RANKED: The BEST (and Worst) Raised Garden Materials

let's talk about five ideas for building a raised garden or put differently what material you should use to build your raised garden I'm going to pack this video with tons of valuable information so be sure to watch it all the way through now I know a lot of you are interested in raised bed gardening and for good reason most people like to grow their vegetables and herbs in raised beds because it's easier to control the soil quality Pest Management and it can be easier to harvest your Bounty of veggies raised beds are being used more and more for decorative Landscaping as well just look at these [Music] no matter how you're thinking of using raised beds in your garden this video will help you decide on what type of raised bed you want to either buy or build and if there are some of you out there who want to try something other than the five materials I'm recommending here I'll talk about some specific materials to avoid if you're going to be an independent thinker at least arm yourself with good info am I right for those who don't know I'm Akers greenbed your affable Garden Guru dispensing all my garden knowledge With a Little Help from the internet let's be honest for your consumption my goal is for you to be extremely successful with all your gardening Ambitions I want that thumb of yours to turn so green that even your hippie neighbor who spends all their time cultivating gigantic artichokes will be jealous yeah just a little jealous let's get started with five ideas for building raised garden beds number five I'm not going to start with the obvious cedar or wood bed here let's talk about something a little outside the box have you ever considered using cinder blocks no well you should and before the cinderblock nerds out there protest with a quick click off or angry comment let me clarify the concrete blocks you can buy today at your local gigantic box store or hopefully local hardware store aren't actually cinder blocks cinderblocks is an Antiquated term but it's also just a general term for concrete blocks that look like this you don't actually want to build a raised bed out of genuine cinder blocks salvaged from some old building those cinder blocks were made from fly ash or coal particles and contain arsenic lead Mercury and other heavy metals but don't worry if you're buying the new concrete blocks you'll be fine the reason modern day cinderblocks make for great raised beds is they're relatively cheap incredibly durable and they're modular cinder blocks are eight inches tall by eight inches wide and 16 inches long so if you want a 16 inch tall bed you just stack the blocks too high if you want a 24 inch bed you guessed it add another layer of cinder blocks you know the exact dimensions you're working with so it makes it really easy to play on your beds word of advice here though just plan well you don't want to go through all the work of hauling in the blocks and setting them up just to realize your raised garden bed isn't laid out the way you'd prefer concrete cinder blocks are incredibly durable have a long lifespan are inexpensive and flexible in the shape and size of beds you can make with them if you're considering building a raised bed which if you're watching this video is probably a pretty good bet you are you should at least consider this option I've included a link in the description to a great article about how to build Cinder or concrete block raised beds just one caveat if you click the link you're required to subscribe and turn on notifications or else it won't work well actually it will still work but you know I'm trying here guys okay on to number four number four wood all right let's get the classic and obvious option out of the way with some details about using wood that you may not know what is a great option for raised beds there are a lot of ways you can go about it and plenty of plans on the internet to do so if you're handy with a saw tape measure and a drill or Hammer have at it I've used wood in the past to build my raised beds and it's probably the easiest DIY option but beware there are some things you should consider when well considering wood first off if you're using untreated Lumber it won't last very long especially if you go with a cheaper option like pine pine is like a sponge it'll soak up anything that it's exposed to and that leads to Quick rot and decomposition it's cheap but it won't last you can of course add a wood preservative to make your Pine's life expand say that five times fast just don't use chemicals that will leach into your plants especially if you want to grow food in your raised beds which most of you do linseed oil or pure tongue oil are good options to extend the life of your raised bed how long you ask well it depends on the environment but five to ten years is a safe bet if you're interested in using wood for a raised bed I'd advise you to use a naturally rot resistant wood like Cedar you know what they say about cedar cedar cedar it's so great we'll use cedar for okay actually they don't say anything special about Cedar other than it's the ideal choice for a wood raised garden bed you could also consider black locust or Redwood although those are less readily available unlike Cedar if you choose a naturally rot resistant wood expect a 10 to 15 year lifespan that's not too shabby right okay on to number three stock tanks moving away from the DIY options a bit to one of our prefab options stock tanks are great and can be reasonably priced if you're unfamiliar stock tanks are used on farms to feed and water livestock they're made of metal and require no assembly they come in various sizes and will last a very long time if you live in a rural area you can usually find these at your local feed store or have them wondered in if you live in an urban area you're probably very confused about what a feed store