That is the best designed raised bed I ever found. I have some suggestions, you can save some money by using cardboard on the bottom, and add about 1/3 leaves, branches, anything can be compost before add soil. In a few months, they will turn to compost.
Very nice set up. I have a CINDER BLOCK garden and I love it. Mine is just one block high. I plant herbs in the holes of the cinder block. I am sure you are inspiring a lot of people. Thank you for sharing.
My husband and I just built the same 2 beds after watching your video. (My husband is quite obsessed with your garden. haha) We are about to fill them with soil, and very excited about it. We spent lots of money on the garden, and hopefully it turns out okay. Thank you very much for your video. You explain things clearly and effectively. We really appreciate it.
Awesome! I'm sure you'll love them! We have ours fully loaded and growing right now. I'll be doing another video later on the water misting system I have added. I won't do it it too soon though. I'll give your hubby time to catch up! :-)
jimginnyohio We filled the beds with soil last night, and it was a lot of work. But we are very happy that it is almost done. It would be helpful to learn about water misting system. Can't wait to watch your video. Thank you again for sharing your ideas .
You really got me thinking. We have a front yard area that even grass will not grow. I'm thinking of using your idea to make raised flower beds with walking areas in between. Curved blocks can add an element of meandering design. Imagine the honeybees, butterflies and humming birds that can also benefit from this.
Another idea for you which I have done is planting strawberry clover with peat moss for your grass! It will grow just about anywhere and will make the area green.
I built one of these from the plans posted. I filled the open cinder blocks with soil and used them like pots to grow herbs. 6 of them I used for flowers to help attack bees for pollination. Great design, and with the extra area in the cinder blocks all sorts of planting possibilities..
+Swen Torgelson I want to try building one of these as well but would consider using the holes in the cinder blocks to plant strawberries ( and a few flowers) and let them cascade down the side..... would be a great way to keep the berries off the ground.
Thanks for the video! I've been growing in these types of raised beds for over 10 years now. My beds average 4 feet by 30 feet and there are four like that and some smaller ones where asparagus and strawberries are planted. I had also covered the exposed block with smaller cap blocks but based on your design, I'm reconsidering that.
Date: 2020: I built one three years ago, and I love it! The one issue I had was tree roots growing into my flower bed; tree roots are so aggressive that they will grow quickly into the raised flowerbed and severely hamper anything you try to grow in it. So, I shoveled out the soil (including the tree roots lol), and poured concrete on the floor of my flower bed. I put the soil back in and no more tree roots! By the way, the excess water in the soil drains out the sides of the raised flower bed. People, please be aware of drainage and tree roots and design this raise flowerbed to avoid these issues. Update: 2023 Since 2023, In our raised bed, I've grown bell peppers, Jalapeño peppers, collards, different types of lettuce, carrots, cabbage, Joi Choi Bok Choy, spinach, spinach malabar, Pink eye purple hull peas and potatoes.
Thank you. We're buying a house next month and I'm excited to finally start a garden. I live in wine country so was thinking of using old wine barrels as planters but hearing how wood doesn't last too long in gardens I saw this video and this is a great idea. I'll definitely try it.
How did the house purchase go? It's 2 years now. so how is the gardening going? We were in the same boat, but now this month just finished our raised cinder block Garden
My husband and I just decided 3 days ago to transition to raised beds. We have the deer problem solved but, rabbits and woodchucks destroy a lot. And weeding is too much. We can't bend over like we could 30 years ago either. Your block design is what we planned--- but better. The hoop system is terrific for cabbage. Our garden is 52x88. We knew we had to downsize 2 years ago, so we started Apples and Pears along the West and North sides. Cherries and Peaches go in this year. And we will also be adding at least 1 of these. Thanks.
michiganbogie Best wishes in your build project. A quick tip for when you build...I would add concrete into each of the block openings. It will keep things more stable over the years. We have experienced a little movement from year to year. Nothing major, but it does happen. Since we added extra concrete, things have remained more stable. We hope to plan an update video soon. Thanks for watching.
Very detailed information and I love that you provided a materials list. I’m going to look to see if you have a follow up video that says how it worked! Thank you!
That's really neato keen. Thanks for sharing that. I like the idea. I see you have a drip irrigation system but you could actually drill a bunch of tiny holes on the top center line hook up a hose and it becomes a misting system too!
