Turn Metal Stock Tanks Into Raised Beds!
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2024
- Galvanized metal stock tanks can easily be converted into beautiful raised garden beds in just a few steps. There are several advantages to using stock tanks to grow fruits and vegetables including large growing space, better protection from pests, and more ergonomic. Check out this tutorial to learn how to prep and place your stock tank, and fill it in a way that will drastically reduce the amount you spend on gardening soil.
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I have been using three stock tanks for years. I just took out the drain plug. No drilling of holes, no cement blocks. Just two feet of organic material so that roots can go deep. I didn't fill it to the very top so that when it rains it does not splash dirt everywhere. I add soil every spring as required. A huge difference from ground gardening. Easy on my back. I also use two whiskey barrel halves that drain okay on their own. I recently started using an old fibreglass canoe with a long horizontal crack near the top. Works well and looks neat in the garden. I got my tree guy to source four large stumps which I put around the canoe. I put flower pots on the stumps. Having an extended growing season this year, no frost as of Oct 1.
Appreciate this! Been ruminating on getting one or of a few of these for a few years, and after viewing the go time feels more imminent :) Gracias
I put gravel in the bottom of mine and the drain plug was sufficient for the water draining out.
Wife & I plan to do this come Spring. Our land is too rocky for a conventional garden plus I hate weeding & tilling! Raised beds FTW
Very nice project. Exactly what I want to do here in west Michigan.
i used one of these this season. it worked great and i used just the drain by adding about 5 inches of rock to the bottom and a bit extra rock abound the drain then i just filled it with soil. didnt add wood to that one but i have been with my new beds im filling now
Looks awesome, i think you could have added some perlite to make the soil less compacted
Nicely done! I put in 15 stock tanks last year and they work better than anything I have used. They should outlive me :) I just got 15 more so I have a lot of work to do to get them ready for the fall crop. You will really love these.
Thank you! I love them so far. I used to have wooden raised beds but they definitely don’t have the longevity of the stock tanks. Good luck with your garden!
Would ·love to see a pi pic of the arrangement
Thanks for this video... mixing soil in your truck bed had me in stitches. That's using your "engine"-uity! Quick suggestion: next time you're mixing a lot of soil like you did, either line your truck bed with a large tarp, or mix the soil on a tarp on the ground. We always use that method at our landscape jobs. Easier cleanup and pretty much no wasted resources or added cleanup time. Would love to see a follow up vid on how these galvanized tanks are holding up over the years, especially using the Hugelkultur method; did the sides buckle at all? and what about soil moisture levels? Thanks!
I would’ve used one of the other stock tanks to mix it
A few suggestions, based on experience:
1) If you want to protect your investment and prolong the life of your stock tank, seal the edges of the holes with a non-toxic sealant - You just defeated the purpose of the galvanize by cutting through it, inviting rust.
2) Put 1/4" hardware cloth in the bottom of the tank, over the holes. If you have gophers and you place the tank on the ground rather than raised on a frame, holes the size you drilled make a perfect entrance.
3) The purpose of the wood scrap in the bottom of the tank is both for fill and to provide nutrients to the soil/plants as the material breaks down (Hugelkukture). Pine and other resinous woods are not good as it takes so long to break down.
p.s. You sure wasted a lot of soil (and effort) by washing that soil out of your truck...
I was wondering about the pine shavings. I’ve read fresh shavings deplete the soil of nutrients.
@@lisawells4958 I don't think pine shavings are more an issue than any other wood - they will all deplete the soil of nitrogen as they are broken down. As I said above, the resinous woods break down more slowly so they don't ADD to the soil as quickly.
One way to counteract the depletion of nitrogen caused by the breaking down of the wood is to add alfalfa, either in with the wood or on top of it, under your "good" soil mix. A good source is the pelletized alfalfa horse feed found at feed supply stores - i.e., Tractor Supply. Alfalfa is very high in nitrogen, so you're adding a good supply of what the break down process takes out. Alfalfa pellets are relatively cheap - in my location, a 50 pound bag cost about $15 last season. You'll probably have to add another 50% to the cost this year because of inflation, but it is still a great way to boost your mix.
Nix the music..
Look into self wicking stock tank garden.
I put straw bales in my raised bed.
Sticks or rotting small logs in the bottom of the tank is called the Hugelkultur method .
great video but you need to get yourself a good cement mixer to blend your soil mix!
May I ask where you purchased your tanks?
for those reading, you can get free mulch from your city compost to fill
And you will have no idea what that compost is composed of. I'm not even talking about organic here. Think about plants killed with herbicides or diseased plants that could infect your garden. Many plant diseases are not killed off by composting.
How do you keep all the tanks appropriately watered throughout the year?
Looks nice!! where did you buy those stock tanks from? how much was each one? Thanks
His were made by Behlen. Harbor Freight has SOME tanks made by Behlen and a larger variety made by County Line. County Line is more expensive and has better reviews - but the complaints about Behlen are mostly about some leakage. That is important in a stock (water) tank, but not a problem for a planter. Home Depot has an extensive line of Behlen stock tanks.
I just took a quick look at my local agri retail store here in Ontario (equiv of TSC etc) and the prices on these galvanized stock tanks were insane. Like $800 CAD. So I can't see this being an economical approach unless one happened to have an excess supply of these things.
Would saw dust be a good filler? How many years do they last before starting to rust out?
I’ve read fresh saw dust/shaving robs the soil of nutrients.
Just wondering if you got ants in your bed from the fallen lumber?
Did you get good enough drainage? I see that you drilled a bunch of holes but then it is sitting right on the ground, so aren’t the holes being clogged up right away?
I replaced the plug in mine with a boiler valve that I can open up. Then I filled the bottom with large stones and a screen in front of the drain so water will come out through the drains after filtering through the large stones. Honestly don’t know if my method will be good or not so I’m curious how your drainage works out.
I thought about using stock tanks for planters, but was afraid that once I drilled holes for drainage I was just asking for rusting to start. Won't that be an issue?
I appreciate the info but the music has to go. I keep muting it and then miss what you say.
"Make sure to wear gloves and eye protection"....then proceeds to scatter bits of toe cutting shards all over the yard :D
that was my first thought
all the pine chips really lower the PH in the soil :(
Pretty sure tomatoes prefer an acidic soil
Look into this and you will find that pine actually doesn't lower the Ph that much - it takes a LOT of pine to significantly adjust the Ph. Pine needles are best for lowering the Ph if added when they are still green. They don't offer much if they have already dried.
Great design..poor microphine handling
really a stock tank , twice as much as anything else its size, its metal so pulls heat into roots and doesn't let moisture out, the sun is brutal on these things try touching one in Utah summer at 105 degrees, even the horse4 water heats up.
Colder areas and short seasons, it would be good.
Must b me expensive though 😢
Drain plug is enough don’t drill into bottom.
Not cheaper than to just buy the galvanized garden beds
Not cheaper, better (stronger, taller, heavy rolled edge, thicker steel, better galvanizing)
True but most galvanized beds that I have seen are not as tall as stock tanks. For my old knees a taller stock tank would be better. Of course the shorter galv beds would require less soil and fill, advantage there.