is kidding kidding of course I'm sure all of you are well aware of what a feed store is okay you didn't come here for bad jokes let's talk about stock tanks although stock tanks have become rather fashionable as raised garden beds lately there are some drawbacks first off they're not particularly flexible or shippable since they come as is they're also metal so they can get very hot in the summertime watch those thighs while harvesting your sixth round of tomatoes or your legs might get a little burnt and turn just as red as your Aromas I like my raised bed to have a wide top Edge for sitting or placing containers on as you pick your produce but that won't matter to many people if you're looking for a ready-made option that requires zero assembly stock tanks can be a great option just remember to drill drainage holes in the bottom you don't want to accidentally make a veggie soup out of your raised bed after a heavy rain number two corrugated metal this might be the trendiest option for raised beds these days corrugated metal is a great option because it's nearly as flexible as wood but should last longer you can cut it to size and piece it together as you like a lot of people build a wood frame and use the metal for the sides this gives you a lot of flexibility but it also adds some of the issues you have when building an all wood race bed which is the wood will rot and decompose over time but with this option there's less wood to expose to the elements which is generally a good idea as I mentioned corrugated metal raised beds have also become rather trendy these days some people like the look of them While others don't I suspect if you like to look at the stock tank option you'll like the look of these as well one cool thing about corrugated metal beds is you don't have to build your own there are a lot of prefabricated options on the market at a wide price range you can buy some high quality ones that will last decades or go for a bit cheaper option but still have that corrugated look and durability the nice thing is most of these kits require assembly although I realize for many of you out there that actually sounds like a nightmare it does allow them to be shipped rather inexpensively and they are generally pretty easy to put together this is the option I'm currently using for my raised beds oh just remember same rule applies to stock tanks they get hot in the summer be careful okay before we get to number one on the list let's talk about a couple options you should never in my opinion use for raised beds pressure treated wood wood pallets and railroad ties with all of these you run the risk of using wood with some sort of combination of toxic chemicals and pesticides I'm not going to dig into the details here I'll probably make another video on that subject at some point but I'd strongly advise you to avoid these materials altogether if you subscribe like this video and turn on notifications you'll be able to access the link I've provided in the description that goes into detail about these materials and why you're playing with fire trying to use them for your raised beds the other material I'd avoid using is old tires upcycling is great but personally I still think it's too risky because of the chemicals used in the process of making the tires this is of course more of a concern if you're growing food in your raised bed if you're just going for pretty and you think old tires are pretty by all means fill your yard with them okay on to number one number one steal yes I know I covered corrugated metal but that's like comparing the Ford to a Ferrari both are cars but not really in the same class full steel beds will be pricier than most of the other options not Ferrari pricey but still more than a cinder block bed so why steal well first off they're super durable they can last upwards of 30 years and the good news is that since they're becoming more and more popular they are easier than ever to get years ago if you wanted a steel raised bed you'd have to have it custom made that's not the case anymore some more positives steel is a heat sink and can extend your raised bed growing season into earlier spring or later fall if you live in a wetter climate they won't rot like your wood options if you don't like the Rusted look be sure to build with galvanized steel but boy just look at these beds they are pretty [Music] some other reasons you might want to consider steel is for their modern look it's a sustainable resource according to the internet anyway and it's food safe material if you guys want to learn more about steel raised beds be sure to check out the article I included in the description because you're welcome because I'm here to spread knowledge that's my job as the guardian Guru so what do you guys think which option is right for you is there an option I missed that you'd like me to cover in future videos chime in in the comments as I end this video I just wanted to give a huge shout out to Dave Lambert the world's greatest High School Horticulture teacher be sure to like subscribe and hit the notifications because one Garden Guru video is Never Enough i'maker's greenbed turning thumb screen one video at a time wishing everyone happy gardening thank you [Music]

Channel: Garden Guru

Views: 48,832

Keywords: gardening, garden, vegetable garden, yard, yard advice, landscaping, landscape, tree, shrubs, annuals, garden guru, green thumb, acres, greenbed, lawn, backyard, flowers, hanging baskets, perrenials, plants, greenhouse, innovations, spade, seeds, veggies, veggie seeds, raised bed, raised garden bed, yard help, how-to, planting, soil, yarde help, yard how-to, yard work, smart, garden advice, acres greenbed, yard rennovation, fertilizer, horticulture, bulbs, potting soil, epic gardening, epic garden

Id: eH2VGcUENPk

Length: 10min 53sec (653 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 06 2022