I built mine this year out of downed wood on my property. I don't know why I never thought of it before, but 4+ inch logs just laying in the woods are perfect for building beds. They retain moisture, release nutrients as they rot, and grow mushrooms! The perfect material!
After debating what material to use for over a month, I finally built a raised bed from cinder blocks. I live in CT and considered the fact that they can crack due to the freezing and wet weather. One thing I took into account that you don't mention in this video is how easy it is to "fix" a cinder block raised bed. I kept it to 1 level, and if 1 or 2 crack, I can just swap them out for another block that costs $1.50. Less of a hassle than dealing with wood. Also, I can easily expand it next year if I want. That specific flexibility was very appealing to me
I live on reclaimed swamp land. Rot and insects gobble untreated wood quickly, so I went with blocks. My only issue is the minor flooding and freezing knocks the blocks out of alignment. I'll never go back to wood.
Yes, you are right. I am moving one wood raised bed out of my main garden area and considering using concrete blocks instead. You can easily change the designs and repair. When we bought the house 5 years ago, I found 2 or 3 concrete blocks outside the old shed, and they still look intact to this day. I am sure it has been there for years before we moved in. I am in NJ and I believe we have similar weathers so you should be good too. Yay, such a relief that I can finally make up my mind on this matter.
Did you research if they are safe to use to grow food? Is the leaching that some people mention a concern? I built one with concrete blocks and now I'm trying to figure out if that was ok.
It’s a coincidence that you should say this as I was reading an account of a medical mission in West Africa around 1920 and the guy there built his wards on piles which he charred the surface of before putting them into the ground to help preserve them
Actually the first question to ask is "Why do I even need raised beds?" I'm on my 5th major garden over the past 50 years and never needed a raised bed in a garden. If one has reasonable quality soil and no mobility issues, raised beds may be an unnecessary expense which could be a major impediment to starting a garden. This year was the first year on this Pennsylvania homestead and all beds were started with a no-till method of laying cardboard on what was a large lawn and then 4" of mushroom compost in 30" wide strips. No expense for wood or sides of any kind was necessary, bed preparation required only a wheelbarrow and steel rake and yields were extraordinary. Raised beds might be necessary when I get old but since I'm only 69, those days are far in the future.
This season I realized I had extremely lofty tomato goals,and decided to slap together an impromptu bed bermed with large stones from our property. Being from Maine, large stones are readily available. Stacked just like old stone border walls,and animal retention walls from the time this area was settled. So many options!
Jeremy, this is exactly what I did on our first farm. It was just beautiful, and because the former owner kept piling all the fieldstone in one area of the property it was also free! I actually cried when we moved from that property because I couldn’t bring those rocks with me.
So far my raised beds have cost $0 to build. I use kiddie pools rescued from the trash. I just found another today. I drill lots of holes in the bottom and fill them with last years container mix I then amend with compost I make.
@@nathalie_desrosiers Not really, so far most of them I have found in my area have been made of high or low density polyethylene. Its a food grade plastic. But to be safe I dont plant things closer than 4 inches or so.
@@j.b.6855 I'm not sure drilling a few holes in the bottom makes it a raised bed, it sounds more like a giant pot instead. You could tear out the bottom, that would make them proper raised beds.
@@ginsederp I dont just drill a few holes, I drill lots and lots of 1 1/2 inch holes with a spade bit. When I am done there is more area covered by holes than there is bottom. I tried cutting the bottom out of one of my first ones and it didnt keep its shape very well and ended up cracking. I would say it counts as a raised bed because its the equivalent of putting down hardware cloth in the bottom of a bed.
When I was looking for a material to build my raised bed, I chose cement blocks. I wanted a material that I could easily reconfigure. I have increased the size of my garden three times since I started. And all I had to do was move a few blocks, buy a few more, lay down some cardboard, and throw a bunch of leaves on it. I also plant inside the blocks. The one drawback of planting in the blocks is that they dry out quickly.
@@nathalie_desrosiers Marigolds grow fantastic in them. I’ve also grown onions in them as well. I’m in Indiana and they have done very well with our freezing winters.
Just a little advice from someone who used to work in a hardware store here in Melbourne, terracotta sealant spray, I am sure the US has it as well. It's used to seal terracotta pots to stop them losing moisture through the sides. But not surprisingly, also works on any real porous material that is similar, including concrete bricks. It's cheap (or should be since it was cheap here and normally everything is expensive), so it might be an option to help.
I hear that. It's at least doubled in my area. (far outside Chicago area) I am adding some more beds this fall and laid out space and started prepping the area but I am not buying the wood. Hopefully, the price comes down by early spring. I have some dead pine trees that I might try to cut down the middle to create the sides. It wouldn't be pretty but it would work for now. Separately the price of drywall has also doubled so my basement project is put on hold.
Start with tariffs, add a pandemic that added DIYers with more than the usual time on their hands and shutdown mills for several months, put a surge in new housing starts over the summer months on top (like a cherry) and it's no surprise lumber prices rose. I've seen them falling the past few weeks in my area.
I made beds of cedar once. I found out cedar rots almost as fast as pine when it comes in contact with soil. they lasted 3 years. Ultimately, I went to plastic decking lumber. it's pricey, but it's been over 20 years now and they're fine.
I've used Teck deck in my normal home repairs, so I wondered how much this idea cost you? I'm trying to plan a half acre garden and set up automatic sprinklers set on a timer.
@@kristinatidwell6563 Honestly, I don't remember, it was over 20 years ago. it was pricey, but it has lasted 20+ years and still good. I used 1in x 8 in x 12ft boards and made 4x12 beds. they have bowed a bit over the years. if I built them now, I would stake and brace along the long side.
For me the best boars for raised beds is FREE....I pick up what ever free lumber I can. Big pallets from machinery shippers, old wood siding, used wood from concrete forming companies, etc., When my bed material rots I just build another bed from scrap lumber. The plants do not really care what the bed material looks like. Mike 👍🎃🇨🇦
Built mine out of pine almost 5 years ago, just now showing some signs of rotting here in Central Indiana. I'll fix what I can and let it decompose and mix it into the beds. Function over Form in my books!!
Thanks, Luke. Lots of great tips in this video. I also have great success growing in 18- gallon plastic totes. Cost $5 each and last 5 years (at least). I have raised beds and planters that we built on top of pallets to make them portable. So many options. Filling them can be the most expensive part. Gary Pilarchik from @TheRustedGarden has lots of great videos on how to fill raised beds for cheap... He posted a video just today on the subject in case folks want to check it out.
I’m really fortunate to have horses who have ”customized” water troughs to the point that they no longer hold water. They also provide a significant percentage of the bulk of our compost. After I experimented with filling the bottom third of three 100 gallon troughs with well rotted old firewood in a slight Hugelkulture fashion then used a blend of well aged horse manure with the pine shavings bedding we use, I had the best garden I’ve ever had in my life! Over the last 10 or so years I’ve collected eleven 100-150 gallon livestock water troughs in various stages of disrepair which have permitted me to grow a truly remarkable amount of food. I’m 62, significantly disabled, and I would never have been able to garden even in a typical raised bed - they are just too low. But I have a walker which has a seat with bag suspended underneath that allows me to sit to plant and weed and harvest (though between my intensive close spacing, use of cattle panels for the majority of my plants to climb, and liberal use of mulch I don’t have many weeds).