Thanks kindly for sharing! In regard to the landscape fabric, it would seem unnecessary as an ounce of prevention. Since your bed is so deep all the soil on top would cause the grass at the bottom of the bed to die off.
Just saw your video ... love the easy to follow direction. Love the idea of sandwiching the tops! Or shade under the plastic ... double layer of plastic for harsh winters, etc. Thinking must be some way to slip a bar thru that allows the top to be raised when you want access tho ....
We have Bermuda Grass--which given the chance would take over the world. It's runners are sharp and punch holes through garden fabric with ease. We ended up putting down a couple of layers of cardboard and then topped it with a layer of concrete board.
I agree that raised beds warm quicker in the spring. However, since it is the greater exposure of the walls which create this warming, that exposure also allows quicker cooling in the fall. Therefore, I would argue that the net increase in the growing season is basically zero. I am not opposed to raised beds, and plan to use them myself in my future homestead. But the "quick warming" argument is not one of my reasons since I discount the veracity of the claim.
@@edmundiburda5837 so I think.. and I could be wrong.. but this is actually connected to the underground system? .. I built a few raised beds using wood underneath and they didn't do much. And I think these leave the bottom open for drainage. ..makes the most sense to me at this time
You've sold me on this setup, good post, thanks for sharing...retired and full on honey-do's. Unfortunately, it appears that every Home Depot west of Colorado is out of or doesn't carry the solid blocks! I'll probably just go with another row of regular blocks for the base... Now that it's been over a year, how did the first season work out?
I got rid of my raised beds because of the following reasons: 1. it allows slugs to hide underneath 2. you can use a thick layer of mulch together with a tunnel to extend your growing season 3. you can use small plastic bags or paper towel and zip lock bags to germinate your seeds in door to get things start early 4. it is costly and you can't do crop rotation easily, unless you have more than four of them 5. it gets dry very quickly and you need to use more water 6. it allows slugs to have a target place to lay eggs so that they come back year after year to obtain food with 100% certainty.
That the main reason SAVE ON BENDING OVER! you want believe how much you can plant in a raise bed too! I recommend roofing tin or cement the bottom to keep gophers and moles out My 1st raised beds where made out of old roofing tin, i caulked the hole up, i use tee post for the sides and aluminum bailing wire to hold the sides on. and painted it white. They are lasting 14 yrs so far> Plus i can reuse the tin for more concert block raise beds for the bottoms
I'm not sure where in Ohio you are, but have you had any issues with frost heaving the blocks during the winter? I'm in MI so our winters can be pretty brutal but Ohio is just south of us so I figured I would ask. Thanks for posting this video. I've been planning a series of beds very similar to yours . I really like your idea with the double hoops to capture the covers.
+Tee Jay yeah, you need a concrete footing, with tied steel in it and mortar the blocks in the far north. You can buy various lengths of long skinny scrap steel instead of the rebar used on new construction, as you don't have pesky building codes for something like this.
I like this idea especially with cow fencing green house construction; however, lifting and setting cinder blocks is a lot of work. By the time I would get them and carry them to my location I could have installed and filled and planted a cedar or redwood planter.
Does what it says on the tin. Extraordinary job indeed. This thing will last a hundred years at least. A couple quibbles: You probably didn't need the hardware cloth or landscape fabric. Are there animals that would dig all the way under the cinderblocks? And a few layers of newspaper, in fact, probably would have been better than the landscape fabric. That stuff is gross and actually pretty useless . . . I've seen determined weeds push right up through it. But nothing is going to grow up from three feet under anyway as long as you yank all the tap-rooted weeds out during the build.
+camofrog For those of us doing urban farming... you'd be *surprised* how determined little animals can be! I'm planning to do this with the hardware cloth *and* a heavy layer of hot peppers to deter any critters.
Ahhh, depends on what you have in your area for critters . . . We always put down rabbit wire since I've seen our gophers take an entire broccoli plant in one day and gobble it up. Sneaky buggers, like on Caddy Shack the movie!
***** Lucky you. We can get between 15 to 60 cm ( 6 to 24 inches ) of snow in one storm here but, not as much as the east coast who had 2 1/2 meters ( 7 feet ) of snow last winter in one week-end.
