Heat doesn't effect them at all I have 9 of them all thriving plants after 2 years no problems! What works for someone else doesn't always work for you!
Wood beds in my climate would be a waste given how wet it is and how quickly they would rot. I agree, to each their own.
I love my Vego beds. My tomato plants, onions & peppers do so well in them. I do not regret them here in zone 8 in Texas. I will not to back to wood raised beds.
The Vego beds look like better quality. I'll be putting my heat loving plants in my metal beds this year.
My vego beds are awesome. I have 15 and will never go back to wood beds
I'm surprised to not see more comments about concerns around Vego beds being manufactured in China where there are less restrictions around safety with the coating on the materials, etc. I am really concerned about toxins leaching into my soil. Birdies are at least made in Australia.
I have both Vego and birdies raised beds, they are both made by the same manufacturer they are identical and the colors also. Mine in SWFlorida are not too hot also she looks like she needed more irrigation. I make my own soil buying cheap top soil peat moss and some perlite, along with my homemade compost. My bed stay moist enough in the hottest southern sun 80-100deg. I decided on the 17” tall beds when the plants grow their up higher anyway and we must move to stay healthier and young, if you can bend down that’s a good sign, if you can’t stretching should allow you too. My soil is just as hot in my 2 left wood beds, ants devour the wood here.
@@annelauck-desantis9946 Are you sure the Birdies are not made in China and distributed through Australia?
I watch quite a few gardening channels. One thing I would like to see is the general location of the person teaching in the information. It makes a difference.
Yes agreed! I’m on Vancouver Island, we have a Mediterranean climate here, hot dry summers, wet rainy winters.
There’s an About button that shows the location where this video was filmed.
@@miitekrob9690and where is this “About button” located?
Self Sufficient Me loves his metal beds, and he’s in Australia.
I notice he uses straw on top for moisture control; would also mitigate heat.
I agree with you on all 3 factors. I’ll add one more - it gets really hot and bright here in TN, zone 7b … I didn’t want the reflection of the shiny metal annoying me on sunny days. I’ll admit, I do have 2 large bisque color raised beds for my asparagus, and made a shade cloth structure around it - any reflection is shaded now. All my wooden beds are more like 5” high frames for in ground planting. We have a sloped property so all the “raised bed frames” act like swales. I agree with you on JP - I had the same reaction 😭
Thank you for your honest opinion. Not being scripted is also appreciated as a clear conversation. I get everyone has opinions. And budgets so it's good to hear negatives as well.
No scripting happening over here 😂
We're in Northwest Florida zone 9a. We used wood for years but had to replace too many times and lumber is getting very expensive. Switched to metal raised beds over the past few years and love them. We do not have heat issues with soil like you mentioned having, curious if your problem was because of the type of bed in your video? Appears to be galvanized without any type of powder coating. We decided to purchase Birdies beds and so far after 3 seasons they're showing no wear & tear. Yes, I agree with you as far the cost, but I'm 54 and convinced I most likely will not have to replace in my lifetime. Where are you located, and what type of wood is available in your area? Good luck with your garden and have a blessed day!
Yes I think the powder coated metal beds must reflect the light more and keep the soil cooler. I'm on Vancouver Island and have pretty good access to scrap wood and locally milled wood. My last place had garden beds made from rough cut hemlock and they were going on year 8 and just starting to show signs of wear. I'm curious how the powder coated beds hold up in freezing temps... like will the paint eventually flake off? The metal beds are still fairly new in the gardening world and it will be interesting to see how well the various brands hold up over the years and in different climates. Good luck with your garden as well!
Pretty much all we have access to in Florida is southern pine, which if not pressure treated will rot quickly, usually in two to three seasons. You can get cedar but very expensive. We too try our best to leave as small as of a footprint as possible, and for our area metal beds are the way to go in my opinion. One of your viewers commented the metal is an eyesore. They're not an eyesore to me but do agree wood is much more pleasing to the eye. Anyway, I appreciate your perspective and honesty. Good luck with your garden, and have a blessed day @@ecoendeavour
Yes it sounds like metal beds are best for you. Happy gardening@@paulandbarbie1969
I’m in northern fl .. and you can make your beds out of cedar wood or cypress wood .. it’s big and water resistance, last longer then regular wood, and still WAY cheaper then those metal beds or Birdies metal beds . Those things are up to 300 bucks a bed. By time to factor in the soil cost, that is crazy , but to each their own. I going to use the cement garden corner blocks so that when or if I need to replace the wood , I only have to take out that one piece. You don’t have to tear apart the whole bed .
@@SouthernPioneer1965 the cedar I had access to was at Lowe’s and Home Depot, and way too expensive. The metal beds are expensive too but a good choice for us. I like your cement corner idea
Concrete blocks are the way to go. Cheaper than wood and lasts forever. You can stack another layer of blocks on top every 10 years or so to raise the bed height with time and save your back when you are older. The openings in the blocks can be used as either planters (I have strawberries in some and insect repelling flowers in others). You can also use some of the holes as places to secure hoops if you want to cover your plants. No real issue with chemical leaching on modern concrete blocks. (Cinder blocks used long ago would have been a different story.) Biggest downside is the labor involved in initially building them.
Great idea! I have yet to try this
Yeah, I think you’re right. Wood rots, and I’m tired of the time and expense of replacing rotten wood. Metal has the drawbacks she listed. Cement blocks solve all the issues, with the exception of not looking very pretty.
I have cement blocks, lasted for years so far, no deterioration
I found it to be very heavy. But it's just me so I guess that's how it goes.
Ooh. Theres an idea mate. Thank you. I am really convinced now that reading the comments under instruction videos is a great thing to do. (Except for people who abuse the poor video-maker. ). Im 62. The idea of adding concrete blocks / bricks to my changing gardening needs really appeals. I might be able to get some second hand ones from wreckers, (I’m not buying new stuff). Ive been meditating on how raised beds get hotter /etc. I thought i might pack dirt around the outside of the raised bed, like an extra three inch thick wall of external insulation, and then hold it in place with mesh. Just a thought. Ill try it. I could do that just as well on the outside of concrete blocks, as i could on any other raised bed , couldn’t i ? I like your idea too, because I don’t know how people garden without sitting on the side of their raised beds. (Maybe I’m weaker, or lazier, than many folks, lol ). But it makes me able to stay there longer, reach to the centre easy, stop and have a think, and -importantly- its more social. Something not mentioned a lot. Having my elderly neighbor, or just friends over , sitting on a big wide ledge of the garden bed, creates an environment where we can sit and talk about the garden, or the world, whilst gardening. You can sit your cup of tea there. The cat can sit beside you whilst you garden (important to me!) . And your concrete block idea allows all of this. Plus i could add extra ones and make a seat beside the bed. And then I could dismantle the seat or re-build different things at will. Thanks heaps for this idea mate. Greetings from Melbourne Australia
One easy thing you can do is just pile up woodchips against the bed on the outside. I do this in the winter to keep them warm, and I've done it in the summer to keep them cooler. Since they're metal the woodchips won't hurt them.