I just made two more. Used cedar 2x12. Found a great deal. I live in Oregon. I got it for less than pine because they wanted it gone before winter and it was from last year. I paid $1.49/ft
I used re claimed cedar I got for free. This was the 2nd year, beds still look great. Good source for cheap lumber.....go to your local lumberyard and ask to pick through the warped/cut/no good pile. Can usually get it for pennies on the dollar. Craigslist is another good source
My husband works at an airport where the mechanics service airplanes. We recycle airplane parts shipping boxes into raised garden beds. Believe it or not sometimes the boxes are made of birch wood and those last years and years.
Another alternative for raised beds is composite material. I’m in zone 7 and have raised beds from Greenland Gardener. They’re over 10 years old and still going strong. They were pretty cheap as well.
I live in a wooded lot, so cut trees (hemlock, spruce and cedar) and used the full trunks to build log house style beds. Another free option (although labor intensive).
You missed one of the best alternatives for single level raised beds. Recycled plastic boards. They don't leach anything, come in colors, and last 50 years. 2 screws in each corner has held perfectly for 20 years. Disadvantage is you have to pay the trucking bill as they are not locally available. But considering a lifetime of usage with zero maintenance, it is easily the cheapest and best looking alternative and you are recycling plastic.
Hybrid. Galvanized Steel Rolled Roofing/Flashing on the soil side. Wood on the outside as the frame. Since the 2020 price of wood has expanded, a hybrid is the way I am planning. Also burn the outside of the wood, no pressure treatment needed. And then my husband loves to paint the wood for a little extra protection. Great video. Perfect timing.
your videos continue to improve as the years go by. You are a young Jim Crockett ( Crockett"s Victory Garden). You may have heard of him. He's an old timer... Keep it going.. your in for a great future....
I built a raised beds using el cheapo lumber. I am in coastal SC and the termites feasted on the untreated wood. This spring I am going to grow in raised soil beds with out the lumber.
I’m glad you mentioned the bit about pressure treated wood. I think people still shy away from it because we are still told it’s harmful for the plants.
We are recycling our raised ribbed steel roofing from a remodel. We are also recycling 4 x 4 posts we had laying around. We just had a patio/deck fire where the timbers and tongue and groove pine will be used in the future.
always good information from you. Our raised beds are cinderblock, they have lasted 5 years, with no sign of impending doom. My husband didnt let any dirt get into the holes, he tapped down and leveled the ground, we put landscaping cloth down, (heavy duty)across the bottom up the sides. We got garden dirt from Tuthill's here in Green Oak Township, they loaded our wagon down pretty heavy every time. No problem with heaving, freezing and water. We haven't lost ablock yet. We put capstones over the cinderblocks also, we don't plant in the holes. Capstones keep the water from penetrating between block. The beds are 3 cinder deep with capstone, some are down a few inches under ground due to being on slight hill. It really is a great idea to use this, it's much cheaper then wood, we also have no heaving or bending like wood. If you like I can send you pictures or video of it.
added notes, asked husband about this. He said he DID fill the cinder holes with dirt. He also used conduit stakes (hes electricion and we have lots of that around), on the inside of each block for 2 stacks (so they wouldn't shift) on the inside holes and some on the outside. This is useful because we stand on the capstoned walls and work the gardening, and there wouldn't be an accident of anything moving under your feet. He says that you can also use what mason's use on your cinder, some kind of seal, so they absorb absolutely nothing from the ground or your watering, but we haven't had a problem yet and live in Michigan. If something did crack, we can easily remove the cinders and replace with a new one.
@@tinafisher interested to know what's the name brand of the seal? I know that my great great grandad was a Mason but he's been gone since I was born. Idk anyone who is a Mason, so I can't ask them.
This past spring I made 7 total raised hugelkulture beds due to my 3 kugelkulture mounds outperforming everything else that I've tried. I made 6 of them from leftover 2x4s and plywood that I had from other projects totaling about 160 sq/ft. I also made one with just more logs for sides and branches driven into the ground to hold them in place. Eventually hoping to get mushrooms growing out of the sides too. Lots of sweat equity due to sourcing everything from the property, but free otherwise.
I think people need to think why they are having a raised bed and I found having a 2 ft raised bed gives you nothing more in productivity than one that is 6 inches high. I found 6-in high with 6 to 12-in of boarding above the soil line to give protection from wind and create a microclimate works really well in the southeast of England. This is something that I'm going to expand around the garden for next year.
I have a raised bed made with landscape timber, and one with pressure treated wood, but I am hoping to get some free cinder blocks for another two beds. Here's hoping 😀
cinderblocks are about the same cost per foot as wood. i am using them as retaining walls in my community garden plots. i paid $1 per block, so eight feet $8
We used cinder blocks for our raised beds, which we used for 14 gardening seasons. We live in New York, up near Lake Ontario, and never had problems with them cracking. What we did encounter was that they would shift due to the freeze/thaw cycle. We also found that ants loved to live in them. We’ve now replaced the cinder blocks in our main space with beds made from untreated pine. Because we decided to expand our garden this year, we used those cinder blocks to create a new space. Not ideal, especially because we just placed them in a rough rectangle, but they provided a visual barrier for our lawn guy who would have made a mess of the garden if they hadn’t been there.
Great timing for this episode! I was just thinking yesterday about adding a large raised bed. Another possible "material" we've used is old livestock feed or water bins (we're in Nebraska so plenty around). They're usually steel or rubberized plastic. Bonus if they're already cracked on the bottom for drainage. Appreciate all the valuable gardening info you provide!
Check your local saw mill. I was able to acquire some "free firewood" which are big slabs off the trees. I put them together and made beds! Rustic look and I love it 🥰
Luke. I live in Prescott Valley, AZ. We have freezing weather here. My tomato plants just froze to death because of our past 4 nights of freezing temperatures. Even in southern AZ there are many freezing nights. I did not hear you mention redwood. What are your thoughts on that type of wood for raised gardens?
Exactly. My husband built 2 woodshop tables cost him $400. A $1.50 wood now costs $5. It is ridiculous to buy wood right now. Plus my husband works for home depot.
@HALF MT Yes, a continuous increase this century, with an all-time high in June, 2008. We all know who was in office then and why those prices kept going up . . . And right again, they never went back down to pre-war prices.
MIgardener, growing up we simply made stone walls, in the northeast US our harvest of stone from the garden outweighed the food :) so readily available just needs labor and a bit of annual maintenance. have you ever thought of using old tires? could be a free long lasting alternative.
Wow I’m so glad cedar is a great wood. I live out in the middle of nowhere hill country and there’s so much cedar people burn it. So materials found, now I just got to learn how to process natural wood! Edit: So it's actually Mountain Juniper but the wood is bendy even when it's dry so I'm looking into wattle fences for the beds and since everyone hates these trees, people clear their land all the time so I'll post in my local community and pick up some free mulch!