Great video tutorial! However, I have a few questions: I notice that you mention sand and gravel for the first course of solid blocks for leveling, but in the video you show some concrete mix being applied. How did you apply the concrete mix on the solid blocks? Also, you mention in the video and also list it here that you should get 8 corner blocks but I do not see them in use in the video?
Hi. There was no concrete mix used in the laying of these blocks. The mixture you saw was Qwikrete Brand sand. The bag looks similar to their concrete mixture.The only place I used concrete was in the block holes to hold the PVC tubes in place. The corner blocks are used in the four corners of the raised bed to give a finished appearance. If you go to the store to compare "corner blocks" with "regular cinder blocks" you will immediately see what I'm referring to. Thanks for your comments and questions!
I would like to built this but I'm having trouble finding the cinder block. 16 by 8 by 4 is not a common size. There are several places that sell 4 by 8 by 16 but I'm not sure if this is the same brick
5:51 why didn't you guys extend that layer to the walls of the blocks as well? I heard cinder blocks as bad as the wood that is chemically treated, right? Thank You for the video.
People often refer to modern concrete blocks as cinder blocks. This is actually incorrect - cinder blocks have not been manufactured for about 50 years. Back when the coal industry was big, cinder blocks were made of cement, cinders, aggregate - sand and/or gravel - and water. Today's concrete blocks contain the cement, aggregate and water but omit the cinders. The Oregon State University Extension reports that some concrete blocks may leach lime into the soil over time. While not harmful to humans, the additional lime may alter the acidity of your raised bed. Monitor the pH of your soil if you suspect that you have a problem. In fact, it's good to get your soil tested periodically anyway to ensure the best growing conditions for your plants.
We overlapped the material on each end and sewed loops into it. Then we slid the pipes into the loops. Since we have short hoops (pipes) and tall hoops, in the middle of the bed, the laterial is sandwiched between the pipes. Good luck with your build!
What are "corner blocks"? I called my local home depot and they have something called planter wall blocks...but they look nothing like what your pictures show. Are they necessary? Please explain. Thanks
The corner blocks give you a clean edge on the corners. If you go to your local store, you be able to quickly see the difference. Here are some pictures for you to reference: Standard Cinder Block: www.menards.com/main/building-materials/concrete-cement-masonry/construction-concrete-blocks/8-x-8-x-16-standard-concrete-block/1794360/p-1444441426010.htmCorner Block: www.homedepot.com/p/Oldcastle-16-in-x-8-in-x-8-in-Concrete-Block-30161345/100350252 See the difference?
Good question. Actually, I haven't done any soil testing after adding my soil into the bed. However, I haven't experienced difficulty growing anything in there either.
I love the idea but, I'm a little worry about expansion/contraction between seasons, We get nice weather in the 80's-90's F (30-35 Celcius) down to around -40's during winter. Is there an alternative way to make a better footing for the base ?
We see temperatures in the 100s here in the summer time and negative 10+ in the winter. I have noticed a little movement in the blocks from year to year, but nothing to worry about.
+Andrew Robillard After 5 years, the blocks on one end shifted about one half inch. Everything is still pretty square and strong otherwise. Still love it! I have just topped it off occasionally with additional soil and compost.
+Bllie hunt Hi Bill, The only thing that will leech from the cinder blocks over time is lime, which is the same variety many gardeners already add to their gardens to reduce soil acidity.
+Bllie hunt There are actually heavy metals in some concrete blocks which can leach out into surrounding soil if exposed to an acidic environment or pulverized.
Building homes has nothing to do with gardening and knowledge of chemical toxins leeching from the materials used. You need a qualified analysis from a Agricultural Scientist. Send a piece of the concrete to a lab for analysis.
The tubes were cut from 1-inch vinyl black well tubing. You can get that in 100-foot rolls from Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply, etc. Each one is cut to about 8-feet long. The cover can be either greenhouse rated plastic (for winter) or shade cloth for other seasons. Shown in the picture is the shade cloth option. You can get that from any greenhouse supply store.
Did you put 1/2" hardware cloth at the bottom of your bed. I am going to build one of these for asparagus and have a lot of moles so I was going to use the hardware cloth at the bottom. However, asparagus roots can get 12-15' deep so they would grow through the cloth and the moles could still eat the roots. If you did attach hardware cloth how did you attach it to the cinder blocks.