Oh that's a great idea! Thanks for sharing.
Hot tip for all gardeners: buy a sturdy plastic stool so that you don't have to squat, kneel, bend over, or sit on the side of your garden bed. Just about the best $10 you can spend on your garden.
You could get one of those shower stools cheap or even free if you check Grandma's old stuff. You can even leave them outside because they're waterproof.
I use a plastic milk crate and a cheap kneeling pad. Not pretty but it works.
I support this😊 weeding the long long raspberry bed 2 days ago I am so aching still must have cut my circulation
@@mintgreen292 me too
I just plant wildflowers, so I never hve to kneel.
Thanks! Fairly concise and all I needed to hear. I prefer wood anyhow but had thought these might be faster. Co2/Heat/Edges/Ugly check.
Thanks @ernie548, glad you found the video helpful.☺
Look forward to watching as another Vancouver Islander builds soil from the sand and a food forest of diversity. Often times I forget many UA-cam garden influencers are in it for the money. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, thoughts and insights.
Oh my gosh, my soil is sandy gravel. I dug a trench to plant an asparagus bed yesterday and added another 7,000 rocks to my rock pile lol. My food forest turns 1 in March and the soil building takes time, but it's happening.
@@ecoendeavour : yes, there is no just digging a hole and planting a tree on ‘the rock’ = Vancouver Island. There is picking rock, shifting gravel until you get down to sand and then adding (whatever amendments you can source)to build a soil structure that microbial life will thrive in first. We built our vegetable garden in raised beds once we saw how compacted it was here.
Haven't been a problem, my tomato and pepper grows great in them. Awesome harvest with photos to prove it. I'm more northern side, but we get to high 80s to low 90s here in the summer. I enjoy hand watering daily which is probably redundant, I do not like automated gardening where I have no interaction. I do add compost every fall to my beds as a replenishment and then cover it with a few inches of leaves which breaks down over the winter, this amount of organic matter helps with water retention.
The beds I bought on Amazon in 2020 were 5x2.8' for $90. They're still holding up great four years now. I found a 6x3' one for $53 just now which is even cheaper. Not sure the need for spending $300 for one. I don't like buying beds that are wider than 3ft because it's hard to reach to the other side. Also the bigger they are the more issue with flexing and bowing, hence I like these round beds that are no more than 3ft wide. Wood beds are just as expensive imo, in fact sometimes more expensive because of increased cost of lumber.
You can use PVC pipes to make hoops and attach your nettings to it, cheap enough. I actually find it to be much more durable than the junk hoops they sell on Amazon.
Every gardening and farming supply are very expensive now, so I agree it's important to be frugal. But 53 post-inflation dollars for a 6x3' metal bed that lasts more than 10 years, I think it's a good investment.
I do agree that some big youtubers do shill very overpriced products. The youtuber you mentioned sells a small bag of fertilizer for $64, this is rip off on a level that even I would be ashamed of.
Thank you for your helpful comment!
Thanks SO MUCH! I am the most frugal person I know and I have been plagued by the metal raised beds. I couldn't get a $459 one off my mind, and it wasn't even large enough for my needs! I didn't want to want it, but I couldn't stop wanting it! I wanted it SO BAD! The color was so .... aesthetically pleasing and all the pieces ... I could shape in so many ways ... AGGHHHH! -- Then I've had the 2 x 6's and some corner brackets in my on-line home depot cart for 4 months that would cost me all of $20 to make a perfect-sized bed for my needs. FINALLY I can buy the stuff from home depot and get my summer stuff down. Thanks SO MUCH, Truth Lady!
Glad you found the video helpful. Happy Gardening
Try adding a layer or two of burlap around the metal to shade them.
I bought light green colored ones and have not had any issues this year , I use an overhead sprinkler when it needs it ,
We have super hot summers in the midwest and my metal beds don't get hot. Mine came with the rubber edging but I didn't put it on. Also James Prigioni isn't a sell out just because you want to say so.
These lower height planters should be all soil, no perma underneath. My gardening experience has taught me that plants need a minimum of 24 inches of soil. Right now you have maybe 6-8 inches which isn’t enough. I’d remove the wood underneath and fill it with compost. Since your summer is really dry, you will need to run the drip system around the edges. Lastly, you can make a hoop system from cow fencing or rebar and conduit since it’s galvanized. I honestly don’t think you set the beds up correctly considering your environment. If you build the hoop system, the mesh will help keep the sides cool. You can also paint the sides white to reflect the UV rays. It’s going to be more expensive to purchase Cedar (don’t use pressure treated wood) and build new boxes. It’s still early, fix them and I bet you will have a better experience. Oh, raise the ground with dirt or rocks so the beds will be higher.
Great advice, thanks for sharing! I only used really small sticks on the bottom and a bunch of shredded leaves to reduce the amount of compost and soil needed, but I think you're right, I should have done all compost and soil. I also plan on painting them white as I think this will help. Ideally I'd move them so the long part isn't directly facing but oh well, lesson learned.
@@ecoendeavour An inch or two of sticks won't affect much. If your beds have no floor except for bare ground then they are already deep enough because roots can extend into the ground. Don't sweat it unless you're planting potatoes and long carrots, haha.
@@PeytonWind Thanks for the tips! The beds seem to be doing better this year but my veg in my wood beds are still doing better.
I never heard of drip line to the edge, why- don't plant close to the edge or put shade cloth during the hot spells draped over the edge if its an issue.
I have what appears to be the same size raised bed that I bought 4 of at Northern Tools for 60% off, which turned out to be approximately $42.00 each. I set up my raised bed hoops using 10' lengths of half inch PVC pipe which I bent and inserted on the inside of the bed. I put in three hoops for the 8' bed and used 1/2" self drilling screws at the top to secure them by drilling through the metal from the outside into the pipe. I've been through a few good winds and all seemed to hold up with no problem. I will also say I haven't had any problems with excessive heat due to the metal bed, my wooden ones seem to dry out at the same rate.
