I'm loving "no spend" months because it means you are doing a variety of interesting projects. The garden is fabulous and I'm envious. You've come a long way from the "no expectations" garden of a few years back. I can't wait to see it full of green
Exactly! Curiosity got the best of me. How much could it possibly cost for a little hunk of circular stuff. Just under $2k. Yup. Well worth it if they are in a flood plain.
If you add more beds, definitely fill them based on Hugelkultur principles. You'll fill base with logs, sticks, leaves, etc., and add soil on top. It saves $ on soil and creates a nutrient rich environment of decomposing organic materials. I also add coir to my soil to retain moisture (less watering).
Exactly what I was thinking! It's a great way to mimic nature and give an organic base that breaks down over time, and adds fertility. You can also check with Utility companies, for chipped trimmings from line maintenance!
You don’t have to fill them entirely with soil. You can put slash ( chopped up branches ) in the bottom as fill, and then add soil. In a season as the branches compost, you continue adding your own compost as top fill, and to continue adding nutrients to the soil.
I am a retired construction electrician. About fifteen years ago we were digging on a large construction site. The storm drains were also being installed. I was given my first piece of 24 inch pipe. Over time I picked up more scrap pipe. I used the plastic pipe for tomato beds. I grow Irish potatoes in 18 inch pipe. When the vines die back we lift the pipe & harvest the potatoes. Every year we make compost with our neighbor's bags of grass clippings. We add all our kitchen scraps. We put pieces of logs in the bottom of the beds. We collect scrap fish bones from our local fish market. We do both deep composting & shallow composting. Over time we develop all of the things that make perfect soil. I mix the new compost by digging holes in the beds with post-hole diggers. There are so many advantages to raised bed gardening.
No need to dig at all - just place a couple of inches of compost on the top and the soil life will do it's job and feeder roots are right near tge surface anyway. When you dig you destroy soil life along with all the work they've done the year before. For more info on this you can't go past Charles Dowding but I've been a no dig gardener for over 50 years and can arrest to how it changed my soil - unbelievable!! I have 12" raised beds because where I now live my yard is under a couple of inches of water in winter sometimes.
Wow, this video was epic! I have always wanted a raised garden. Growing your own food, knowing that it’s truly organic is worth it. Ashley, will you start preserving your harvest? I’m not sure who had more fun in the tubing Doug or Maverick. Either way it was fun to see. Be blessed.
@@diyfferent - I keep saying I m going to preserve (can) and here I am on about my 15th year just eating the fresh produce, sharing with family and friends, and freezing some like snow peas and peppers. I eat a lot myself right out of garden. Asparagus raw is so delicious. Kale too! Do yourself a favor and grow rhubarb. Pies, cobblers, a cooked concoction with a little sugar poured warm over vanilla ice cream! The best!!!
Oh my gosh!! What a fun video. All the way around! Maverick is becoming quite the utube star!! Love that it was an all family activity. And kids seeing mom and dad having fun is important!! And the diligence it took to complete this project is a priceless skill the kids are learning!! Bravo mom and dad!!👏👏👏👏
This is so great...I have wanted to see this development for a long time. I love all the house stuff but this is a step in your future of self sufficiency. So cool...I love the design and layout. Thanks for sharing this.
Nice idea, just make sure you keep reminding everyone that the outside of the pipe will get quite warm on bare legs. I like that you gave your spacing another foot looks great ! Maverick is so darn cute. He was so excited. Great job !
Yes, it represents progress doesn't it? You've done repairs, maintenance, improvements on what's already there , but the garden beds are progress towards your goals. Well done.
Hi gardening friend. I did this about 10 years ago and it was wonderful. My husband runs heavy equipment and builds roads and subdivisions and brought home end pieces of culverts all different sizes. I used smaller ones for herbs. But the latest are made from worn out mini excavator tracks ❤
I kind got teary eyed remembering the plans in Kokomo, and seeing that your family is still working on those dreams! I can’t wait to see what you guys will do next! This garden is SO CLEVER!!!
I love that you made all the painted lines on the culvert facing the same direction! And the joyful grateful spirit shines throughout this video. Praise God for so many blessings this garden will bring your family.
The one thing I love about both of you is you do put a lot of thought into everything you do, I absolutely love, love, love your garden beds! Yes, they are a bit costly, you can think of it as an investment that will pay off in the end.
Love the new garden beds! Great idea. We put in several raised beds, in Arizona, several years ago and I love them. We put ours higher, because we're in our late 60's and wanted to be able to reach everything easier as we get older. Our soil is very alkaline, so buying topsoil was also critical for us. I'm sure you're going to really enjoy growing the food you like to eat, and the kids will enjoy it too!
Oh my gosh! Makes you want to jump right in playing with Maverick! Dada couldn't resist either! Lol! Those kind of moments are what Maverick will remember and tell his children and grandchildren. So much joy in his laugh! Smart idea on using the pipe for your raised bed garden. A break from the renovation, but fulfilling what Ashley and you have wanted to do for a long time. Made my day happier watching Maverick and you giving fun.
This is the COOLEST garden EVER!!!! I can't wait to see how this works out for y'all!! And maverick was SO adorable playing in the tube lol! I loved watching everyone work together!
I built 6 raised beds a few years ago and filled them with old logs and branches for the bottom third then filled the rest with soil just like yours. My first year the garden was fantastic and it has gotten better each year. Now each bed has lots of worms and rich rich soil. Your's will be the same. Bonus Comment: OMG Maverick is a star.