When lumber skyrocketed in price, I went with concrete blocks. I found it took me a while to get everything level but am happy with the results. I only went two blocks high did put rebar down the holes to keep them from moving.
I have made steel beds with recycled washer drums. I found a recycling appliance place and purchased three, spray pained with rust oleum light grey. Very cheap to purchase. They are really great. Before that I purchased end of the season fire rings that were marked down. I have found old deck wood from neighbors and purchased valve wood at Lowe’s or Menards. It is a hunt, but lots of fun to do.
We had wood raised beds and like you said, they lasted about 8 yrs, but we did let them get real deteriorated before replacing them. Now we have Cinder blocks. We just placed them in place 2 high without mortaring them together. We are in Northern IL and have gone through 3 years without any cracked blocks. Praying they continue to hold up.
I build raised containers 1ft deep 3 ft off the ground. 4×4 legs treated and 2x12 pine. So far so good yr.2. Also have raised beds 2ft high. They are on their forth year and looking good out in the Pacific northwest.
Also a good option for filling raised beds is to check your local landscaping/excavating companies. I got a whole truck bed full of manure compost that is completely composted for $43.(includes $10 loading fee). That is extremely cheap compared to buying bagged soils from hardware stores. They do the same for mulch or topsoil. I highly recommend it. It will save you a ton and will be great to plant in.
I put rocks around my in ground garden and the soil level has increased to match it from mulch and ammendments so now my garden is about 8 inches higher than the rest of my yard. In New Jersey my untreated pine after 3 years has had about 20% of the boards completely rot away. I figure it will fail at some point in year 4.
I bought 8 3x6 foot galvanized steel raised bed kits on Amazon for $70 each this year. Took most of my savings, and could only afford to fill 4 so far. (I don’t have my own compost yet.) Very expensive, but being able to grow my own veggies without having to till is going to be so worth it. One is full of carrots now. One is full of garlic (3 braiding types). One is full of radishes, golden beets, perpetual spinach and collard greens. And the other will be filled tomorrow because my onion sets are coming. Hoping to have all 8 assembled and full of soil by spring for potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers, among other things.
Hi Luck. The way that wood prices are going galv. metal looks better and better. Also if only staying for a year or two consider containers. If you look around they can be obtained relatively chip and reused.
here we do mounts that we layer every year with our homemade compost. the secret to deal with weeds, layer a good amount of woodchips around the mount and you are good to go.
i use cinder blocks in MT. We get sub zero temps been like 10 years but i dont allow soil in the cinder block and I top them with paving stones which seems to keep them from cracking Cristina
i took some sheet aluminum and some metal stakes ( all free and re purposed from something else ) and built 2 10 x 4 raised garden beds that are about 4 foot tall and filled it hugelkultur style with old logs and fallen debris on my property. then ive been adding my own compost, native soil, leaves, and leaf mould i can scrape out of my ditches by the road. Im going to let it all decompose and settle over winter so its ready for next spring. It hasnt cost me a dime yet except the manual labor. its cheap but hard work
Nice video thank you! You're right there's many different options, then within each of those there are even more. Currently I have 3 made from untreated pine, 4x8, 4x4, 4x6. I hope to build another. I appreciate getting a sense of the different sizes. I used 2x6s, two layers so they're 12" deep. Happy with this though I might like one board higher to help keep critters out.
What I currently am doing is using some 4x4 posts that are grooved for side boards to slide in them. The side boards is something that I can get from scrap pallets and crates. If I have to replace the boards every few years it will be easy. I just lift the boards up I want to replace and drop new boards back in.
I have made root bags out of landscaping fabric and outdoor thread. It has helped me expand my garden every year, as my compost in the bags get dumped in areas i want permanent raised beds like for asparagus and kiwi. They work really well on the hillside because it doesn't have to be level to stand up straight. My plants do fine including tomato and squash. I will probably be using them quite awhile.
We just installed two 4’x10’beds (12” high). I voted for simple utility grade dimensional lumber...he voted for premium grade cedar. My solution was just under $50 his choice was $220. My garlic does not know the difference. We live in Seattle.
Another great video Luke have learned so much from you raised bed is the only way I go and yes I do have a landlord that lets me do pretty much what I want God bless you can't wait for you next one
core-ten steel is probably the most expensive material for raised garden beds, but it is also the most decorative and will fit into any regular or modern architecture. I am so glad you bought up about the new pressure treated wood not leaching any chemicals to the soil...this is a long lasting myth from the days of creosote and is still touted today......this myth is used to justify the expense of untreated wood for 'kit set' garden beds.....Since I have been in the garden longer than your folks, let alone you, have been alive and have been a professional gardener for 30 years, I find your knowledge exceptional. With adding soil to a raised bed..the one element you didn't mention......if you use expensive garden mix's, composts or other 'man-made' soil it will continue to compost and by the end of a season the bed will be almost devoid of soil...what I have found over the years is to use a clean topsoil as a base, build that to almost the top of your bed and then lightly tamp down while adding/working in your garden mix, vege mix or compost as a very top layer. You have less soil loss and you can keep your overall cost down....usually topsoil is the cheapest soil available, and if it is a clay based soil (which is usually the most nutrient rich but can be locked up) that has other soils/bark fines to help it be friable, this is nutrient rich which is excellent for your beds.
A cinder block retaining wall can last a long time, provided you build it well. In 1953, my mom built one about four courses high and 25 feet long across the front of the lot where we were living. It was still standing and straight when we moved out in 1967. What she did was to dig a trench about eighteen inches below the lower ground level, fill it with concrete, make sure it was flat and level, then build the wall on top of that. The dirt she used for fill was rich in sand and gravel, since our town is built on the terminal moraine of the great glacier. That meant that the soil behind the wall was very well drained. The average minimum winter temperature during those years was -20 F., so I saw many less well made walls lean over and topple from frost heaving. One advantage to a cinder block wall is that, if you cap it with flat blocks, you can sit on it while you work on your garden.
I'd love to know the name of that beautiful kale plant behind you. (if it is kale .lol ) I love my raised beds. I am older and appreciate the less bending that my 12 inch beds provide. Thanks for the info.
I built my beds for FREE using small logs. I can drive around my area (in the suburbs) any day of the week and find piles of small logs from people having their trees trimmed... a lot of good hardwoods like oak and mulberry that last years and cost me nothing. On a side note I also make compost with free resources... bags of leaves people throw out in the fall, or grass clippings in summer... free manure from a stable nearby... free coffee grounds from coffee shops.. free fruits and vegetables from grocery store dumpsters, which also provide me with a few free seeds. There's all kinds of free resources for people on a budget.
go to tractor supply the fire rings are about 40 they did go up 10 dollars and galvanized steel are about 17 dollars a 10 foot piece and will get enough tof 1 0r 3 beds depending on the height you want
I worked for an electrical manufacturing company for over 30 years and ended up with 16 - 4 foot x 10 foot 2x10 ruff saw pallets for raised beds they lasted 18 years now I mound and use 1/2" conduit and 6x6 concrete reinforcing wire for cages and trellis
I just built some raised beds using spruce logs I got for free from someone who thinned out their lot. I have also built a three-foot raised bed with salvaged 2x4's & cupboard doors; made them hugoculture beds.