Love my raised metal bed! Mine was $60 from Amazon, 6'x3'x12", painted light green and has a top rubber like edge. I am in GA and do not find heat a problem. Wood beds filled the same way would need to be topped off after time as well, or more likely just need replaced due to rot.
My vegega beds don’t get hot and they last 20+ years. My gardens grow wonderfully. I even added drip tape irrigation with an automatic timer. You can by hoope made for the beds and also trellises.
I'm a super cheapo guy... so... three, four hundred dollars are big bucks to me! Nope, never going to spend that kind of money on a raised bed... even without the problems you have presented. I make my own raised beds for free... with untreated woods from pallets, or even from scrapped woods laying around the house (or friends' and neighbors').
Thank you for your perspective and your willingness to share your experience. We are property shopping for a small regenerative homestead, so I'm learning all I can in the meantime. Being able to see different opinions helps me consider different angles.
Amazing! I hope you find a great place.
I hear you and appreciate your experienced opinion, but I'm going to buy a stock tank and paint it to look faux CorTen steel.
My neighbors have an aggressive maple tree that spreads roots halfway across my yard. Nearby, the roots are fibrous and every year it takes me hours to cut them away. That can't be healthy for the tree.
I plan to bury the shallow stock tank (about a foot tall) and use that soil to fill it along with branches, leaves and compost, of course, I'll drill a few drainage holes. I'll plant it with perennials and maybe then they'll survive. I'm tired of trying to grow plants that are touted as easy to grow only to have them succumb to root competition and dryness. This area is partially shaded by that aforementioned maple tree.
Oh yikes, ya that sounds like an on-going battle with the maple tree. Have you looked up companion plants or tree guilds for maple trees? Your solution sounds like it will work.
I got sucked into buying them when they were cheaper and on sale. I am very cheap. The biggest ones i got were under $50 and a few smaller ones at $20.
A couple remedies is i am only using them in my perennial food forest which means they do warm up sooner in the spring before the leaves start diminishing the light and in the dead of summer they have partial shade so they don't get as hot and dont require as much water.
To counter the sharp edges, i get pool noodles at walmart, cut half lengthwise and cover that edge.
I would never buy them for my regular garden for a few reasons. If i were to do raised beds i would need to get the ones 36+" tall because i am aging and as such would need to build my garden up to be able to continue with potential mobility issues and that cost is even more exhorbitantly high and of course the heat that would be generated.
I do appreciate your honesty about them as everyone else is just jumping on the bandwagon.
Yes they do have the benefit of warming the soil early in spring. My food forest was in its first year last year and all my trees are still just babies and don't offer much shade yet. I definitely put these in the wrong location and I've planted clover around the edges now to grow up and cover the metal.
I've seen a few people comment about using pool noodles but I worry about the sun degrading the pool noodles and micro-plastics shedding into the garden bed. I suppose it would take a few years for that to happen though.
I appreciate your comment, it was easy to be honest because I am not selling them, or sponsored by the company, of have an affiliate Amazon link for them lol. Happy gardening!
I'm in my 60s and building wood beds that need replaced every couple of years isn't an option for me. I buy oval galvanized livestock tanks--no sharp edges and a side that can be sat on because it has a rounded top edge. They're made to last 10-20 years holding water year-round. Also, a 4x2×1 (LxWxD) is about $130 and a 4x2x2 is about $150. Much cheaper and will last much longer than metal raised beds that need to be assembled or wood beds that need to be replaced/rebuilt every 2-3 years.
@@jeankuzon1891 i bought stock tanks on facebook! I am 65. Did you line or put holes in the bottom?? Thanks!
I want to add, i have one raised bed made out of a curvy black locust tree that fell. It was too crooked for posts. It will last 100 years. It is 6' x 30 ft long. It works well. Cedar is expensive, but might last?
As an Arizona gardener, 9B, I was wondering if the metal beds would get hot because I lot of people here use them. I thought they would be made of aluminum to absorb less heat. Thank you for your report on them. Someone in the comments mentioned cement blocks but in a hot climate that's a bad idea. Stone absorbs heat and holds it, heating up the soil and keeping it hot and dry. I'm with you on the wood. No excess heat, flexible add-on options, and better for the environment.
It is definitely worth considering the materials of your garden beds for hotter climates.
I have purchased 10 metal raised beds and in the last 3 years. 3 have rusted, 1 has severe rust and will not last through the year. I had wood beds in the past but they showed signs of termite damage. I think I will move more towards how I started, direct sowing in the ground 😂 FYI-I live in zone 9.
I use plastic rased beds. They are awesome.
Glad to find your channel! I wondered about these myself. We are moving into a new home and I thought how great will these look…. But i wondered about the heat. I love the look of wood and I love that hoop cover. Great idea for wanting to start extra early in NC.
I'm glad you found it too!
I absolutely love my Birdie metal beds. I garden here in central Texas and have never once burned myself due to the sides heating up. I have also never experienced the soil pulling away from the sides or the bed drying out too soon because I mulch. The soil has settled over time which I see as a positive. This allows me to amend my soil using compost each spring. I bought mine when they were on sale so when I ran my cost analysis versus the rising cost of wood it was a no brainer. My beds will last 20+ years. Where will wood prices be? I’m by no way knocking wood. I was going to go that route but my bed cost is fixed and that’s all that matters to me. Like you said it’s all about choice.
I am in Tennessee and experienced the same thing. I had 3 huge metal raised beds (hügelkultur).By summer my plants were getting burned and failing. Lots did not make it to production. I switched to wooden raised beds with a ledge.
When I started gardening 20 years ago, I initially went with wooden raised beds. I had 3 4x24 beds and still not enough room and after 3 years of that I finally gave it up to plant directly in the ground. I ended up having 4 24x24' beds fenced in. Just in the last couple years I saw everyone going for the metal raised beds. They were too expensive for me. What is not esthetically pleasing about a nice, fenced garden area? Lot cheaper. As far as the wooden boxes... so what, 5 years later you might have to replace the lumber?