Happy for you guys. Growing your own food is one of the most satisfying things possible. I have been raised bed gardening for decades. Your choice of material is very ingenious and well considered,,, as always!!! Plants are so responsive to loving attention and the time spent in the garden a boost to spirit. It is primal for humans and an antidote for what for anxiety. Gardening is the essence of slow living. Lay some loving on the planet and mother nature rewards in multiples. Yup!!! I know exactly what you mean when you say "this is just for us". Enjoy your new family journey.
I am loving this no spend months! Lots and lots of videos!! I was wondering how you'd garden.. you could have used tires but, this works! When i did raised bed potatoes we used tires, newspapers and of course starters. Worked wonders! Also wow! The yard looks amazing... so cleaned up! Thank you so much for these videos!
I’ve had a friend build me some raised beds and a greenhouse with 5 gallon buckets on a raised platform. Due to mobility issues, being legally blind, and not able to bend down for more than 20 seconds, I had him build them to 38” high and spaced 36” in order to fit a small wagon cart between them. I’ve also filled the bottom foot with leaves/grass clippings and regular dirt in order to save money on finished, amended soil to plant in. Looks great and trust the sand will keep most of the weeds down around the beds. Can’t wait to see what you guys end up growing. BTW - here in Memphis, I had to cover things with 40% shade cloth in order not to have my plants burn up in the Summer heat (100f+). May want to plan for that in the future. 😎👍🏻🌱
Now that is a really wonderful idea. Something you might consider, since Mavrick is still pretty young, is painting the outsides of your beds all in different colors. Then you can tell him to go grab a carrot from the orange bed or to see if there are any ripe tomatoes in the yellow bed, or to pick some spinach and lettuce from the turquoise bed or to pick a few leaves of basil from the purple bed. You can even make up a key as part of a homeschooling lesson. Of course Belle can go with him to make sure he doesn't take out whole plants or more carrots or tomatoes than you need. Belle might even have fun painting little birds, ivy. and flowers on the beds like my daughter did. Those rings would be perfect for it. It was a fun thing to do with my kids when they were little and helped them have a little more ownership in the garden. On the improving your soil front, look for a rabbit rescue. They will likely give you free rabbit manure or sell it to you for a nominal fee. Or ask at the animal shelter. They might not be allowed to because of city ordinances, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Rabbit manure is one of the best things you can give your garden, because you are able to use it immediately since it is a cold manure. Although, I always let it dry out a day if it had urine mixed in because of the ammonia. My best garden years are when I had rabbit manure at hand. If you are settled now and not planning on moving again or going on any big trips, I'd just get a couple of rabbits.
Wow. Loving your ideas. Maverick is adorable, playing in tube. Lol so fun. Ashley forgot to tell you your hair looks great. I just love the amount of thought you put into absolutely everything. And I love what you’re doing with this house you’re choices are great love them
I'm excited for you because it's been such a long time coming, bringing this garden into fruition. Doug and Ashley, you and your family never fail to inspire others. Thank You! Love seeing the whole family working together on projects. Maverick is a chip off the old block in front of the camera. ( :
What an aweome idea! Sometimes in the middle of huge projects, quick projects can give you such an lift on seeing something accomplished that doesn't have a long wait for final results.
Great idea for the garden. I think it was a good choice of raised beds material. Adding worm castings to your soil will greatly improve the nutrients level. We have always done organic farming and never add anything accept compost, worm castings and worm juice. It makes strong healthy plants and abundant harvests of vegetables. These days with the cost of food going up so much it makes sense to grow your own and have fresh healthy, non gmo, foods. Great job. 😊
Your family amazes me every video. 4 1/2 years ago I came across your videos because I looked for mobile home. That is when I bought mine. I can’t wait looking every day for your videos. I love your calm demeanor and steadfastness. I love how you are taking a debt get caught up break. So cool you don’t have interest on it. You are so wise to do that. I’ve matured and done many things. I stayed home and homeschooled my kids and lived with less so could could manage as debt free as possible. I so enjoy all that you do.
Hello Doug Ashley Belle & Maverick,those raised garden beds are awesome!The kids are a joy to watch.Such happy good kids.Excited to see what you will be planting.🌷💕🌷
I just love the excitement in your voice and in your eyes, Doug. I can tell you are elated with the completed lay out of the raised garden. Time to get growing! I can just imagine what it will look like in the near future. Thank you for sharing. Enjoy yourselves. 🌷🌻🪻🏵️
This will work out great! I have been doing the same thing for years. My family owns a farm drainage company. Finding extra pipe to use as garden risers was easy. I use a 24-inch dullwall pipe by 2.5 ft tall, no bending over for this guy. Grass clippings for mulch works well. Leaves sticks and wood chunks for fill to save on black dirt work great for my setup. That pipe will never rot or rust great for garden risers! I'm excited to see what u plant. I'll sub. Cheers 🍻
I made mine for FREE . I got old refrigerators that where going to the dump . took off the doors and compressors. I then covered the outside with wood boards from pallets . I lined the inside with plastic put holes in it fore draining . They look and work great 😃
As usual, you took time to think about what you wanted, to research options, evaluate location, and plan everything out before beginning this project. I will be excited to see the fruits and vegetables of your labors. Loved seeing Maverick have so much fun with that pipe and seeing both he and Belle out there helping to put things in place. It is a pleasure to watch you work together.
Great idea! I think though I would add something more than that black soil, perhaps plant matter, straw chopped up or wood chips, saw dust, leaf mulch etc. so worms that come up from the soil can break it down adding more nutrients to the soil and your plants. I am so happy for you to finally have a growing area! :) I envy you!