Great information; better video!!! Thanks!!! Me and mine wish you and yours all things great and good!!! Take care, be safe, all my best and God bless!!! Chuck Knight from Buffalo, Texas. 🤠🐩🖖✝️
Well hmm. I built my raised beds out of cinder blocks last year hoping for super long life. We are hopefully in our forever home. I hope Missouri doesn't end up in the freezing and breaking category. We don't get nearly as cold as Michigan at least ... I don't think metal would have been a good option though, I can only imagine how hot it would get in our intense sun.
Great timing. I am wanting to build raised beds for next year. I live in Las Vegas. It is very hot, very dry and the native soil is not good. I am wanting to do galvanized steel because they need to be deep and sturdy. I have used containers here so far but they dry out ridiculously fast in the desert climate.
You know those metal rims that they put a lid on and call a manhole? I found an old one left laying with 2 pallets of bricks and cinderblocks in the alley by my house. Used the bricks to make a terrace in a slope and now have an elderberry nursery growing away in a manhole
I made my raised bed with a ware house pallet and plastic on the bottom and sides with some breathe holes. It's about 6 in deep per bed. I realized now it may not be enough inches deep for my veggies
Cinder blocks- you can paint the inside of the box with foundation paint. If they are laid on a poor draining surface like a concrete pad put weep holes in the bottom joints every 18". Lastly line them with foam to stop freezing pressures. It will last indefinitely. Just a bit of know how and prep makes a lifetime product.
Thanks so much! This was super helpful. Last year, during the lockdown, I had difficulty acquiring material for my raised beds here in WV. I ended up buying some red oak fence panels from a local guy on fb marketplace. So far, they’ve held up very well. This year I want to add on to my raised garden, but I’m hoping to find the most affordable option. The information you provided really helps. You have no idea how much support you bring to our garden community. Much appreciated! 🙏
You are right about cinder blocks freezing and cracking. But, concrete blocks do not. There are two types of blocks. Concrete blocks are smoother so they don't tend to freeze and crack as easily, Price here about the same, I'm in zone 4a in nny state, -20 to -35 F. Just across from Canada, About an hour by back roads Great video and great info. I always look forward to them, keep them coming!
This spring we made ours with untreated pine boards. I lined the inside with thick plastic and painted the outside. Hopefully this will extend the life expectancy.
what about a "sunken" bed? i.e., digging a hole 4' wide by 8' long by 1+' deep, and then filling it in with compost or the like? advantages: no perimeter wall to degrade, saving money, easy to revert to a lawn if no longer want the bed. disadvantages: leaning over/back pain, perhaps easier attack by bugs. your thoughts?
I'm trying straw bale gardening this year! I'd like to see you make a video about straw bale gardening and Kugelkulture, both above ground methods for compacted poor clay soils. I'm doing a bit of a hybrid straw bale garden with large rectangles and then the center is filled with compost and top soil mix, so I can grow root vegetables and cooler crops like lettuces in the centers on the north side of attached hog panels, which will feature vining plants like peas, squash, cucumbers.
Debbie here......love your info...heard ya talk about cedar be good thing....may I add. Re claimed cedar decking is great for raised bed as well. And free....I’m on year 4.. when putting the box together, I put the underside of the deck board on the outside..the stained side is inside of the box, so they look nice as well....🐝🐝🐝
We built a 3' tall, 10' long retaining wall of concrete blocks w/ no mortar over 5 yrs ago. Even tho we live in Michigan (zone 5 at best ... zone 4 some yrs), it's still standing & not bulging any place. I wanted it to be easily moved if we decided to. If it ever falls, I can just build it again.
An option I considered a year ago that would last a long time is wood composite decking boards with short lengths of rebar into the ground for support.
If you want a taller raised bed but don't want to fill it with as much soil, wouldn't the smart thing to do be to build it around straw bales, which would raise the level considerably and provide a core for the core gardening method that you advocate?
I've decided to go with galvanized steel on all beds as I replace the older pine and cedar ones. Sure, they cost alot, but I am not looking forward to rebuilding and replacing beds. Plus wood is getting more expensive, and I like tall beds. Might actually cost me more to build out of wood.
I built mine this year out of downed wood on my property. I don't know why I never thought of it before, but 4+ inch logs just laying in the woods are perfect for building beds. They retain moisture, release nutrients as they rot, and grow mushrooms! The perfect material!
After debating what material to use for over a month, I finally built a raised bed from cinder blocks. I live in CT and considered the fact that they can crack due to the freezing and wet weather. One thing I took into account that you don't mention in this video is how easy it is to "fix" a cinder block raised bed. I kept it to 1 level, and if 1 or 2 crack, I can just swap them out for another block that costs $1.50. Less of a hassle than dealing with wood. Also, I can easily expand it next year if I want. That specific flexibility was very appealing to me
@Chris Smith thanks for the correction. I meant concrete blocks
That's a great point Arie. My landscape timber bed is warping badly and I am hoping to get concrete blocks for free to make new beds 😀
I live on reclaimed swamp land. Rot and insects gobble untreated wood quickly, so I went with blocks. My only issue is the minor flooding and freezing knocks the blocks out of alignment. I'll never go back to wood.
Yes, you are right. I am moving one wood raised bed out of my main garden area and considering using concrete blocks instead. You can easily change the designs and repair. When we bought the house 5 years ago, I found 2 or 3 concrete blocks outside the old shed, and they still look intact to this day. I am sure it has been there for years before we moved in. I am in NJ and I believe we have similar weathers so you should be good too. Yay, such a relief that I can finally make up my mind on this matter.
Did you research if they are safe to use to grow food? Is the leaching that some people mention a concern? I built one with concrete blocks and now I'm trying to figure out if that was ok.
If you're using untreated Pine scorch the wood with a torch before building the boxes it helps preserve the wood.
Great idea!
and boiled linseed oil
Thanks for this pro-tip!
It’s a coincidence that you should say this as I was reading an account of a medical mission in West Africa around 1920 and the guy there built his wards on piles which he charred the surface of before putting them into the ground to help preserve them
@@heavymetalbassist5 boiled linseed oil has heavy metals in it to aid drying.
Actually the first question to ask is "Why do I even need raised beds?" I'm on my 5th major garden over the past 50 years and never needed a raised bed in a garden. If one has reasonable quality soil and no mobility issues, raised beds may be an unnecessary expense which could be a major impediment to starting a garden.
This year was the first year on this Pennsylvania homestead and all beds were started with a no-till method of laying cardboard on what was a large lawn and then 4" of mushroom compost in 30" wide strips. No expense for wood or sides of any kind was necessary, bed preparation required only a wheelbarrow and steel rake and yields were extraordinary.
Raised beds might be necessary when I get old but since I'm only 69, those days are far in the future.
Fifty years here and the ONLY answer as to why a raised bed is MONEYTIZ'N on da tube!
👍😉
They really help in the Pacific Northwest because the soil warms up sooner.