Planting directly in the ground has its benefits for sure! My soil is very rocky so my root veggies are best in raised beds but I hope to reduce the amount of raised beds soon as I also like the look of a fenced garden area with in ground planting. Thanks for sharing
I have been thinking of buying the vego raised beds but then I started thinking I have pretty good soil and for $20 I can get chicken wire to fence it off from ground hogs. Supposedly the new pressure treated wood is OK for gardening and lasts maybe 5-8 years. I know raised beds give you a head start because the soil warms quicker in the spring and it's organized but you can put garden fabric down to warm the soil too. I can see where the taller raised beds are good for people to keep their hobby gardening if they have health issues but I'm starting to think I like the wood beds I've built in the past. My local city yard composts and provides free soil. I should take advantage of that but I always wonder about what might be in it. I guess I don't know what's in the bags of soil I purchase too. Thanks for your opinion on these raised beds.
I think all pressure treated wood isn't safe to grow in as it's treated with chemicals no? I'd be more worried about pressure treated wood than community compost, but I suppose the city compost could also be full of seeds and spread disease if not hot composted. Pretty great that you get it for free though!
We have the Vego beds and they work great in the Nevada desert zone 9. I think the difference is they are coated with an aluma-zinc process they are not bare galvanized steel.
Yes I think that's why the higher quality beds are painted! Something I didn't consider when purchasing
Yes, the coating makes a huge difference in heat transfer. I have Birdie's beds and never felt the metal get hot. Exposed galvanized steel would heat up like a tea kettle!
@@mrs.rogers7582 Yes next summer I will be painting them or moving them so they don't get full on southern exposure.
@@ecoendeavour I don't think painting will help. The more expensive beds are coated with an aluminum magnesium, its an enamel like coating. Its not paint.
I have Birdies beds. Yes they are expensive, I have four that I have bought gradually. The oldest bed still looks brand new. Yes, they are expensive, but I wont be replacing them like cheap metal or wood. I have all 30" high beds becuase I am old and am done bending over in the garden, plus I have dogs who love to dig. My coated beds do not heat up.
I live in Southern NV. Was looking at Vego beds. Mine would be in full sun all day. Is yours partly shaded, or full sun.
Excellent video. Integrity is worth a lot.
Thanks
Thank you Jackie.
I have always admired thise metal containers but couldnt afford them. I never thought about the heat.. I've used (6) old claw foot bathtubs (found in my barn from a previous owner). I havent had any heat issues with the tubs. Good video!
@@KingOtto-w2k Oh what a clever idea! Do you have any issues with drainage in the bathtubs? I bet they look beautiful full of plants
You can use pool noodles to cover the edges. Just slit down one side and pop on. Paint them gloss white on the outside to cool them in the summer.
I'm looking at them for a few reasons: keep my blackberries where i planted them, to keep critters from tunneling into them by being able to run wire mesh in the bottom, and because i can't dig up all the gravel, concrete and sand to replace with good soil. In some areas, i actually have to build up to get around these problems.
Yes my soil is very sandy and full of rocks which is why I bought raised beds for my annuals. Mesh on the bottom should help with your critters. I know a lot of people love their metal beds, they just don't function as well for me during my hot and dry summers. Good luck with your blackberry project!
Thank you for sharing. I was wondering about the heat.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you for this honest and informative review. I'm old as are a couple of my wood beds. I've been looking at these. Now I think I'll replace wood as needed. The really old wood can just be "hugel-cycled" straight into a new bed anyway! 😅
(Safety tip: avoid treated wood in gardening, bad chemicals.)
I have spent a couple months in the Fall and early Winter prepping 30 new raised beds for the Spring. All but one is metal (from Temu), with the other being a 14 x 3 cedar board bed. It is designed for my tomatoes, and leafy greens as I am installing a 20 x 7 mesh greenhouse over. I purchased this property (1.2 acres) in the country because it had a major selling feature---concrete pads in the back. They were used as foundations for buck barns. Previously, I filled in the cracks between with concrete, so I had a massive continuous pad. I spaced my beds 3ft apart so accept my wheelbarrow. Since I had recently moved, I kept all my boxes and removed the tape from them to use as the flooring material for each bed. I had my landscaper collect twigs and small branches from his customers and used those on top of the corrugated board foundation. I then used stump grinds (I had three trees cut down and stumps ground) which made excellent base fill. I then measured powdered Urea onto the stump grinds because I knew the twigs and stump grinds would suck up the nitrogen. Because filling that many beds would have been impractical to fill my bag, I ordered several tons of topsoil with an equal amount of compost. I then added 150 soaked and expanded coco coir bricks along with several yards of vermiculite. I took a tiller and tilled the topsoil, compost, vermiculite, and coco coir mix together. That was used as the primary raised bed fill. I bought 8 bags of Royal Oak Wood Charcoal and put each in a contractor's bag, and ran over it with my vehicle several times to crush it. I bought a metal tamper from Harbor Freight and dumped each bag into a 20 gallon bin. The balance of the charcoal wa crushed to a small grade no larger than a marble to form my biochar. The biochar was inoculated or charged with approximately 3 gallons of Compost Tea diluted so that I had over 100 gallons of biochar that charged for about a week. This was distributed on the topsoil/compost mix. I then mixed shredded paper (no print colors or tape) along with equal parts pine mulch to form the top protective layer. This will sit for about four months. I have also been making four compost tumblers for several months to supplement bed material that sinks come Spring. I will gather some soil samples and send them off for analysis and be prepared to add worm casings and alfalfa pellets to get a balanced NPK. I was raised with a garden and garden as an adult throughout grad school before giving it up. As an engineer I knew I could maximize my productivity and yields if I took the time and learned soil science. What did I find out? I knew very little about soil science before, so there is much to learn. Having spent about five months studying soil science, I am eager to see the results this growing season. My cedar bed is already showing aging from being outside for a year and I am leaning toward the metal Temu beds.
Buy 2 2x12 pieces of lumber, cut 2 ft off both pieces and you have a 2x10 raised bed for about $13. Or you can buy 2 2x12 and 1 2x8, cut that in half and you have 4x12 for about $20
Yes, the medium will pull away from sides as it dries. I line the sides of my raised beds with wool- it retains moisture, flexes with the soil as it expands and contracts, does not attract termites and slow releases nitrogen. Contact your extension agent to locate a small flock of meat sheep and offer to buy their annual wool shearing.
Thank you for your honest evaluation of these metal beds. I’ve been debating on this type of beds for months but I think I’ll just stick to my wood beds. Thanks again! 😊
Glad you found it helpful.