I've been using this idea for about 8 yrs now.(I live in the UK). They are brilliant !! I got mine from a building site, they had a few bits leftover already cut. 😁
The use of that pipe was a smart idea especially due to flooding. Can't wait to see how it works. I'm finding the same problem with buying soil in my area (KY) with the wood chips, plastic, and such. Last year I put in 3 large raised beds and the top soil I bought from my local store that specializes in this looked and smelled great but it just didn't produce like it should. I have spent the winter improving it for this season. I started my seeds a few weeks ago and bought a well known national brand of potting soil and it was the same! Other gardeners in my area have had the same complaint that we are seeing too.
Hey Doug and Ashley, great idea on the raised beds! Loved seeing Maverick playing inside the pipe😁 and how this was a whole family project. We are on our 4th year with our FL raised bed garden. We also have a pond in our backyard. I am prefacing this so you understand that we have similar FL issues 🤪 Our first year we lost half of our soil. I thought it settled…nope. FL gobbled it up. The following season we added more beds. This time we lined the them with commercial grade weed barrier cloth. We stopped losing soil in those beds. Needless to say all of our raised garden beds are lined now. Good luck with your garden🙏🏻 No matter what we certainly enjoy ours. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
I work in a factory that makes plastic bags and HDPE is what retail ("grocery") bags are made of. Publix, WAWA, Walmart etc all HDPE. As are food safe ones like White Castle "To-Go" bags and Buffalo Wild Wings. HDPE is very easy to work with, more environmentally friendly because it takes a lower temp to work with, and does not leach into liquids like other kinds do.
You should make a butterfly garden with that last culvert that you have. Get a bunch of flowers that will entice butterflies so your daughter can see the different types of butterflies in the area! We might even get some new artwork! 😊
@@LoneLumbyNielsen just went and looked at pictures of this, and it's absolutely gorgeous!! Doug and Ashley should really think about getting something like this as well!
Great choice for your garden beds. So durable and relatively cheaper than other materials. You guys never disappoint me with your inventive, intelligent solutions.😊
Those culvert pipes for raised bed gardens are great. Amazing to see the whole family helping. Looks like you all had fun too. In the long run, the expense justifies the use of the pipes. Looks modern too. Well done.
I’ve been using the 24”- 36” ones for a few years, they work great. Dig down about a foot just like if you were double digging a planting area and sink them down 8”-12”. They work great.
I can't believe how tall Maverick is getting. What a sweet boy! It's fun to see him playing and helping with chores. You two certainly are blessed with those beautiful children. I never would have thought of this idea. I commissioned mine from a local guy that built 3'x3'x2' tall beds using recycled pallets. When these fade away, and they WILL degrade, I'm dang sure going to find me a 48" weatherproof covert to chop up! It has been a pleasure and shere amazement watching your family, this young(er) couple, flip houses and just work your tails off. Every detail meticulously done and have proof of every step. I'd buy one of your houses in a minute! 100% thought out quality. Keep up the good work, Y'all. I wish you and yours every good fortune and looking forward to more and more videos! Belle and Maverick, I'm curious if ma & da would let yuns show us some more of your discoveries around the property and Belle, maybe show what you've been drawing lately? I'm excited to know what ideas/directions in careers you'd be interested in when you start college one day. I figure Maverick is going to own his very own amphibian farm/zoo, lol.
I like what you did here! You are super capable, but I can offer a tiny bit of good new info for you: ***Most vegetables have a "rhizospere" root depth of 6-10"*** A few plants like corn or tomatoes can go to 12". That means spending money on soil deeper than than 12" is not necessary. Even most trees don't go deeper than 12" because in nature, the soil doesn't get enough air and normally becomes nutrient and biologically a dead/low activity zone below 12". If you need the bed raised higher because of bending over, or because of protection from the ground, you can put gravel in the lower part, and some landscape fabric over it to prevent the soil in the upper ~10" from sifting down into the gravel. The reason corn and tomatoes may have deeper roots: corn has C4 photosynthesis (it grows at night) which requires more nutrient extraction, and tomatoes can form roots out of the sides of the stem. Nothing in nature is 100%, but there are common patterns that cover the vast majority of cases, and the root zone depth is one of them. There are definitely some cases of roots going deeper in unique soils ... nature loves to break her own rules! But 12" of soil is enough. A good example is historically, before being decimated by livestock grazing the western prairie in the USA had very deep topsoil! I am generally not a fan of raised beds for food, because of the cost, the fact that you are using a fake mix instead of natural mineral soil which translates to nutritious food, and because they drain and dry out fast requiring a lot of lugging water or an irrigation system. But raised beds make sense in a place where you couldn't grow otherwise, or you are making something handicap accessible. Your beds are superior to most! Like you, I am not a fan of the wooden raised beds either. The pressure treated lumber is filled with toxins (that is why it resists being deomposed by microbes!). I like your common sense approach and your solutions. 🎯💖
Love what you've done. Thank you for explaining the properties, and cost of the pipe. It gives us a good comparison to consider when doing a garden. Love seeing the kids helping... Mavrick getting the frog out of the way of rolling the pipe, and you waiting... priceless.
Great job kids. Love the ideal of using something already made. One piece of advice I’d give you is to consider using some long pieces of rebar and anchoring each bed down. A couple of long stakes at each tub should do it. Plastic does float. I’ve seen those type culverts float out of a ditch without sufficient backfill.
A brilliant idea for raised beds (you are so creative) and great that you have increased the distance between the beds. If you wanted to add some height to the beds you could "plant" an arch from one bed to another, by doing this the crop takes up very little room in the bed and you can harvest the crops from underneath. I loved Maverick's glee at being able to play inside without having to bend down, he is a joy to watch.