This season I realized I had extremely lofty tomato goals,and decided to slap together an impromptu bed bermed with large stones from our property. Being from Maine, large stones are readily available. Stacked just like old stone border walls,and animal retention walls from the time this area was settled. So many options!
Jeremy, this is exactly what I did on our first farm. It was just beautiful, and because the former owner kept piling all the fieldstone in one area of the property it was also free!
I actually cried when we moved from that property because I couldn’t bring those rocks with me.
So far my raised beds have cost $0 to build. I use kiddie pools rescued from the trash. I just found another today. I drill lots of holes in the bottom and fill them with last years container mix I then amend with compost I make.
Aren't they made of #6 plastic (polystyrene)? Aren't you worried it might leach?
@@nathalie_desrosiers Not really, so far most of them I have found in my area have been made of high or low density polyethylene. Its a food grade plastic. But to be safe I dont plant things closer than 4 inches or so.
@@j.b.6855 I'm not sure drilling a few holes in the bottom makes it a raised bed, it sounds more like a giant pot instead.
You could tear out the bottom, that would make them proper raised beds.
@@ginsederp I dont just drill a few holes, I drill lots and lots of 1 1/2 inch holes with a spade bit. When I am done there is more area covered by holes than there is bottom. I tried cutting the bottom out of one of my first ones and it didnt keep its shape very well and ended up cracking.
I would say it counts as a raised bed because its the equivalent of putting down hardware cloth in the bottom of a bed.
I have a couple of kiddie pool beds because I save my ducks pools after they crack. Duckies get a new pool and I get a container for plants 😂
When I was looking for a material to build my raised bed, I chose cement blocks. I wanted a material that I could easily reconfigure. I have increased the size of my garden three times since I started. And all I had to do was move a few blocks, buy a few more, lay down some cardboard, and throw a bunch of leaves on it. I also plant inside the blocks. The one drawback of planting in the blocks is that they dry out quickly.
I've had my cinder blocks for over 10 years and not one of them has cracked from the Ohio wet freezing weather.
I was thinking about planting *in* the blocks but was unsure. What do you plant *in* the blocks?
@@nathalie_desrosiers Marigolds grow fantastic in them. I’ve also grown onions in them as well. I’m in Indiana and they have done very well with our freezing winters.
I'm hoping to make a couple of concrete block beds soon and being able to put it together myself is a huge benefit over other options😀
Just a little advice from someone who used to work in a hardware store here in Melbourne, terracotta sealant spray, I am sure the US has it as well. It's used to seal terracotta pots to stop them losing moisture through the sides. But not surprisingly, also works on any real porous material that is similar, including concrete bricks. It's cheap (or should be since it was cheap here and normally everything is expensive), so it might be an option to help.
The price of lumber has almost tripled over these last few months.
In our area because of so much hurricane damage, lumber has definitely skyrocketed.
I hear that. It's at least doubled in my area. (far outside Chicago area) I am adding some more beds this fall and laid out space and started prepping the area but I am not buying the wood. Hopefully, the price comes down by early spring. I have some dead pine trees that I might try to cut down the middle to create the sides. It wouldn't be pretty but it would work for now.
Separately the price of drywall has also doubled so my basement project is put on hold.
Start with tariffs, add a pandemic that added DIYers with more than the usual time on their hands and shutdown mills for several months, put a surge in new housing starts over the summer months on top (like a cherry) and it's no surprise lumber prices rose. I've seen them falling the past few weeks in my area.
because the plants that manafacture the wood have been shut done by politicians due to covid scare.
I made beds of cedar once. I found out cedar rots almost as fast as pine when it comes in contact with soil. they lasted 3 years. Ultimately, I went to plastic decking lumber. it's pricey, but it's been over 20 years now and they're fine.
I've used Teck deck in my normal home repairs, so I wondered how much this idea cost you? I'm trying to plan a half acre garden and set up automatic sprinklers set on a timer.
@@kristinatidwell6563 Honestly, I don't remember, it was over 20 years ago. it was pricey, but it has lasted 20+ years and still good. I used 1in x 8 in x 12ft boards and made 4x12 beds. they have bowed a bit over the years. if I built them now, I would stake and brace along the long side.
For me the best boars for raised beds is FREE....I pick up what ever free lumber I can. Big pallets from machinery shippers, old wood siding, used wood from concrete forming companies, etc., When my bed material rots I just build another bed from scrap lumber. The plants do not really care what the bed material looks like.
Mike 👍🎃🇨🇦
We just found 4 used 12-foot Douglas fir 2x12s...
Built mine out of pine almost 5 years ago, just now showing some signs of rotting here in Central Indiana. I'll fix what I can and let it decompose and mix it into the beds. Function over Form in my books!!
Same here, we have 2 beds from 4-5yrs ago we will have to repair/replace sometime this coming year.
I’m in MN, so I used cedar for the bottom course and pine for the 2nd & 3rd. It helped a lot on cost.
I did my raised beds with stone I collected from the nearby river
Thanks, Luke. Lots of great tips in this video. I also have great success growing in 18- gallon plastic totes. Cost $5 each and last 5 years (at least). I have raised beds and planters that we built on top of pallets to make them portable. So many options. Filling them can be the most expensive part. Gary Pilarchik from @TheRustedGarden has lots of great videos on how to fill raised beds for cheap... He posted a video just today on the subject in case folks want to check it out.
I’m really fortunate to have horses who have ”customized” water troughs to the point that they no longer hold water. They also provide a significant percentage of the bulk of our compost. After I experimented with filling the bottom third of three 100 gallon troughs with well rotted old firewood in a slight Hugelkulture fashion then used a blend of well aged horse manure with the pine shavings bedding we use, I had the best garden I’ve ever had in my life!
Over the last 10 or so years I’ve collected eleven 100-150 gallon livestock water troughs in various stages of disrepair which have permitted me to grow a truly remarkable amount of food.
I’m 62, significantly disabled, and I would never have been able to garden even in a typical raised bed - they are just too low. But I have a walker which has a seat with bag suspended underneath that allows me to sit to plant and weed and harvest (though between my intensive close spacing, use of cattle panels for the majority of my plants to climb, and liberal use of mulch I don’t have many weeds).
I just made two more. Used cedar 2x12. Found a great deal. I live in Oregon. I got it for less than pine because they wanted it gone before winter and it was from last year. I paid $1.49/ft
$25 for those beds 5 years ago?! Those boards are going for $25 a piece now!
Thats what i was wondering about too. Unless maybe its reclaimed. But i understand even thats going up too.
I look in the local online markets and I got 16 2 X 8X 16 for $50 bucks. Used but great for raised beds.
I used re claimed cedar I got for free. This was the 2nd year, beds still look great. Good source for cheap lumber.....go to your local lumberyard and ask to pick through the warped/cut/no good pile. Can usually get it for pennies on the dollar. Craigslist is another good source
My husband works at an airport where the mechanics service airplanes. We recycle airplane parts shipping boxes into raised garden beds. Believe it or not sometimes the boxes are made of birch wood and those last years and years.
Another alternative for raised beds is composite material. I’m in zone 7 and have raised beds from Greenland Gardener. They’re over 10 years old and still going strong. They were pretty cheap as well.