I can't believe I just stumbled across your stuff, as I am always looking at gardening channels. Thank you for sharing, I've always wondered about that exact same thing but, no one has ever mentioned it. I'm in central Texas and the temps during summer months, where I'm at, reach 100+ for extended periods. I was about to purchase galvanized water troughs to use as raised beds, now I'm thinking of making my own beds, Thank you for covering this.
The 2 beds with the long edge facing south get very hot. I should have rotated them for this season but I already had my garlic planted in them.
Thanks for your video. I found that heat was an issue with grow bags this season as well. I have wood beds mainly. I tried grow bags to get elevation to deter rabbits and to protect potatoes from voles.
I am interested in the fence behind you in the video. Is it for deer? What is it made of - mesh? Wire or plastic of some sort? I have a big squirrel, raccoon and crow problem and am thinking of a whole garden enclosure. The material on your fence caught my eye.
Thanks again. You saved me from the metal bed trial.
Oh good to know about the grow bags. There is a heavy deer population where I am and to keep costs down, I used the nylon garden netting from Lee Valley. It has kept the deer out, but the rabbits have chewed holes through it in several places. I've also had 3 rabbits this summer get tangled in the spots where they have chewed through parts of it. It has been great for climbing plants though. Once I finish building my house and expanding the gardens, I will be swapping it out for metal mesh fencing and should be able to repurpose most of the netting in other parts of the garden. I've also thought of just adding chicken wire to the bottom 2 feet of the garden to keep the rabbits out and leaving the netting in place for the deer. I don't mind the rabbits in the garden as they only eat the clover pathways, but I don't like that it's tangling and killing rabbits and the big holes in it don't look that nice. I'm not sure it's a good option for you if you have squirrels and raccoons as they will likely chew through it as well.
Could it be the orientation of the planters that is causing the overheating? It seems to me if the planters are placed in an East to West direction, the narrow ends would have reduced exposure to the Sun's heat.
Oh yes, the direction is definitely causing the overheating of the 2 beds as the one that goes east to west doesn't get as hot. I've got clover growing along the edges now to shade the beds for this year and I will move them next year.
Wow. I love your line of taught. Mad respect and instant subscribe!
Thank you and welcome ❤
I have cement blocks for my garden bed, then bent metal conduit over them for hoops. I zip tie shade cloth, or insect cloth onto the conduit hoop
I appreciate your perspective. I’m going to try both, but I agree about the carbon footprint
I'll be keeping mine and planting my heat loving plants in them. I'm also going to plant a cucumber in one to cascade over the south side of one of the bed as this will keep the direct sun off the metal and keep the soil cooler. There's always a way to make what you have work for you.
i'm gonna be honest, most of all I think they're an eyesore, even the super expensive ones. But I hadn't even thought about the scorching heat
If these are an eyesore then what is your solution?
@AngryManSki choose something that isn't an eyesore then, everyone has preferences
Paint it white, while being a roof painter in Hawaii, I have notice that light colored roofs was cooler to walk on barefoot ed than darker colors; white was the coolest.
My whole garden is Vego raised beds, but the 3ft tall ones. Love them! I put hardware cloth down below so nothing can dig up underneath.
Great video with information, thank you. got my metal beds for $70 from Tractor supply for my roses. I use the cattle troughs and take out the bottoms or the old ones rusted out. Ok so the only thing that might bother me is the heating of the metal and that could be taken care of with paint, mulching, taller grass, small bushes, etc, the second one: I buy soil/mulch by the truck load-its cheaper and add anything I might need. the third is not a thing to me.
Thanks for watching. Happy gardening
I agree. I bought just the 2 small round metal ones but its just for the style and its easy flower beds for someone who does not have much time to build a wood one. Otherwise wood is way better. I wonder if treating wood with raw linseed oil would help preserve it?
I thought so... They get hot. Maybe you can sink them into the ground to keep weeds away from some fancy flowers. My mom and I tried cinderblocks, but we quit using them for the same reasons, hot and dry. Plus, pillbugs got all over them. Rocks get weeds around them.
I agree with everything you’ve just said I stayed away from these beds because I know that they would heat up however I have considered them for possibly front landscaping for aesthetic purposes, but I know that the front lawn gets a lot of sunlight and gets really hot so common sense tells me to just stay away from them. I have wooden beds that are now about eight years old and they are still holding up strong. I’m in the process of redesigning my backyard to something more simple and plan on doing just one wooden raise bed.
I got a pretty cheap one on Amazon. This is my first year using it. Im hoping there is no issues with it heating up the soil too much out here in Central AR where it can get into the 100 F range.
Consider your placement of them and you should be fine. The 2 beds of mine that have the long edge facing direct south and receive very little filtered shade are the ones that overheat in the summer. I'll be shading the metal from direct sun this summer and that should help with my heat problem. Happy gardening!
Love your perspective in this video! I was heavily considering the Birdies beds promoted by Epic Gardening, but I'm not fully convinced given the cost. Haven't made up my mind on what to do yet.
Always pros and cons to consider! Some people in the comments have said that the painted beds don't get as hot. If you have a very sunny spot like I do, you could position them differently as well. But for me, I'll be spending my money on seeds and fruit trees and making beds from scrap wood.
@@ecoendeavour Yeah, for sure! The expense alone is a big con and has me leaning towards a salvaged bed if I can manage it. For now, my containers will have to do as a starting point 😊
I am so with you on this. I made a whole bunch of wooden raised beds from scrap lumber (pallets and wood from a neighbor replacing his deck). I actually think they look better than the metal ones, if less 'trendy'. The cost for me (for 2 DEEP beds with rails that I can sit on and three movable planter boxes) amounted to less than $100 -- for screws and eco-friendly stain/sealant. That was about 3 yrs ago. I live in a place that gets a good deal of rain, but they are far from needing to be replaced. I'm about to build some hinged lids for those -- and probably a few more raised beds since now I have to replace a bunch of boards from my own deck.
This is definitely the way to go. I’ve since built 2 beds out of reclaimed wood and I much prefer them to the metal beds and they were essentially free to make!
I think brand matters. My Vego beds don’t get hot and have a rubber gasket to protect you from the edges. I bought the first 2 four or five years ago and have added a couple each year. The first ones still look like new. I have to add soil each year to wood beds as well. The first year is the worst because of settling. I am forced to make a major move in a few months. I will be able to disassemble my beds and take them. Of course I lose the soil. I am 75 and building wood beds is difficult but these I put together with no assistance. This is like many products. If you buy the knock offs you don’t get the quality and features of the original.