What a great idea for your gardens!! You and Ashley work so hard-your work ethic is very impressing! What you are instilling in your children is just wonderful!😊
Having gardened in dark plastic raised beds in southern AZ, I can tell you that the sun beating down on the plants is more problematic than the beds heating up too much. Also think about composting your food scraps. My recommendation is a simple tumbling composter, which gives you free nutrients. If you don't want a composter, save one bed and dig your scraps into the dirt. Another cheap solution for fertilizer is to dig in chicken manure, if you can find someone with chickens. Chicken manure is "hot", meaning it is super high in nitrogen and will burn the plants unless it is allow mature in the soil or compost for a month or so. Horse manure is not as hot and might be easier to find for free. My best tip is chicken poop tea. Get a 44G barrel, add chicken poop and water, cover and let it steep. Eventually, you will end up with a great liquid fertilizer for almost nothing. But it will smell and attract flies, so a good cover is imperative. I am very excited for your garden.
You can fill these about half way up with yard debris and logs and fill the rest with soil. The wood will hold moisture and will bring in all sorts of beneficial insects as they decay.
In the high heats that black plastic will cook the soil. If you paint the outsides white and make sure to have a straw mulch layer on your top soil. The plants will do fine in high heat and dry conditions. 👍 on using the HDPE 2 and for all the new growers out there LDPE 4 and PP 5 are also recommended.
Doug and Ashley, what a great idea for raised garden beds. I look forward to your garden growing. Prices for food has gone through the roof and everyone is trying to save the best they can. Also, there is nothing better than home grown fresh vegetables to eat. Happy gardening!
Hi Doug and Ashley. Great job with the raised garden beds. You are great at thinking everything through. I love how your mind 💪. How precious is Maverick 😊. Oh, to be a kid again! Well done to you and your beautiful family 👨👩👧👦. As always keep safe and God bless your beautiful family always ❤️
Add wood pieces to the bottom and leaves and branches to help take up space, plus it will rot down and feed the soil and help bring in earth worms. Then the last 12 inches or so can be dirt.
You could look into Hugelkultur if you do more garden beds. This uses large wood pieces (logs, branches) for the bottom layer which reduces the amount of soil required to fill the beds, acts as drainage and breaks down over time, releasing nutrients. Great idea though.
Those pipe gardens are just awesome. I am glad you explained about the kind of plastic they are made from. I would never have thought of using these pipes for a garden. Thanks.
I think it’s awesome. Finding a cost effective product that gives protection from the flooding and allows for better soil is ingenious. Growing food is fun, healthy and just makes since these days. Happy growing!!!
You guys I am so impressed by the wealth of knowledge you have and what’s going to be passed down to your children. I’m giving you an Ashley Wow. Loved the video.
Me and the old man got the biggest kick out of Maverick rolling in that pipe! Made my day. What a happy child💜
He is always smiling.
@@diyfferent Very lucky children in my opinion. You're such a happy family, we love watching. Can't wait to see the future.
@@diyfferent Also, I smile everytime Maverick says "Bye" at the end (he had to take over after Ashley stopped)😆
I'm loving "no spend" months because it means you are doing a variety of interesting projects. The garden is fabulous and I'm envious. You've come a long way from the "no expectations" garden of a few years back. I can't wait to see it full of green
Maverick having fun...priceless!!!
So agree!!
Love it!
Exactly! Curiosity got the best of me. How much could it possibly cost for a little hunk of circular stuff. Just under $2k. Yup. Well worth it if they are in a flood plain.
If you add more beds, definitely fill them based on Hugelkultur principles. You'll fill base with logs, sticks, leaves, etc., and add soil on top. It saves $ on soil and creates a nutrient rich environment of decomposing organic materials. I also add coir to my soil to retain moisture (less watering).
Also save watering & fertiliser
I thought perhaps they used the soil to add weight to the beds encase of flooding.
Leah R, logs, leaves, sticks or twigs, saw-dust, ashes and charcoal, this is the foods for the insects live in the soil sash as worms, etc.
Exactly what I was thinking!
It's a great way to mimic nature and give an organic base that breaks down over time, and adds fertility. You can also check with Utility companies, for chipped trimmings from line maintenance!
You don’t have to fill them entirely with soil. You can put slash ( chopped up branches ) in the bottom as fill, and then add soil. In a season as the branches compost, you continue adding your own compost as top fill, and to continue adding nutrients to the soil.
Hugelculture!
I thought the same but with flooding in their area they may want the extra weight of soil so they don't float away.
Yep. That is what I did to mine!!
I am a retired construction electrician. About fifteen years ago we were digging on a large construction site. The storm drains were also being installed. I was given my first piece of 24 inch pipe. Over time I picked up more scrap pipe. I used the plastic pipe for tomato beds. I grow Irish potatoes in 18 inch pipe. When the vines die back we lift the pipe & harvest the potatoes. Every year we make compost with our neighbor's bags of grass clippings. We add all our kitchen scraps. We put pieces of logs in the bottom of the beds. We collect scrap fish bones from our local fish market. We do both deep composting & shallow composting. Over time we develop all of the things that make perfect soil. I mix the new compost by digging holes in the beds with post-hole diggers. There are so many advantages to raised bed gardening.
No need to dig at all - just place a couple of inches of compost on the top and the soil life will do it's job and feeder roots are right near tge surface anyway. When you dig you destroy soil life along with all the work they've done the year before. For more info on this you can't go past Charles Dowding but I've been a no dig gardener for over 50 years and can arrest to how it changed my soil - unbelievable!! I have 12" raised beds because where I now live my yard is under a couple of inches of water in winter sometimes.