I live in a wooded lot, so cut trees (hemlock, spruce and cedar) and used the full trunks to build log house style beds. Another free option (although labor intensive).
You missed one of the best alternatives for single level raised beds. Recycled plastic boards. They don't leach anything, come in colors, and last 50 years. 2 screws in each corner has held perfectly for 20 years. Disadvantage is you have to pay the trucking bill as they are not locally available. But considering a lifetime of usage with zero maintenance, it is easily the cheapest and best looking alternative and you are recycling plastic.
Where did you get the recycled plastic boards ? Sound like a really good idea. Thanks
Some grades of plastic do leech into soil, so just check before hand that it's food grade plastic...
Hybrid. Galvanized Steel Rolled Roofing/Flashing on the soil side. Wood on the outside as the frame. Since the 2020 price of wood has expanded, a hybrid is the way I am planning. Also burn the outside of the wood, no pressure treatment needed. And then my husband loves to paint the wood for a little extra protection.
Great video. Perfect timing.
your videos continue to improve as the years go by. You are a young Jim Crockett ( Crockett"s Victory Garden). You may have heard of him. He's an old timer... Keep it going.. your in for a great future....
I built a raised beds using el cheapo lumber. I am in coastal SC and the termites feasted on the untreated wood. This spring I am going to grow in raised soil beds with out the lumber.
I’m glad you mentioned the bit about pressure treated wood. I think people still shy away from it because we are still told it’s harmful for the plants.
We are recycling our raised ribbed steel roofing from a remodel. We are also recycling 4 x 4 posts we had laying around. We just had a patio/deck fire where the timbers and tongue and groove pine will be used in the future.
I used fallen tree trunks. Cheap. Ants like to build hives in it though.
always good information from you. Our raised beds are cinderblock, they have lasted 5 years, with no sign of impending doom. My husband didnt let any dirt get into the holes, he tapped down and leveled the ground, we put landscaping cloth down, (heavy duty)across the bottom up the sides. We got garden dirt from Tuthill's here in Green Oak Township, they loaded our wagon down pretty heavy every time. No problem with heaving, freezing and water. We haven't lost ablock yet. We put capstones over the cinderblocks also, we don't plant in the holes. Capstones keep the water from penetrating between block. The beds are 3 cinder deep with capstone, some are down a few inches under ground due to being on slight hill. It really is a great idea to use this, it's much cheaper then wood, we also have no heaving or bending like wood. If you like I can send you pictures or video of it.
added notes, asked husband about this. He said he DID fill the cinder holes with dirt. He also used conduit stakes (hes electricion and we have lots of that around), on the inside of each block for 2 stacks (so they wouldn't shift) on the inside holes and some on the outside. This is useful because we stand on the capstoned walls and work the gardening, and there wouldn't be an accident of anything moving under your feet. He says that you can also use what mason's use on your cinder, some kind of seal, so they absorb absolutely nothing from the ground or your watering, but we haven't had a problem yet and live in Michigan. If something did crack, we can easily remove the cinders and replace with a new one.
@@tinafisher interested to know what's the name brand of the seal? I know that my great great grandad was a Mason but he's been gone since I was born. Idk anyone who is a Mason, so I can't ask them.
This past spring I made 7 total raised hugelkulture beds due to my 3 kugelkulture mounds outperforming everything else that I've tried. I made 6 of them from leftover 2x4s and plywood that I had from other projects totaling about 160 sq/ft. I also made one with just more logs for sides and branches driven into the ground to hold them in place. Eventually hoping to get mushrooms growing out of the sides too. Lots of sweat equity due to sourcing everything from the property, but free otherwise.
I think people need to think why they are having a raised bed and I found having a 2 ft raised bed gives you nothing more in productivity than one that is 6 inches high. I found 6-in high with 6 to 12-in of boarding above the soil line to give protection from wind and create a microclimate works really well in the southeast of England. This is something that I'm going to expand around the garden for next year.
I have a raised bed made with landscape timber, and one with pressure treated wood, but I am hoping to get some free cinder blocks for another two beds. Here's hoping 😀
cinderblocks are about the same cost per foot as wood. i am using them as retaining walls in my community garden plots. i paid $1 per block, so eight feet $8
I used cedar picket fence panels (about $3.50 each) built a 70x32” box 16 1/2” tall (3 panel’s stacked) it cost me roughly $40 for a huge box.
Luke do you have any issues with rodent like rats, rabbits, groundhogs extra..?? What do you to control them.
Thanks for the video 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
You read my mind. I was going to ask the same thing!
I found electric fence 6” off the ground keeps groundhogs, rabbits and my dogs out of the garden. It’s a solar unit and works well!
@@jessicakirchoff2536 I have kids, god forbid I forget to turn it off.
"If you live in places like Arizona, that are dry and don't have freezing weather..."
Somebody living in Flagstaff:
"What? :S"
We used cinder blocks for our raised beds, which we used for 14 gardening seasons. We live in New York, up near Lake Ontario, and never had problems with them cracking. What we did encounter was that they would shift due to the freeze/thaw cycle. We also found that ants loved to live in them. We’ve now replaced the cinder blocks in our main space with beds made from untreated pine. Because we decided to expand our garden this year, we used those cinder blocks to create a new space. Not ideal, especially because we just placed them in a rough rectangle, but they provided a visual barrier for our lawn guy who would have made a mess of the garden if they hadn’t been there.
Great timing for this episode! I was just thinking yesterday about adding a large raised bed. Another possible "material" we've used is old livestock feed or water bins (we're in Nebraska so plenty around). They're usually steel or rubberized plastic. Bonus if they're already cracked on the bottom for drainage. Appreciate all the valuable gardening info you provide!
Check your local saw mill. I was able to acquire some "free firewood" which are big slabs off the trees. I put them together and made beds! Rustic look and I love it 🥰
Luke. I live in Prescott Valley, AZ. We have freezing weather here. My tomato plants just froze to death because of our past 4 nights of freezing temperatures. Even in southern AZ there are many freezing nights.
I did not hear you mention redwood. What are your thoughts on that type of wood for raised gardens?
What do you think about using wattle made of downed branches to form the raised bed?
I was at your store very nice, and the land you just got is so close to my childhood home. Good luck to your new projects!!
You may want to look at the increase in lumber prices. You can’t build raised beds for the same cost you used to pay.
Exactly. My husband built 2 woodshop tables cost him $400. A $1.50 wood now costs $5. It is ridiculous to buy wood right now. Plus my husband works for home depot.
Truth lumber has doubled, if not tripled in price since this spring.
All the hurricane damage in our area has pushed lumber prices through the roof 😢
@HALF MT Yes, a continuous increase this century, with an all-time high in June, 2008. We all know who was in office then and why those prices kept going up . . . And right again, they never went back down to pre-war prices.
@HALF MT It hit 1.39 here for awhile. It's still about 1. 70.
MIgardener, growing up we simply made stone walls, in the northeast US our harvest of stone from the garden outweighed the food :) so readily available just needs labor and a bit of annual maintenance.
have you ever thought of using old tires? could be a free long lasting alternative.