Greg Brooks You have good points there. I don't plant any long term crops in my raised beds. Instead, I have different lower beds for things like asparagus, rhubarb, and horse radish. You could do those in this bed. However, heavy rooted crops will probably push your blocks over the years. The hardware cloth is simply bent up or down where it touches the blocks to fit as tightly as possible.
You have Voles, not Moles. Moles eat meat. Voles eat roots, bulbs and tubers. I have raised beds with 1/2 in hardware cloth at the bottom and they havent been able to get to any of my veggies! :)
Do you have a clever way to cap the ends of the hoops in winter? Or provide for easy access when the plastic is on? Those are two nuts I'm trying crack.
During the winter, we cover the bed with plastic instead of the shadecloth. The plastic cover we have is about 14-feet longer the the bed itself (about 10x30). This gives us about 7 extra feet of plastic on both ends of the bed. We bundle this together and place a landscaping timer across it on the ground, then place a couple cinder blocks on top of the timber. This keeps the wind from blowing it open. Gaining access to the bed while it is covered is a bit of a pain, I agree! The way we do it; we slide the plastic upwards on one side so that it's bunched at the top, sandwiched between the inner and out hoops. I'm looking for an easier/better way to do this part, but haven't came up with a solution as of yet. Thanks for watching!
Looks great! I have a question: We have an old barbecue pit that was in the yard when we purchased our home in 2007. We never used it, and it's not in the best condition. We want to dismantle it in order to expand our growing area. Can we use them to build our raised garden?
Are you referring to using bricks from the barbecue? If so, yes those can be reused to build a raised bed garden. Actually, any ashes left on the brick might even be beneficial! Best wishes with your build!
Yes,I was referring to the bricks from the barbecue. We never used it. But we noticed the red brick and slate was coming apart, and it would be a waste to chuck those bricks away. Thank you!
I would buy new blocks. The barbecue blocks might be weakened from the heating and cooling, and they might fall apart a lot more quickly then new ones. It's not like blocks are expensive. Use the barbecue blocks for a pathway to something.
I have a question, Is it possible for one to grow fruits in there, fruits that otherwise would not grow in cold environments? lets say like oranges or pineaples? Provided that the height be adjusted for these trees?
You can definately grow fruit plants or bushes in a raised bed like this. However, for tree fruit like citrus, you would be better off to grow them in a greenhouse.
Have been using this raised bed for about 7 years now. I occasionally have to adjust a few of the blocks, but overall, everything is holding up well and everything is still good and level.
not enough to hurt your plants. I used treated lumber for my raised beds and that is a whole nother story as well. Try a small bed and see if it works. I love my raised beds.
I can't give you anything super solid, but just googling around doesn't turn up anything alarming at all. This sounds like something a hippie would say.
Henry - Sorry , but we didn't post anything for making the top since it's a pretty easy operation. We simply sewed a sleeve into each end of the shade cloth fabric and inserted the two end hoops into the sleeves. Since we have inner and outer hoops, the shade cloth gets sandwiched between the hoops to hold it securely. If you are using plastic instead of shade cloth, you won't be able to sew the sleeves. Instead, you will need to insure that your plastic is wide enough to extend past the ends of the beds with enough slack to tie off to ground stakes. We will try to post another video when things warm up again showing better details for the top. Thanks for the suggestion!
jimginnyohio Since you only us the shade cloth for a short time, is this during the hottest period? When the top is off, does the soil drain sufficiently when it rains pretty hard?
We sometimes use the cover when first setting out plants starts to aid in hardening them off. Other times we use it during the hottest part of the summer. Furthermore, we have also used it to help keep the cabbage moths from laying eggs all over our brassicas so that we don't have to battle with the cabbage worms. If doing that, you'll also need to close off the ends too! For drainage, as long as you use a good soil mixture, that will be no problem.
jimginnyohio Hello, I use screening material over mine, that way when it rains it breaks down the drops to a mist, it also cuts down on the direct sun... it works great :-) I use screen material that they use for canopy's.
The way it's positioned in the square is driving me crazy!! Why not put it to the side and add another one or put it directly in the middle? Sorry, OCD acting up.