That’s really cool, I can’t wait to see what you grow! “Beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes!”
What a great idea for raised garden beds! Loved seeing you all working together and Maverick walking in tube having a great time!😊❤
Wow, this video was epic! I have always wanted a raised garden. Growing your own food, knowing that it’s truly organic is worth it.
Ashley, will you start preserving your harvest?
I’m not sure who had more fun in the tubing Doug or Maverick. Either way it was fun to see. Be blessed.
Thank you ! Glad you enjoyed the video. Our kitchen is not ready for food preservation, but the garden is a start. We'll get there eventually :)
@@diyfferent - I keep saying I m going to preserve (can) and here I am on about my 15th year just eating the fresh produce, sharing with family and friends, and freezing some like snow peas and peppers. I eat a lot myself right out of garden. Asparagus raw is so delicious. Kale too! Do yourself a favor and grow rhubarb. Pies, cobblers, a cooked concoction with a little sugar poured warm over vanilla ice cream! The best!!!
Oh my gosh!! What a fun video. All the way around! Maverick is becoming quite the utube star!! Love that it was an all family activity. And kids seeing mom and dad having fun is important!! And the diligence it took to complete this project is a priceless skill the kids are learning!! Bravo mom and dad!!👏👏👏👏
Gardening nurtures the soul! I always feel happier when I’m gardening. Love what you done so far. ❤️
Your out of the box thinking is so amazing. I turned my old broken watertank into neat compost bins. The family working together is priceless.😇🤗🇿🇦
That is so much fun, I wish I was a kid again, just for that. Your children are so Blessed to have parents like you.
Maverick's pure joy laughter is THEE best!! Can't wait to see what you will plant!
This is so great...I have wanted to see this development for a long time. I love all the house stuff but this is a step in your future of self sufficiency. So cool...I love the design and layout. Thanks for sharing this.
Nice idea, just make sure you keep reminding everyone that the outside of the pipe will get quite warm on bare legs. I like that you gave your spacing another foot looks great ! Maverick is so darn cute. He was so excited. Great job !
I’m surprised at how good they look, brilliant idea.
Great idea and great family activity. Looked like everyone was having fun.
Yes, it represents progress doesn't it? You've done repairs, maintenance, improvements on what's already there , but the garden beds are progress towards your goals. Well done.
What a fantastic raised garden beds idea!!! You will enjoy eating your own food. Maybe the kids could have their own ring to plant??? 🤗❤️🎶🇨🇦
Yep, Maverick already planted his garden. That will be coming later :)
Hi Ashley and Doug, what a great idea. Your garden is a great size.
"Many hands make light work!" Maverick looked to be having a blast! 😁 The raised beds look great and your choice of the culvert pipe...great idea! 👍
Hi gardening friend. I did this about 10 years ago and it was wonderful. My husband runs heavy equipment and builds roads and subdivisions and brought home end pieces of culverts all different sizes. I used smaller ones for herbs. But the latest are made from worn out mini excavator tracks ❤
I kind got teary eyed remembering the plans in Kokomo, and seeing that your family is still working on those dreams! I can’t wait to see what you guys will do next! This garden is SO CLEVER!!!
I love that you made all the painted lines on the culvert facing the same direction! And the joyful grateful spirit shines throughout this video. Praise God for so many blessings this garden will bring your family.
haha, yea. I didn't want those green lines facing the house :)
Gardening is a labor of love, I can see you all happily planting and harvesting. Looking forward to your upcoming videos on the garden.
The one thing I love about both of you is you do put a lot of thought into everything you do, I absolutely love, love, love your garden beds! Yes, they are a bit costly, you can think of it as an investment that will pay off in the end.
Love the new garden beds! Great idea. We put in several raised beds, in Arizona, several years ago and I love them. We put ours higher, because we're in our late 60's and wanted to be able to reach everything easier as we get older. Our soil is very alkaline, so buying topsoil was also critical for us. I'm sure you're going to really enjoy growing the food you like to eat, and the kids will enjoy it too!
I'm impressed!! Love your idea! Can't wait to see it green with plants. Thanks for sharing.
Oh my gosh! Makes you want to jump right in playing with Maverick! Dada couldn't resist either! Lol! Those kind of moments are what Maverick will remember and tell his children and grandchildren. So much joy in his laugh! Smart idea on using the pipe for your raised bed garden. A break from the renovation, but fulfilling what Ashley and you have wanted to do for a long time. Made my day happier watching Maverick and you giving fun.
This is the COOLEST garden EVER!!!! I can't wait to see how this works out for y'all!! And maverick was SO adorable playing in the tube lol! I loved watching everyone work together!
Thanks!
I built 6 raised beds a few years ago and filled them with old logs and branches for the bottom third then filled the rest with soil just like yours.
My first year the garden was fantastic and it has gotten better each year. Now each bed has lots of worms and rich rich soil. Your's will be the same.
Bonus Comment: OMG Maverick is a star.
Gardens feed the body and feed the soul.
Happy for you guys. Growing your own food is one of the most satisfying things possible. I have been raised bed gardening for decades. Your choice of material is very ingenious and well considered,,, as always!!! Plants are so responsive to loving attention and the time spent in the garden a boost to spirit. It is primal for humans and an antidote for what for anxiety. Gardening is the essence of slow living. Lay some loving on the planet and mother nature rewards in multiples. Yup!!! I know exactly what you mean when you say "this is just for us". Enjoy your new family journey.