Wow I’m so glad cedar is a great wood. I live out in the middle of nowhere hill country and there’s so much cedar people burn it. So materials found, now I just got to learn how to process natural wood!
Edit: So it's actually Mountain Juniper but the wood is bendy even when it's dry so I'm looking into wattle fences for the beds and since everyone hates these trees, people clear their land all the time so I'll post in my local community and pick up some free mulch!
We see freezing weather in AZ. Another option for low cost garden trim or raised bed wood I've used is pallet wood.
I found 42x42 inch cedar raised bed kits on clearance last winter. Bought 3 for around 60
When lumber skyrocketed in price, I went with concrete blocks. I found it took me a while to get everything level but am happy with the results. I only went two blocks high did put rebar down the holes to keep them from moving.
We built two 4 foot by 12 foot raised beds about 3 ft tall with landscape block and have been quite happy with it for three years now.
I have made steel beds with recycled washer drums. I found a recycling appliance place and purchased three, spray pained with rust oleum light grey. Very cheap to purchase. They are really great. Before that I purchased end of the season fire rings that were marked down. I have found old deck wood from neighbors and purchased valve wood at Lowe’s or Menards. It is a hunt, but lots of fun to do.
We had wood raised beds and like you said, they lasted about 8 yrs, but we did let them get real deteriorated before replacing them. Now we have Cinder blocks. We just placed them in place 2 high without mortaring them together. We are in Northern IL and have gone through 3 years without any cracked blocks. Praying they continue to hold up.
I live in Quebec, Canada. Humid summers, freezing winter. I have raised beds of cedar and cinder blocks. They are all going strong for five years now!
I build raised containers 1ft deep 3 ft off the ground. 4×4 legs treated and 2x12 pine. So far so good yr.2. Also have raised beds 2ft high. They are on their forth year and looking good out in the Pacific northwest.
Also a good option for filling raised beds is to check your local landscaping/excavating companies. I got a whole truck bed full of manure compost that is completely composted for $43.(includes $10 loading fee). That is extremely cheap compared to buying bagged soils from hardware stores. They do the same for mulch or topsoil. I highly recommend it. It will save you a ton and will be great to plant in.
I used 2x10 Douglas Fir untreated, they are fairly expensive, but the life expectancy is around 10 years. Not as expensive as cedar. Very beefy.
Did you seal them?
@@andrearobinson3491 No sealer, they are 5 years old now, and they are still doing good.
Here in SoCal (San Diego), cinder blocks get super hot and can bake your plants if you plant too closely, or if you plant inside the holes.
I put rocks around my in ground garden and the soil level has increased to match it from mulch and ammendments so now my garden is about 8 inches higher than the rest of my yard. In New Jersey my untreated pine after 3 years has had about 20% of the boards completely rot away. I figure it will fail at some point in year 4.
I bought 8 3x6 foot galvanized steel raised bed kits on Amazon for $70 each this year. Took most of my savings, and could only afford to fill 4 so far. (I don’t have my own compost yet.) Very expensive, but being able to grow my own veggies without having to till is going to be so worth it. One is full of carrots now. One is full of garlic (3 braiding types). One is full of radishes, golden beets, perpetual spinach and collard greens. And the other will be filled tomorrow because my onion sets are coming. Hoping to have all 8 assembled and full of soil by spring for potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers, among other things.
Hi Luck. The way that wood prices are going galv. metal looks better and better. Also if only staying for a year or two consider containers. If you look around they can be obtained relatively chip and reused.
here we do mounts that we layer every year with our homemade compost. the secret to deal with weeds, layer a good amount of woodchips around the mount and you are good to go.
i use cinder blocks in MT. We get sub zero temps been like 10 years but i dont allow soil in the cinder block and I top them with paving stones which seems to keep them from cracking
Cristina
i took some sheet aluminum and some metal stakes ( all free and re purposed from something else ) and built 2 10 x 4 raised garden beds that are about 4 foot tall and filled it hugelkultur style with old logs and fallen debris on my property. then ive been adding my own compost, native soil, leaves, and leaf mould i can scrape out of my ditches by the road. Im going to let it all decompose and settle over winter so its ready for next spring. It hasnt cost me a dime yet except the manual labor. its cheap but hard work
Nice video thank you! You're right there's many different options, then within each of those there are even more. Currently I have 3 made from untreated pine, 4x8, 4x4, 4x6. I hope to build another. I appreciate getting a sense of the different sizes. I used 2x6s, two layers so they're 12" deep. Happy with this though I might like one board higher to help keep critters out.
What I currently am doing is using some 4x4 posts that are grooved for side boards to slide in them. The side boards is something that I can get from scrap pallets and crates. If I have to replace the boards every few years it will be easy. I just lift the boards up I want to replace and drop new boards back in.
I have made root bags out of landscaping fabric and outdoor thread. It has helped me expand my garden every year, as my compost in the bags get dumped in areas i want permanent raised beds like for asparagus and kiwi. They work really well on the hillside because it doesn't have to be level to stand up straight. My plants do fine including tomato and squash. I will probably be using them quite awhile.
Luke, you forgot two other options. What about Aircrete panels with interlocking sides & ends ? Also, self watering raised beds using pond liners.
We just installed two 4’x10’beds (12” high). I voted for simple utility grade dimensional lumber...he voted for premium grade cedar. My solution was just under $50 his choice was $220. My garlic does not know the difference. We live in Seattle.
I love "my garlic does not know the difference"
Hey Luke, we flame our new wooden raised beds, to make it more durable. Blessings from Germany.
Another great video Luke have learned so much from you raised bed is the only way I go and yes I do have a landlord that lets me do pretty much what I want God bless you can't wait for you next one
core-ten steel is probably the most expensive material for raised garden beds, but it is also the most decorative and will fit into any regular or modern architecture. I am so glad you bought up about the new pressure treated wood not leaching any chemicals to the soil...this is a long lasting myth from the days of creosote and is still touted today......this myth is used to justify the expense of untreated wood for 'kit set' garden beds.....Since I have been in the garden longer than your folks, let alone you, have been alive and have been a professional gardener for 30 years, I find your knowledge exceptional.
With adding soil to a raised bed..the one element you didn't mention......if you use expensive garden mix's, composts or other 'man-made' soil it will continue to compost and by the end of a season the bed will be almost devoid of soil...what I have found over the years is to use a clean topsoil as a base, build that to almost the top of your bed and then lightly tamp down while adding/working in your garden mix, vege mix or compost as a very top layer. You have less soil loss and you can keep your overall cost down....usually topsoil is the cheapest soil available, and if it is a clay based soil (which is usually the most nutrient rich but can be locked up) that has other soils/bark fines to help it be friable, this is nutrient rich which is excellent for your beds.
A cinder block retaining wall can last a long time, provided you build it well. In 1953, my mom built one about four courses high and 25 feet long across the front of the lot where we were living. It was still standing and straight when we moved out in 1967. What she did was to dig a trench about eighteen inches below the lower ground level, fill it with concrete, make sure it was flat and level, then build the wall on top of that. The dirt she used for fill was rich in sand and gravel, since our town is built on the terminal moraine of the great glacier. That meant that the soil behind the wall was very well drained. The average minimum winter temperature during those years was -20 F., so I saw many less well made walls lean over and topple from frost heaving. One advantage to a cinder block wall is that, if you cap it with flat blocks, you can sit on it while you work on your garden.