I am slightly confused by the orientation ,the North South Axis of the bed. to get maximum sun exposure for individual plants ( assuming two ,maximum three plants) , wouldn't it be better to orient the whole bed lengthwise North - South ( in northern hemisphere) . all other consideration being equal.
At 4:57 the diagram clearly shows North at the top. My guess is your planting several shorter rows north to south so the sun hits them as it travels ... that's how i'm going to do it ...
I read somewhere that PVC hoops decompose due to sun exposure. (I believe person was talking about white pvc hoops). Will the black color prevent this? Or would it be best to use galvanized steel tubing (as is used in hoop green houses) ?
You can use either! The black tubing I am using for this is pretty durable stuff. It is designed to go deep into the ground for wells. I have been using it for over 5 years now and it is still as good as the first day I installed it. Plus it is pretty cheap too! A 100-foot roll of it was about $45. Thanks!
The corner blocks are the cinder blocks that are used to make the finished corners. I am using two of them (stacked) on each corner of the bed. The best way to see the difference in a regular cinder block versus a corner block is to visit your local big box store and look at the blocks they sell. It will become obvious once you do that. Regular blocks have two ridges where the blocks meet in the middle to allow separation between them to apply mortar. The corner blocks are flat on the outside edge to form a finished looking corner.
That's one of the faults we discovered with this design! It's tough to get into the garden with the top on unless you dislodge a couple of the hoops to reach underneath or slide the entire side of the cloth upward. It can be done, but it's a bit cumbersome. We've learned to live with it however, since we only keep the cover on it for a short period each year. We are considering building a walk-in hoophouse over the garden so that we can have better access thru the entire winter.
jimginnyohio Can't wait to see your video on the walk-in :) Would also love to see a picture of your misting system. Thank you for all of the great ideas. The beauty of it is that you can use your imagination and add on more features.
Are you sure you bought well tubing? Every roll I have ever seem is extremely firm and durable. In most cases it’s difficult even to unroll the coil unless it’s heated in the sun for a while first. It should stand up firmly on its own if you have the correct stuff.
Looks good, but from past experience I suspect tree roots will come up through the bottom of the bed within three to four years and render the bed useless. Hope it doesn't happen to you, but that's been my experience.
+faizal kurmaully That would be a lot of weight on your roof, so I would advise against doing that. Instead, I recommend doing a rain gutter garden instead. Do a RUclips search for Larry Hall or Rain Gutter Garden. ruclips.net/video/GRQzhFBCot4/видео.html
I didn't use split faced blocks, but you could. Actually the blocks I used for the corners of my raised bed are called "double corner concrete blocks". Those are used for all of the corners. I didn't specify those in my drawings since they are optional. However, they give the bed a more finished appearance. If you go to the store and look at the concrete blocks sold there, it will become obvious why those are used for the corners.
@@jimginnyohio Thanks, I am looking at your 3 minute time line drawing and dont see any 1/2 block. A state landscaper uses 3-4 inches of broken glass to stop underground root feeders. Wine and beer bottles work with window glass broken into 1-2 inch chunks in 55 gallon oil drums, then either in a trench around or directly under the planting beds, lasts forever, free and easy to install.She did a trench around her home garden and made a 1000 SF rodent free island. Have some band-aids ready.
@@jimginnyohio I did the trenching for her, 4" wide 2 feet deep, she had many drums of broken glass, I think she all most filled the trench, I was not around when it was done.It would work like a french drain also if water was a problem.
Also, my current garden has a slope. The lowest end is probably a block or two below the highest end. Should I just use a stair case going up the slope? Or should I dig to form a level base?
That is the best designed raised bed I ever found. I have some suggestions, you can save some money by using cardboard on the bottom, and add about 1/3 leaves, branches, anything can be compost before add soil. In a few months, they will turn to compost.
Very nice set up. I have a CINDER BLOCK garden and I love it. Mine is just one block high. I plant herbs in the holes of the cinder block. I am sure you are inspiring a lot of people. Thank you for sharing.
You just saved me a ton of work. I was planning to cement every block. Great video!
Absolutely beautiful raised bed!
My husband and I just built the same 2 beds after watching your video. (My husband is quite obsessed with your garden. haha) We are about to fill them with soil, and very excited about it. We spent lots of money on the garden, and hopefully it turns out okay. Thank you very much for your video. You explain things clearly and effectively. We really appreciate it.