That’s fantastic! Growing our own, healthy foods is more important today than it’s ever been. Well done 👍🏼 🪴😊🪴
I am loving this no spend months! Lots and lots of videos!! I was wondering how you'd garden.. you could have used tires but, this works! When i did raised bed potatoes we used tires, newspapers and of course starters. Worked wonders! Also wow! The yard looks amazing... so cleaned up! Thank you so much for these videos!
No matter what projects you all are doing it is a pleasure to watch all of you..
I’ve had a friend build me some raised beds and a greenhouse with 5 gallon buckets on a raised platform. Due to mobility issues, being legally blind, and not able to bend down for more than 20 seconds, I had him build them to 38” high and spaced 36” in order to fit a small wagon cart between them. I’ve also filled the bottom foot with leaves/grass clippings and regular dirt in order to save money on finished, amended soil to plant in. Looks great and trust the sand will keep most of the weeds down around the beds. Can’t wait to see what you guys end up growing. BTW - here in Memphis, I had to cover things with 40% shade cloth in order not to have my plants burn up in the Summer heat (100f+). May want to plan for that in the future. 😎👍🏻🌱
Now that is a really wonderful idea. Something you might consider, since Mavrick is still pretty young, is painting the outsides of your beds all in different colors. Then you can tell him to go grab a carrot from the orange bed or to see if there are any ripe tomatoes in the yellow bed, or to pick some spinach and lettuce from the turquoise bed or to pick a few leaves of basil from the purple bed. You can even make up a key as part of a homeschooling lesson. Of course Belle can go with him to make sure he doesn't take out whole plants or more carrots or tomatoes than you need. Belle might even have fun painting little birds, ivy. and flowers on the beds like my daughter did. Those rings would be perfect for it. It was a fun thing to do with my kids when they were little and helped them have a little more ownership in the garden.
On the improving your soil front, look for a rabbit rescue. They will likely give you free rabbit manure or sell it to you for a nominal fee. Or ask at the animal shelter. They might not be allowed to because of city ordinances, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Rabbit manure is one of the best things you can give your garden, because you are able to use it immediately since it is a cold manure. Although, I always let it dry out a day if it had urine mixed in because of the ammonia. My best garden years are when I had rabbit manure at hand. If you are settled now and not planning on moving again or going on any big trips, I'd just get a couple of rabbits.
Your mind must never be idle. Every project is thought out to the max. Such awesomeness 🤗❤️
I’ve watched dozens of people create raised beds and NO ONE else has thought of this ingenious idea.
Wow. Loving your ideas. Maverick is adorable, playing in tube. Lol so fun. Ashley forgot to tell you your hair looks great. I just love the amount of thought you put into absolutely everything. And I love what you’re doing with this house you’re choices are great love them
You were Right On Ashley, with the tarp to catch the plastic bits!! Love the raised beds.
I enjoy everything your family does
Thank you!
I'm excited for you because it's been such a long time coming, bringing this garden into fruition. Doug and Ashley, you and your family never fail to inspire others. Thank You!
Love seeing the whole family working together on projects. Maverick is a chip off the old block in front of the camera. ( :
What an aweome idea! Sometimes in the middle of huge projects, quick projects can give you such an lift on seeing something accomplished that doesn't have a long wait for final results.
Awesome idea! You’re always thinking outside of the box
Great idea for the garden. I think it was a good choice of raised beds material. Adding worm castings to your soil will greatly improve the nutrients level. We have always done organic farming and never add anything accept compost, worm castings and worm juice. It makes strong healthy plants and abundant harvests of vegetables. These days with the cost of food going up so much it makes sense to grow your own and have fresh healthy, non gmo, foods. Great job. 😊
Thanks! We'll start ammending the soil as soon as we can :)
Your family amazes me every video. 4 1/2 years ago I came across your videos because I looked for mobile home. That is when I bought mine. I can’t wait looking every day for your videos. I love your calm demeanor and steadfastness. I love how you are taking a debt get caught up break. So cool you don’t have interest on it. You are so wise to do that. I’ve matured and done many things. I stayed home and homeschooled my kids and lived with less so could could manage as debt free as possible. I so enjoy all that you do.
Doug you amaz Me , again thinking outside the box . What a great idea. Can't wait to see what you plant .
What a great family day! That looks like a great start! Can't wait to see how the planting goes!
Hello Doug Ashley Belle & Maverick,those raised garden beds are awesome!The kids are a joy to watch.Such happy good kids.Excited to see what you will be planting.🌷💕🌷
Always full of surprises! I never would have guessed! Well Done Team 💕
What a great idea! I like the round shape beds, can reach the middle from any side. Very smart!
Me too.
What a great garden idea. I hope you will be able to grow lots of food in the coming years.
❤…love the look of your new raised garden beds.. I can not wait to see all the wonderful things that will be growing from them
I just love the excitement in your voice and in your eyes, Doug. I can tell you are elated with the completed lay out of the raised garden. Time to get growing! I can just imagine what it will look like in the near future. Thank you for sharing. Enjoy yourselves. 🌷🌻🪻🏵️
It looks amazing and I love ya'll made it a family project ❤️
This will work out great! I have been doing the same thing for years. My family owns a farm drainage company. Finding extra pipe to use as garden risers was easy. I use a 24-inch dullwall pipe by 2.5 ft tall, no bending over for this guy. Grass clippings for mulch works well. Leaves sticks and wood chunks for fill to save on black dirt work great for my setup.
That pipe will never rot or rust great for garden risers!