Mama: We bought many raised beds from Vego, and if we sell, the deduction is there for Home Improvement and Landscaping! You essentially getyour money back, including the soil!!!
I'm considering my options. This year I planted in the ground. Next year I hope to have raised beds. The metal ones like yours came off the list as there was no wide rim to rest my knees on. It's just a relatively thin metal lip -- even the kind with a rolled edge. I also thought about the heat. Good to hear that I was correct in my thinking (though a number of people commenting don't see to have a problem with it). The last thing, and it was not covered in your video, is the galvanized coating on the metal which makes it less prone to rusting and corrosion is sure to leach into my soil. I'm sure there's "safe" versions - perhaps the stuff used for livestock water troughs is less harmful, but it certainly can't be better than untreated lumber or whole logs.
All I can say is you nailed it I have wooden frames and I can add to them anyway I want with Hoops are vertical frames for vertical gardening I got a nice gift from my son and daughter-in-law it's a nailer that is on metal frame that folds up when you use it one way you can kneel on it and it's low to the ground so the legs are what you can push on to get stand up if you flip it over the other way it's a stool to sit on I love the thing
I’m so glad you found the video helpful! That sounds like a really nice gift! 🙂
I grew tall weeds around sun exposed sides of the cattle troughs to keep them cooler in SW Missouri. They were cheap to buy at an auction.
SOME OF THE METAL BEDS DO HAVE A RUBBER PIECE THAT THEY PUT OVER THE SHARP EDGES OF THE BEDS. THIS WOULD DEFINATELY HELP. HOWEVER, IT WOULDN'T HELP WITHT THE TEMPATURE OF THE SOIL IN THE METAL BEDS. SO THANK YOU FOR THE GOOD PERSPECTIVE. TO PREVENT THE WOOD FROM ROTTING ON A WOODEN BED, A PERSON COULD PUT NEATS FOOT OIL ON THE WOOD, JUST BRUSH IT ON. WAIT TWO OR THREE DAYS, THEN SHELACK THE BEDS TO PREVENT ROT FROM THE RAIN WATER.
I have had my metal beds for over 7 years now. 2’ high. I’m in Delaware near the beaches. My gardens are awesome and I share tons of produce with my neighbors. 5 of my metal beds were only $25 each. IMO, a lot of what she said didn’t make sense to me. I tried wood, it rotted in 3 years. But to each his own, i love my super cheap raised beds and will continue to buy more as needed.
maybe good for seedings in winter or spring in altitude ??
Yes good idea. Metal being a heat conductor has benefits for winter gardening and warming soil in spring. I could also rotate them so the shorter part is facing south instead of the longer part.
Yeah I wish I would have seen this video before I bought the most expensive birdie beds and I bought four of them! The fourth one is still sitting in the box. The birdie beds are very sturdy and I am not having the heat issue with them like you mentioned and I live in Texas. But there's all sorts of issues when you want to put netting and plastic etc like that to make it a hoop house it's ugly as you say.
The birdie beds are beautiful but such an investment. I hope they work for you for many years! I did stick some bamboo poles in mine and drape over insect netting this year, it doesn't look super pretty, but it worked.
Never thought of the heat issue. That is a concern for many. I wonder if the direction they face would make a difference.
I dont think you can say that the amount of soil it takes to fill them is a drawback to metal beds because all raised beds have the same need for soil initially, as well as topping off in subsequent years.
The first thing I thought when you mentioned the sharp edge was...pool noodle it. I have some scrap metal laying around that I'm considering using for raised beds, and I was already thinking of how to mitigate that sharp edge.
I am trying to wean my family off the corporate teat, while being kinder to Mother Earth, so I don't want this metal to end up in the landfill. Even if I don't make beds out of them, I have to find a use for them fo rmy own peace of mind.
Thank you for the tips and info. I will adjust my plans accordingly.
I’ve seen some people make beds out of a mix of metal and wood and they look really nice. Metal is used for the sides and wood is used for the corners and on top to provide a ledge to sit on. I’ve been thinking about the pool noodles but my neighbour has used some to mark the property line posts and the sun has degraded them so much already that they are shedding microplastics everywhere. I don’t want that to happen and contaminate my soil so I’m going to cut and old kinked garden hose and put that over the edges as it might hold up better. And yes, so much weaning from the corporate teat you be done! Thanks for doing your part, your kids are lucky to have you
@@ecoendeavour I was worrying about how much the noodles might break down and shed in the yard or worse into the crops. But I couldnt think of anything else I could use. I'm trying to live frugally, as I only work part time, and that isn't hourly work (freelancer/gig life) so funds are not freely avaiable for this project of mine.
I do have some old hoses laying around though and those would work. Also, using wood to create a place to sit/kneel is a good idea too. I'll play around with some ideas, and share if I come up wth something.
Thanks for the insight!
@@gwendolynjordan1846 I am also on a frugal mission and love to repurpose things. The hoses might slip off, but it's worth a shot. I imagine the pool noodles would hold up better if removed in the off season. Good luck with your garden.
Thank you for this. I have looked into different kinds of planters for our small back yard. Your "1st Reason" is exactly what I suspected...metal gets HOT especially in the harsh sun of western Colorado, and the soil up against that metal would be hot, making it harder to water and keep the plants happy. And the sharp metal top edges, as well, would be a problem for me. I see from the comments that they have worked for other people (although I wonder about the "allegiances" of some), so good for them.
We've had a much cooler summer this year and the beds haven't heated up as much as a result of it, but with increasing temps and changing weather patterns, I still think growing in the ground or wood beds is best. Wood is just a better insulator.
I have a very small budget for gardening so these beds are out of the question for me. I currently have eleven wooden beds, four made of reclaimed concrete blocks and one made of brick and stone. Total cost of all? Less than $100 and $15 of that was for a 4' x 6' cedar bed kit I purchased at a yard sale. With the exception of my first two wooden raised beds, all materials were scavenged and I even reused some of the nails during the pandemic. I'll admit that the ease of pulling a bed out of a box and putting it together is enticing but unless I find a used one cheap, it's just out of my budget.
As for soil, I used to have access to a good quality top soil for less than $2 a bag but the quality has greatly diminished over the years. Lucked into a pallet of organic raised bed soil on clearance for $2 a bag a few years ago and just used the last of it yesterday. Also produce as much compost as I possibly can and grab free wood chips whenever I can.