Awesome! I'm sure you'll love them! We have ours fully loaded and growing right now. I'll be doing another video later on the water misting system I have added. I won't do it it too soon though. I'll give your hubby time to catch up! :-)
jimginnyohio We filled the beds with soil last night, and it was a lot of work. But we are very happy that it is almost done. It would be helpful to learn about water misting system. Can't wait to watch your video. Thank you again for sharing your ideas .
Minjung Brakeman
Thanks, I love the specific materials lists, diagrams, and photos. As a complete newbie with no tools, this is extremely helpful.
you sure have a calm and soothing voice.
You really got me thinking. We have a front yard area that even grass will not grow. I'm thinking of using your idea to make raised flower beds with walking areas in between. Curved blocks can add an element of meandering design. Imagine the honeybees, butterflies and humming birds that can also benefit from this.
Another idea for you which I have done is planting strawberry clover with peat moss for your grass! It will grow just about anywhere and will make the area green.
I built one of these from the plans posted. I filled the open cinder blocks with soil and used them like pots to grow herbs. 6 of them I used for flowers to help attack bees for pollination. Great design, and with the extra area in the cinder blocks all sorts of planting possibilities..
+Swen Torgelson I want to try building one of these as well but would consider using the holes in the cinder blocks to plant strawberries ( and a few flowers) and let them cascade down the side..... would be a great way to keep the berries off the ground.
Swen Torgelson secure.womanandhome.com/subscriptions?Subs+Box+Text+Link
Thanks for the video! I've been growing in these types of raised beds for over 10 years now. My beds average 4 feet by 30 feet and there are four like that and some smaller ones where asparagus and strawberries are planted. I had also covered the exposed block with smaller cap blocks but based on your design, I'm reconsidering that.
This is a fantastic, detailed video. It gives me all the info I need to make sure I build this raised bed correctly. Again, great job!!
The best raised bed I've seen.
Thank you!
I agree. Very well explained too.
Date: 2020: I built one three years ago, and I love it! The one issue I had was tree roots growing into my flower bed; tree roots are so aggressive that they will grow quickly into the raised flowerbed and severely hamper anything you try to grow in it. So, I shoveled out the soil (including the tree roots lol), and poured concrete on the floor of my flower bed. I put the soil back in and no more tree roots! By the way, the excess water in the soil drains out the sides of the raised flower bed. People, please be aware of drainage and tree roots and design this raise flowerbed to avoid these issues. Update: 2023 Since 2023, In our raised bed, I've grown bell peppers, Jalapeño peppers, collards, different types of lettuce, carrots, cabbage, Joi Choi Bok Choy, spinach, spinach malabar, Pink eye purple hull peas and potatoes.
Pouring concrete would then eliminate the need for hardware cloth screening which was noted was expensive.
Dude, your voice is perfect for teaching.
Thank you. We're buying a house next month and I'm excited to finally start a garden. I live in wine country so was thinking of using old wine barrels as planters but hearing how wood doesn't last too long in gardens I saw this video and this is a great idea. I'll definitely try it.
How did the house purchase go? It's 2 years now. so how is the gardening going? We were in the same boat, but now this month just finished our raised cinder block Garden
Quality production, well informed, wise approach, and great presentation. Thanks for sharing this.
My husband and I just decided 3 days ago to transition to raised beds. We have the deer problem solved but, rabbits and woodchucks destroy a lot. And weeding is too much. We can't bend over like we could 30 years ago either. Your block design is what we planned--- but better. The hoop system is terrific for cabbage. Our garden is 52x88. We knew we had to downsize 2 years ago, so we started Apples and Pears along the West and North sides. Cherries and Peaches go in this year. And we will also be adding at least 1 of these. Thanks.
michiganbogie Best wishes in your build project. A quick tip for when you build...I would add concrete into each of the block openings. It will keep things more stable over the years. We have experienced a little movement from year to year. Nothing major, but it does happen. Since we added extra concrete, things have remained more stable. We hope to plan an update video soon. Thanks for watching.
Glad to see a well put together raised bed garden!
I think that is an excellent design. I really like it. Good job!
Very detailed information and I love that you provided a materials list. I’m going to look to see if you have a follow up video that says how it worked! Thank you!