I'm excited to see what u plant. I'll sub. Cheers 🍻
I made mine for FREE . I got old refrigerators that where going to the dump . took off the doors and compressors. I then covered the outside with wood boards from pallets . I lined the inside with plastic put holes in it fore draining . They look and work great 😃
As usual, you took time to think about what you wanted, to research options, evaluate location, and plan everything out before beginning this project. I will be excited to see the fruits and vegetables of your labors. Loved seeing Maverick have so much fun with that pipe and seeing both he and Belle out there helping to put things in place. It is a pleasure to watch you work together.
Great idea! I think though I would add something more than that black soil, perhaps plant matter, straw chopped up or wood chips, saw dust, leaf mulch etc. so worms that come up from the soil can break it down adding more nutrients to the soil and your plants. I am so happy for you to finally have a growing area! :) I envy you!
That works out to almost 140 sq ft of garden. That is a ton of food. Awesome!
So happy for y'all!! That is an amazing idea and the whole family enjoying a project together is a blessing to see! Great job guys!! Y'all ROCK!!🤜🤛
I've been using this idea for about 8 yrs now.(I live in the UK). They are brilliant !! I got mine from a building site, they had a few bits leftover already cut. 😁
Cool :D
The use of that pipe was a smart idea especially due to flooding. Can't wait to see how it works.
I'm finding the same problem with buying soil in my area (KY) with the wood chips, plastic, and such. Last year I put in 3 large raised beds and the top soil I bought from my local store that specializes in this looked and smelled great but it just didn't produce like it should. I have spent the winter improving it for this season.
I started my seeds a few weeks ago and bought a well known national brand of potting soil and it was the same! Other gardeners in my area have had the same complaint that we are seeing too.
Yeah, the soil quality everywhere seems to be bad. We've had really poor experiences with the bagged garden soil from the store.
Hey Doug and Ashley, great idea on the raised beds! Loved seeing Maverick playing inside the pipe😁 and how this was a whole family project. We are on our 4th year with our FL raised bed garden. We also have a pond in our backyard. I am prefacing this so you understand that we have similar FL issues 🤪 Our first year we lost half of our soil. I thought it settled…nope. FL gobbled it up. The following season we added more beds. This time we lined the them with commercial grade weed barrier cloth. We stopped losing soil in those beds. Needless to say all of our raised garden beds are lined now.
Good luck with your garden🙏🏻 No matter what we certainly enjoy ours.
Thanks for sharing your journey with us.
I love how you think out of the box!!!!😊
I work in a factory that makes plastic bags and HDPE is what retail ("grocery") bags are made of. Publix, WAWA, Walmart etc all HDPE. As are food safe ones like White Castle "To-Go" bags and Buffalo Wild Wings. HDPE is very easy to work with, more environmentally friendly because it takes a lower temp to work with, and does not leach into liquids like other kinds do.
You should make a butterfly garden with that last culvert that you have. Get a bunch of flowers that will entice butterflies so your daughter can see the different types of butterflies in the area! We might even get some new artwork! 😊
Great idea daydreamer. Inn Denmark Europe we have a beautifully flower callede butterfly bush but it is a flower bush
@@LoneLumbyNielsen just went and looked at pictures of this, and it's absolutely gorgeous!! Doug and Ashley should really think about getting something like this as well!
I'm no green thumb, but I enjoyed this video. Looking forward to seeing your plants grow! 🌱🪴
Great choice for your garden beds. So durable and relatively cheaper than other materials. You guys never disappoint me with your inventive, intelligent solutions.😊
they think outside the box all the time don't they
Those culvert pipes for raised bed gardens are great. Amazing to see the whole family helping. Looks like you all had fun too. In the long run, the expense justifies the use of the pipes. Looks modern too. Well done.
I’ve been using the 24”- 36” ones for a few years, they work great. Dig down about a foot just like if you were double digging a planting area and sink them down 8”-12”. They work great.
I can't believe how tall Maverick is getting. What a sweet boy! It's fun to see him playing and helping with chores. You two certainly are blessed with those beautiful children.
I never would have thought of this idea. I commissioned mine from a local guy that built 3'x3'x2' tall beds using recycled pallets. When these fade away, and they WILL degrade, I'm dang sure going to find me a 48" weatherproof covert to chop up!
It has been a pleasure and shere amazement watching your family, this young(er) couple, flip houses and just work your tails off. Every detail meticulously done and have proof of every step. I'd buy one of your houses in a minute! 100% thought out quality.
Keep up the good work, Y'all.
I wish you and yours every good fortune and looking forward to more and more videos!
Belle and Maverick, I'm curious if ma & da would let yuns show us some more of your discoveries around the property and Belle, maybe show what you've been drawing lately? I'm excited to know what ideas/directions in careers you'd be interested in when you start college one day. I figure Maverick is going to own his very own amphibian farm/zoo, lol.