Thank you so much for your honest review as I notice so many vloggers are recommending them.
This is the way to do it! Gardening shouldn't be so expensive and it can be done on a budget! Great tips
I am glad you found scrap wood. But have you looked at the price of lumber now. And I found metal beds at a much lower price than you did. But I do worry about the heat.
Looking at ideas for some more of these beds. We have quite a few of these types of beds here in Florida. LOVE them. We started with wood, but won't do that anymore, attracted more bugs and break down and rob the soil of so much nitrogen. We use native soil for the base (sand, dirt, for the base, then we make a soil consisting of peat and black kow with a bit of sand mixed in. We rarely need to fertilize and the plants do amazing. June through August we pull anything that won't take the heat, regardless of the bed or in the ground, but have our cold crops ready to go in. We do add a leaf mulch that helps retain moisture and keep them cooler.
I do agree with you on all your points, that being said i also got some of these beds but now I use them to create Hugelkultur beds. I dig down a bit inside them and fill them how you would then after a year a pull them up and you have a mount that is the size you want. helps make the beds looks neater. That being said once i am done making new beds i will be recycling or donated the metal beds
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, I will try this out!
Every year I grow anything I always put extra leaves or old branches because the best thing is that they decompose now your building into the bed and eventually you will be using that first for other parts of your yard. It just does not stay the same level because it’s not all dirt it’s your leaves or wood. If you do this in order for the decomposing part to happen it needs to heat up. Peppers love it, when you start early planting. I don’t have these planters what I used was cement blocks for the corners and my wood in my back yard to keep the dirt in the bed.
I understand the cinder blocks have chemical leach to them - where do you get the concrete blocks that don't do that and are they called something particular? Thank!
I have both wood and metal beds and to me they are equal. I cut roofing steel into 12" wide sheets to make my beds. I have never found heat on the sides to be a problem I split old gardens hose and silicone it over the top edge of the steel so it is not sharp
I was interested in these but live in central Ca very hot in the summer. Didn’t think about the heat generated …. thanks.
Bed placement is something to think about if you do go with metal. Two of mine have the long part facing direct south and those are the ones that get really hot. I think the painted beds could also help to reflect light, but then I don't know if the paint could add toxins to the soil if it gets scratched off?
My initial thought about heat is orientation. Place the widest sides away from the hottest direction. Ideally, east / west. So you have the most narrow side facing the hottest south direction (In australia, that's north).
As afternoon sun can also be ferocious, consider shade on one side and work from the east. You could do such things as planting corn on the west side to cool the bed in afternoon sun, for example. Placing trellises between beds, right down the long middle section gives you excellent shade and extra growing space. Use the east side for cooler crops like lettuce and tomatoes. You can walk beneath a climbing tunnel of plants like zuchini, pumpkin or passionfruit. This leave one hot, long west facing side where you could plant the side with mediterranean herbs. Plant out the soil outside the bed on that side to shade the steel on the west. Or you can grow trailing plants like rosemary, pumpkins, watermelon or wandering vines. Their leaves will shelter that hot side for you. On your hottest side (south), you could grow something like a tall rosemary bush or salvias to bring in pollinators.
Sacks do work to shade the edges too, but i prefer plants.
The sharp edge is easy to cover with the rubber thingy that birdies beds do come with. You can also run some poly pipe around the top if you cut it just right (clamp it between some very straight timber to cut).
The cost is always worth it to me because these should be a product that lasts a very long time. Buying quality products is always smarter. Reduced rebuilding is definitely worth money to me and we have termites anywhere that is watered.
I also wondered if branches at the top edges of the hottest sides would help shield the root zones and act as a bit of a moisture sponge.
Mark from Self sufficient me taught me most of these ideas and he is in a hot bit of Australia. Do take a look for his optimal growing techniques.
All the best!
Thanks for the comprehensive tips! It's good to consider orientation and shade when dealing with the heat of metal beds. Thanks for sharing
I appreciate hearing your in-the-field evaluation! I guess if you can find a metal raised bed at a reasonable price, you should buy one and test it out before committing to more -- but there's never any need to purchase through the youtubers selling them in their stores-- many of these channels have become commercialized, and I prefer to support independent local businesses, including single-owner run ones based out of a home. I get many of my native perennials from a single owner selling healthy zone-hardy plants grown in his back yard at very reasonable prices.
Thank you for the video! ❤
I'm with you sister... I started gardening when covid hit. All of my beds are made from cedar wood. I purchase the cedar fence picket boards for 3 bucks a pop, built my beds and have been SUPER happy for years. I like your reasoning. Esthetically, the beds look like old times washtubs.
I too ❤ prigioni and when my gardeners start selling stuff I disregard those bits of info.
Thank you again! Great video!😊
We are in south central Texas. Translated that means high summer temps. We have 21 17-32" metal raised beds. Never had any issues with getting crops from these beds if you use the correct soil, fertilize and water correctly there will be no issues. All edges of Vego beds are protected by a top rubber strip.
If I have to cut down trees I use the trunks as the walls of my beds. They rot but if I have small perennials like blueberries the roots hold the soil in. And then I have mounds which are stealth raised beds but I primarily just grow in the ground
I’m in the Sacramento Valley which has absolutely brutal summers. I had been considering giving metal beds a try, but had been concerned about heating. Good to know.
I am in southern Arizona. I have not had this same experience although I have the name brand birdies not Amazon ones. I’ve honestly never noticed them to be hot.
Thank you for being honest - I never thought about the heating problem.
Every gardener knows you have to top the raised beds every year unless you just fill it with rocks.
What do you use for a roof material?
Oh yes of course. My metal beds just seemed to settle more than my wood beds but that's from the layers of sticks and leaves I used. My shed roof is corrugated metal as it's one of the safest roofing materials to collect rainwater from. My house will also have a metal roof for the same reason as I will be collecting rainwater to filter to drink.
@@ecoendeavour Oh what a great point. I was working on a metal roof for other reasons, but with the EMF increases around here it hurts as much as it helps, so it's a struggle. If I do, the rain cleanliness and the white color someone else recommended will be what I do. Thanks for that rain info. Totally makes sense we shouldn't dump roof water from asphalt shingles on our yards - ew! I'll also not pursue the metal beds because at least in U.S., we have very high ambient radiation these days even in tiny towns like mine due to increasing wifi connectivity, so having metal segments of a yard just creates a veritable pinball machine and attractor for all that.