That's really neato keen. Thanks for sharing that. I like the idea. I see you have a drip irrigation system but you could actually drill a bunch of tiny holes on the top center line hook up a hose and it becomes a misting system too!
Thanks kindly for sharing!
In regard to the landscape fabric, it would seem unnecessary as an ounce of prevention. Since your bed is so deep all the soil on top would cause the grass at the bottom of the bed to die off.
Thank you for all your hard work and sharing it🏆
Very nice! I might build one a little narrower and quite a bit shorter, and finish it off with teak seating. I'll keep you posted!
Thanks sharing, good idea with the hardware wire. Great vid guys!
That's really great. They last a lifetime. It's doing good
Great and informative video Jim & Ginny. Looking for more. Thank you.
Clean job, pure function, love it!
Just saw your video ... love the easy to follow direction. Love the idea of sandwiching the tops! Or shade under the plastic ... double layer of plastic for harsh winters, etc. Thinking must be some way to slip a bar thru that allows the top to be raised when you want access tho ....
We have Bermuda Grass--which given the chance would take over the world. It's runners are sharp and punch holes through garden fabric with ease. We ended up putting down a couple of layers of cardboard and then topped it with a layer of concrete board.
Lisa Wintler-Cox njgtf nut trees Ted Cruz
Thank you for posting, very informative.
I agree that raised beds warm quicker in the spring. However, since it is the greater exposure of the walls which create this warming, that exposure also allows quicker cooling in the fall. Therefore, I would argue that the net increase in the growing season is basically zero. I am not opposed to raised beds, and plan to use them myself in my future homestead. But the "quick warming" argument is not one of my reasons since I discount the veracity of the claim.
What an excellent video and details given! Bravo! I may copy this or at least use this as a base for my own garden thank you !
How to drain water?
@@edmundiburda5837 so I think.. and I could be wrong.. but this is actually connected to the underground system? .. I built a few raised beds using wood underneath and they didn't do much. And I think these leave the bottom open for drainage. ..makes the most sense to me at this time
Great video ! Thanks for sharing ! We would like to build a few of these. Time to cook.
You've sold me on this setup, good post, thanks for sharing...retired and full on honey-do's. Unfortunately, it appears that every Home Depot west of Colorado is out of or doesn't carry the solid blocks! I'll probably just go with another row of regular blocks for the base... Now that it's been over a year, how did the first season work out?
I got rid of my raised beds because of the following reasons:
1. it allows slugs to hide underneath
2. you can use a thick layer of mulch together with a tunnel to extend your growing season
3. you can use small plastic bags or paper towel and zip lock bags to germinate your seeds in door to get things start early
4. it is costly and you can't do crop rotation easily, unless you have more than four of them
5. it gets dry very quickly and you need to use more water
6. it allows slugs to have a target place to lay eggs so that they come back year after year to obtain food with 100% certainty.
and voles seem to love raised beds
Voles can not get through the 1/2 in hardware cloth.
i hate slugs and horn catapilers
Lol
Great job very well done.
That the main reason SAVE ON BENDING OVER! you want believe how much you can plant in a raise bed too! I recommend roofing tin or cement the bottom to keep gophers and moles out My 1st raised beds where made out of old roofing tin, i caulked the hole up, i use tee post for the sides and aluminum bailing wire to hold the sides on. and painted it white. They are lasting 14 yrs so far> Plus i can reuse the tin for more concert block raise beds for the bottoms
I used my old waterbed for a raised garden. Just poke holes through the rubber mattress so that the water can drain.
That must be terribly uncomfortable to sleep on.
Very nice, great idea..Thanks
Wow costs .88 cents per block in 2013. Just priced them (same size) at Home Depot for $1.80 each DANG!
Ouch! Bro figured a buck each ... thinking of same thing this year.
Inflation is no joke.
Cinderblocks currently about £4-5.00 each here in Uk at the moment!! Otherwise I would have don this ages ago!
concrete cinder blocks are very alkaline and will affect the edge of your raised beds soil
And yet people still use them with great success. You'll be fine using these blocks.
Toss in some pine needles!
Just fantastic!!!!!!
I'm not sure where in Ohio you are, but have you had any issues with frost heaving the blocks during the winter? I'm in MI so our winters can be pretty brutal but Ohio is just south of us so I figured I would ask.