I like what you did here! You are super capable, but I can offer a tiny bit of good new info for you: ***Most vegetables have a "rhizospere" root depth of 6-10"*** A few plants like corn or tomatoes can go to 12". That means spending money on soil deeper than than 12" is not necessary. Even most trees don't go deeper than 12" because in nature, the soil doesn't get enough air and normally becomes nutrient and biologically a dead/low activity zone below 12". If you need the bed raised higher because of bending over, or because of protection from the ground, you can put gravel in the lower part, and some landscape fabric over it to prevent the soil in the upper ~10" from sifting down into the gravel. The reason corn and tomatoes may have deeper roots: corn has C4 photosynthesis (it grows at night) which requires more nutrient extraction, and tomatoes can form roots out of the sides of the stem. Nothing in nature is 100%, but there are common patterns that cover the vast majority of cases, and the root zone depth is one of them. There are definitely some cases of roots going deeper in unique soils ... nature loves to break her own rules! But 12" of soil is enough. A good example is historically, before being decimated by livestock grazing the western prairie in the USA had very deep topsoil! I am generally not a fan of raised beds for food, because of the cost, the fact that you are using a fake mix instead of natural mineral soil which translates to nutritious food, and because they drain and dry out fast requiring a lot of lugging water or an irrigation system. But raised beds make sense in a place where you couldn't grow otherwise, or you are making something handicap accessible. Your beds are superior to most! Like you, I am not a fan of the wooden raised beds either. The pressure treated lumber is filled with toxins (that is why it resists being deomposed by microbes!). I like your common sense approach and your solutions. 🎯💖
Good info, thanks 👍
You are wonderful and your family has worked hard to .
Love what you've done. Thank you for explaining the properties, and cost of the pipe. It gives us a good comparison to consider when doing a garden. Love seeing the kids helping... Mavrick getting the frog out of the way of rolling the pipe, and you waiting... priceless.
Wow, you could save on soil by filling the first 18 inches of those beds with wood, leaves, twigs, etc.
Put the flower ring in the same place as the others to draw in the bees to pollinate your flowering plants.
Great job kids. Love the ideal of using something already made. One piece of advice I’d give you is to consider using some long pieces of rebar and anchoring each bed down. A couple of long stakes at each tub should do it. Plastic does float. I’ve seen those type culverts float out of a ditch without sufficient backfill.
This is awesome - as usual well thought out and planned. Looking forward to seeing all the plants and veggies you will grow in those gardens.
A brilliant idea for raised beds (you are so creative) and great that you have increased the distance between the beds. If you wanted to add some height to the beds you could "plant" an arch from one bed to another, by doing this the crop takes up very little room in the bed and you can harvest the crops from underneath. I loved Maverick's glee at being able to play inside without having to bend down, he is a joy to watch.
What a great idea for your gardens!! You and Ashley work so hard-your work ethic is very impressing! What you are instilling in your children is just wonderful!😊
If you fill the next round of beds about half full with dead wood you will reduce the amount of soil you will need for the raided beds
And it will enrich the soil as the organic matter breaks down!
Having gardened in dark plastic raised beds in southern AZ, I can tell you that the sun beating down on the plants is more problematic than the beds heating up too much. Also think about composting your food scraps. My recommendation is a simple tumbling composter, which gives you free nutrients. If you don't want a composter, save one bed and dig your scraps into the dirt. Another cheap solution for fertilizer is to dig in chicken manure, if you can find someone with chickens. Chicken manure is "hot", meaning it is super high in nitrogen and will burn the plants unless it is allow mature in the soil or compost for a month or so. Horse manure is not as hot and might be easier to find for free. My best tip is chicken poop tea. Get a 44G barrel, add chicken poop and water, cover and let it steep. Eventually, you will end up with a great liquid fertilizer for almost nothing. But it will smell and attract flies, so a good cover is imperative. I am very excited for your garden.
You can fill these about half way up with yard debris and logs and fill the rest with soil. The wood will hold moisture and will bring in all sorts of beneficial insects as they decay.
In the high heats that black plastic will cook the soil. If you paint the outsides white and make sure to have a straw mulch layer on your top soil. The plants will do fine in high heat and dry conditions. 👍 on using the HDPE 2 and for all the new growers out there LDPE 4 and PP 5 are also recommended.
I think those are double walled. Could be wrong.
That's a brilliant idea. Can I steal it.?.
Sure, we share to inspire :)
Doug and Ashley, what a great idea for raised garden beds. I look forward to your garden growing. Prices for food has gone through the roof and everyone is trying to save the best they can. Also, there is nothing better than home grown fresh vegetables to eat. Happy gardening!
Excited to see your garden come to life. Last year was my best garden. I had lots of bees pollinating due to sunflowers and zinnias.
Hi Doug and Ashley. Great job with the raised garden beds. You are great at thinking everything through. I love how your mind 💪. How precious is Maverick 😊. Oh, to be a kid again! Well done to you and your beautiful family 👨👩👧👦. As always keep safe and God bless your beautiful family always ❤️
Add wood pieces to the bottom and leaves and branches to help take up space, plus it will rot down and feed the soil and help bring in earth worms. Then the last 12 inches or so can be dirt.
That little boy is having a lot of fun! Great family project. Good luck with the garden.
You could look into Hugelkultur if you do more garden beds. This uses large wood pieces (logs, branches) for the bottom layer which reduces the amount of soil required to fill the beds, acts as drainage and breaks down over time, releasing nutrients. Great idea though.
Those pipe gardens are just awesome. I am glad you explained about the kind of plastic they are made from. I would never have thought of using these pipes for a garden. Thanks.
It is so awesome to see the whole family working together on this and having so much fun :)
I think it’s awesome. Finding a cost effective product that gives protection from the flooding and allows for better soil is ingenious. Growing food is fun, healthy and just makes since these days.
Happy growing!!!
I put down hardware cloth underneath my raised beds to keep put the burrowing critters.
You guys I am so impressed by the wealth of knowledge you have and what’s going to be passed down to your children. I’m giving you an Ashley Wow. Loved the video.
Very cool 😎 idea Doug. Good luck with your garden.
The FABULOUS FOURSOME is at it again!!😊 Love your plan and laughed while watching you put it in place..thank you so much🤗💜