I'd love to know the name of that beautiful kale plant behind you. (if it is kale .lol ) I love my raised beds. I am older and appreciate the less bending that my 12 inch beds provide. Thanks for the info.
In europe it is called palm tree kale.
The tall green one is cavalo nero kale.
Dinosaur kale or lacinto or something like that. Everyone around me in Montana call it dinosaur kale.
I built my beds for FREE using small logs. I can drive around my area (in the suburbs) any day of the week and find piles of small logs from people having their trees trimmed... a lot of good hardwoods like oak and mulberry that last years and cost me nothing. On a side note I also make compost with free resources... bags of leaves people throw out in the fall, or grass clippings in summer... free manure from a stable nearby... free coffee grounds from coffee shops.. free fruits and vegetables from grocery store dumpsters, which also provide me with a few free seeds. There's all kinds of free resources for people on a budget.
go to tractor supply the fire rings are about 40 they did go up 10 dollars
and galvanized steel are about 17 dollars a 10 foot piece and will get enough tof 1 0r 3 beds depending on the height you want
I worked for an electrical manufacturing company for over 30 years and ended up with 16 - 4 foot x 10 foot 2x10 ruff saw pallets for raised beds they lasted 18 years now I mound and use 1/2" conduit and 6x6 concrete reinforcing wire for cages and trellis
I just built some raised beds using spruce logs I got for free from someone who thinned out their lot. I have also built a three-foot raised bed with salvaged 2x4's & cupboard doors; made them hugoculture beds.
?!? Do you mean Hügelkultur ?
@@nathalie_desrosiers yes. I thought I spelled it incorrectly. Auto spell didnt fix that one. :)
Great information; better video!!! Thanks!!! Me and mine wish you and yours all things great and good!!! Take care, be safe, all my best and God bless!!! Chuck Knight from Buffalo, Texas. 🤠🐩🖖✝️
I need to watch this, cause I've been on the fence about making one.
That sounds uncomfortable, pull up a chair and have a seat.
Same!
Just make one. Even if its small. 🙂
I saw a video making one out of pallets. James prigioni the food Forest made one. it's seems pretty easy
Check out aldo pepper’s self watering, sub irrigated raised bed containers. It will blow your mind.
Well hmm. I built my raised beds out of cinder blocks last year hoping for super long life. We are hopefully in our forever home. I hope Missouri doesn't end up in the freezing and breaking category. We don't get nearly as cold as Michigan at least ... I don't think metal would have been a good option though, I can only imagine how hot it would get in our intense sun.
Great timing. I am wanting to build raised beds for next year. I live in Las Vegas. It is very hot, very dry and the native soil is not good. I am wanting to do galvanized steel because they need to be deep and sturdy. I have used containers here so far but they dry out ridiculously fast in the desert climate.
You know those metal rims that they put a lid on and call a manhole? I found an old one left laying with 2 pallets of bricks and cinderblocks in the alley by my house. Used the bricks to make a terrace in a slope and now have an elderberry nursery growing away in a manhole
I made my raised bed with a ware house pallet and plastic on the bottom and sides with some breathe holes. It's about 6 in deep per bed. I realized now it may not be enough inches deep for my veggies
I use galvanized beds, $65/6’x3’
Cinder blocks- you can paint the inside of the box with foundation paint. If they are laid on a poor draining surface like a concrete pad put weep holes in the bottom joints every 18". Lastly line them with foam to stop freezing pressures.
It will last indefinitely. Just a bit of know how and prep makes a lifetime product.
Thanks so much! This was super helpful. Last year, during the lockdown, I had difficulty acquiring material for my raised beds here in WV. I ended up buying some red oak fence panels from a local guy on fb marketplace. So far, they’ve held up very well. This year I want to add on to my raised garden, but I’m hoping to find the most affordable option. The information you provided really helps. You have no idea how much support you bring to our garden community. Much appreciated! 🙏
You are right about cinder blocks freezing and cracking. But, concrete blocks do not. There are two types of blocks. Concrete blocks are smoother so they don't tend to freeze and crack as easily, Price here about the same, I'm in zone 4a in nny state, -20 to -35 F. Just across from Canada, About an hour by back roads Great video and great info. I always look forward to them, keep them coming!
This spring we made ours with untreated pine boards. I lined the inside with thick plastic and painted the outside. Hopefully this will extend the life expectancy.
what about a "sunken" bed? i.e., digging a hole 4' wide by 8' long by 1+' deep, and then filling it in with compost or the like?
advantages: no perimeter wall to degrade, saving money, easy to revert to a lawn if no longer want the bed.
disadvantages: leaning over/back pain, perhaps easier attack by bugs.
your thoughts?
One advantage of raised beds is that I can put wire on the bottom to keep the moles from tearing it up every night.
I'm trying straw bale gardening this year! I'd like to see you make a video about straw bale gardening and Kugelkulture, both above ground methods for compacted poor clay soils. I'm doing a bit of a hybrid straw bale garden with large rectangles and then the center is filled with compost and top soil mix, so I can grow root vegetables and cooler crops like lettuces in the centers on the north side of attached hog panels, which will feature vining plants like peas, squash, cucumbers.
Debbie here......love your info...heard ya talk about cedar be good thing....may I add. Re claimed cedar decking is great for raised bed as well. And free....I’m on year 4.. when putting the box together, I put the underside of the deck board on the outside..the stained side is inside of the box, so they look nice as well....🐝🐝🐝
We built a 3' tall, 10' long retaining wall of concrete blocks w/ no mortar over 5 yrs ago. Even tho we live in Michigan (zone 5 at best ... zone 4 some yrs), it's still standing & not bulging any place. I wanted it to be easily moved if we decided to. If it ever falls, I can just build it again.
Thanks for taking the time to educate. It is very much appreciated.
An option I considered a year ago that would last a long time is wood composite decking boards with short lengths of rebar into the ground for support.
4:00 Western Cedar is very expensive in my local because it comes from California and from many Forest Fire ridden areas...
I get freezes down to -18 degrees and have 2 Four foot by 32 foot Cinder block raised beds, never had a single block freeze and crack.
Thank you so much for information about the rise beds. Very useful. I’m going to do it this autumn.
I also used wooden pallets that had hay on it. Also free except the box of nails.
If you want a taller raised bed but don't want to fill it with as much soil, wouldn't the smart thing to do be to build it around straw bales, which would raise the level considerably and provide a core for the core gardening method that you advocate?
I've decided to go with galvanized steel on all beds as I replace the older pine and cedar ones. Sure, they cost alot, but I am not looking forward to rebuilding and replacing beds. Plus wood is getting more expensive, and I like tall beds. Might actually cost me more to build out of wood.
I find that no sides at all works well. With less slug damage. If anything I add a wood chip border if the summers hot. No cost, same result. No dig.