I plant in growbags which I place in 18qt dishpans
where I keep 3" of water or liquid fertilizer mix
!
What about having concreate one .I don't like wooden it is not long lasting drying out quickly due to holes between planks
I put in my first metal bed last year and chose it because they are fairly inexpensive (an 8x4x2 black metal bed for about $90) and seemed like they would last longer in a temperate rain forest like the one I live in. I’ve since put in three more. They are tall enough so that I can stand and garden and heat hasn’t been an issue since I get limited sun. But it’s all an experiment, isn’t it? You try things out and figure out what works best in your own situation. Since you had scrap lumber to work with and are young enough that short beds work, those sound like good options for you.
@@cs4849 Yes it’s definitely all an experiment and everyone is going to have different needs and preferences. I much prefer my wood beds but I also live in a temperate rainforest on Vancouver Island and perhaps I will appreciate the metal beds more after I’ve had to replace the wood beds a few times 😅
The heating up of the metal in California summer is why I decided to build the wood raised beds myself. It's a lot cheaper as I wait for lumbers on sale from Home Depot.
I guess it's a matter of preference. I have not had any of the problems you have had. I got mine for 25 dollars each so not that much also my wooden beds decomposed very fast. I am very happy with my metal beds and they were in full sun. I got a amazing amount of produce from my beds. It's to bad yours didn't work for you after having spent the money for them.
@@RobinsTinyHomestead $25 each is a great price! I’ve learned to work with them and have planted around them to shade the sides from the sun more.
Yep. They can overheat. But you can remedy that by buying some chicken wire and surrounding them. Leaving a space between to pile leaves etc that will keep sun off the metal. Just remove the chicken wire and leaves at the begining of the season if you want the beds to heat up. Also, you can easily buy a hoopbender (easy to find with Google) to make a small hoophouse for each bed(s).
I have 9 yes nine various sized 17 inch deep Vego metal raised beds in South Florida and have no soil heat or skin burn problems. These beds are coated, have trimmed top edges and have performed exceptionally well for me. I can easily change sizes to fit my needs. Fantastic beds!!!
I paid about $150 or less for many 2' x 8' x 17" coated, painted beds. I've grown in these this year and it's been the best garden of my life. I'm 58 and have grown in many styles including, of course, wood beds. First year so I can't speak of long-term durability. But, I'll say these things so far. I've not noticed a heat issue with my beds. They don't get hot. In fact, I've not even thought about hot metal all season. I suspect yours are so hot because they're not painted/coated. I can certainly understand that heat could be a killer subject with some. Cost is not bad for the long term investment. Filling is also an initial cost for any raised bed so not a factor plus it's only topping up in future years. ECO? Well, metal recycles and are natural elements. So, maybe after a couple decades, hopefully, they'll be brought in for recycling. The use of all resources, including trees, metals, and minerals concern me, but at my age, I've about surrendered to letting the youth manage the issue now. Overpopulation is the biggest threat to our planet, but no one talks about that.
Elon musk and others say we are losing population and that's going to be a problem, not over population.
@@Ale-g3z9o That's true if you're concerned about keeping the $$ flowing in the world to support such huge numbers, but it's our growth "rate" not population reduction. The numbers are killing the planet and our resources. We are. How much toilet paper can 1 person use vs 20 people? It's simple to see that 20 people will consume more trees than 1. Extrapolate to all resources and then factor in the removal of habitat of other species (forests) to support needed space to house the sheer numbers growing annually. If you Google "World Population by Year" you'll see that we have never reduced our popluation since 5000BC. We've always grown. In fact, we've doubled from 4B to 8B in the last 50 years and 70M in each of the last two years. And, we're living much longer which makes it worst...for the planet that is. The responsible thing is to educate the youth so they can make more responsible decisions like having 0, 1, or 2 children instead of 8 or 10. There's no need to take strict measures like China did to thwart overpopulation in the past.
Thanks for the insight and I know it most likely wasn’t easy to do!
Thanks, I hope it was helpful. They seem to work for a lot of people, but I just don't get how people are saying the metal doesn't get hot.
Can you not add an old garden house sliced lengthwise to the sharp edges?
Great idea!
If you have a length of old garden hose, you could split it down it’s length and cram it over the edges of your metal beds to add protection. I, too, follow James Prigioni and I will say that the metal beds his website sells are of a higher quality than most, the prices are quite reasonable (especially the sales), and so far I have not had the negative experience that you have had with my beds. I used large pine logs in my hugelkultures, and those beds were the best - the logs absorbed water like sponges, releasing it back slowly for the plants. I appreciate your dedication to the permaculture ideal, as I too hope to create a food forest (since I live in a forest, this presents challenges). It is nice to be able to use these convenient garden beds for growing food while the other parts begin to take shape.
I agree with you on all points. I am growing in a temporary location this year and went with grow bags (which require more watering also). Next year I will be able to build a wooden garden infrastructure.
I've never used the grow bags but I've heard people like them. Good luck with your garden this year.
Interesting. Im in SE Michigan & the metal beds from amazon are far less expensive than lumber that will last. I mulch about 2 inches & they retain moisture well. Never noticed them hot, but I'll have to pay closer atrention. I do have some wood beds that are breaking down after 5 years, very wet fall & winters here. I was leaning towards getting more.
I got a metal bed for $50 on Amazon. I filled it with blackberries. They’re doing fine. The bed gets partial shade. Most of my raised beds are recycled wood. My biggest beef is with the plastic tomato clips. I bought some, (and yes James Prigioni is recommending these, too)thinking I would use them for years. They do not last and I have little broken pieces of plastic in my garden. I am instead using covered wire, and even the Velcro garden ties are lasting for years, even with some being left out during the winter. Thank you for the advice!
Oh good to know about the tomato clips! I've considered buying them but did wonder how long the plastic would last. I like the green garden velcro and use it to train my grape vines and it has held up so far since last year.
Thanks for saving me $1200 or more! I have been on the fence about these corrugated beds. I don't like the sharp top, but they "seemed like a good idea". You got another sub for your honesty!
Thanks for the sub! Some people love the beds, but they are not worth all the hype in my experience.
No joke! I was really drawn to them myself but this video was like a slap in the face from a good friend.
Good review. She is so right, the steel heats up and dries the soil fast. I built my own out of corrugated steel panels, which is a lot cheaper than buying them. Mine are rectangular so I was able to make wooden tops which prevents the steel from tearing your clothes. I also made plastic hoop tops.