Thanks for posting this video. I've been planning a series of beds very similar to yours . I really like your idea with the double hoops to capture the covers.
+Tee Jay yeah, you need a concrete footing, with tied steel in it and mortar the blocks in the far north. You can buy various lengths of long skinny scrap steel instead of the rebar used on new construction, as you don't have pesky building codes for something like this.
@@passiveaggressivenegotiato8087 You sure you need all that? That's taking it from a simple DIY project to a full on construction job.
Great job and great video bro :)
I like this idea especially with cow fencing green house construction; however, lifting and setting cinder blocks is a lot of work. By the time I would get them and carry them to my location I could have installed and filled and planted a cedar or redwood planter.
Does what it says on the tin. Extraordinary job indeed. This thing will last a hundred years at least.
A couple quibbles: You probably didn't need the hardware cloth or landscape fabric. Are there animals that would dig all the way under the cinderblocks? And a few layers of newspaper, in fact, probably would have been better than the landscape fabric. That stuff is gross and actually pretty useless . . . I've seen determined weeds push right up through it. But nothing is going to grow up from three feet under anyway as long as you yank all the tap-rooted weeds out during the build.
+camofrog For those of us doing urban farming... you'd be *surprised* how determined little animals can be! I'm planning to do this with the hardware cloth *and* a heavy layer of hot peppers to deter any critters.
Ahhh, depends on what you have in your area for critters . . . We always put down rabbit wire since I've seen our gophers take an entire broccoli plant in one day and gobble it up. Sneaky buggers, like on Caddy Shack the movie!
great tutorial......
Very nice!!!
i suppose you could include a spray bar for quick watering as well
Actually, I added a misting system last summer for watering this raised bed.
grow kush in there yeeeee!
Very nice, thank you very much!
Thanks , nice job
Ein interessantes Hochbeet :)
***** We do not have snow here with us :) Happy day to you Jennie
***** Lucky you. We can get between 15 to 60 cm ( 6 to 24 inches ) of snow in one storm here but, not as much as the east coast who had 2 1/2 meters ( 7 feet ) of snow last winter in one week-end.
Great video tutorial! However, I have a few questions: I notice that you mention sand and gravel for the first course of solid blocks for leveling, but in the video you show some concrete mix being applied. How did you apply the concrete mix on the solid blocks? Also, you mention in the video and also list it here that you should get 8 corner blocks but I do not see them in use in the video?
Hi. There was no concrete mix used in the laying of these blocks. The mixture you saw was Qwikrete Brand sand. The bag looks similar to their concrete mixture.The only place I used concrete was in the block holes to hold the PVC tubes in place. The corner blocks are used in the four corners of the raised bed to give a finished appearance. If you go to the store to compare "corner blocks" with "regular cinder blocks" you will immediately see what I'm referring to. Thanks for your comments and questions!
jimginnyohio Appreciate the quick reply to my questions! Thanks!
I would like to built this but I'm having trouble finding the cinder block. 16 by 8 by 4 is not a common size. There are several places that sell 4 by 8 by 16 but I'm not sure if this is the same brick
Osion Mamre Yes, those are the same. These are standard cinder blocks that can be found anywhere.
alot better then using wood, very nice
lime is a natural ph buffer right?
5:51 why didn't you guys extend that layer to the walls of the blocks as well? I heard cinder blocks as bad as the wood that is chemically treated, right?
Thank You for the video.
People often refer to modern concrete blocks as cinder blocks. This is actually incorrect - cinder blocks have not been manufactured for about 50 years. Back when the coal industry was big, cinder blocks were made of cement, cinders, aggregate - sand and/or gravel - and water. Today's concrete blocks contain the cement, aggregate and water but omit the cinders. The Oregon State University Extension reports that some concrete blocks may leach lime into the soil over time. While not harmful to humans, the additional lime may alter the acidity of your raised bed. Monitor the pH of your soil if you suspect that you have a problem. In fact, it's good to get your soil tested periodically anyway to ensure the best growing conditions for your plants.
looks awsome and think we are going to go that way how do you secure the shading to the pipes
We overlapped the material on each end and sewed loops into it. Then we slid the pipes into the loops. Since we have short hoops (pipes) and tall hoops, in the middle of the bed, the laterial is sandwiched between the pipes. Good luck with your build!
Appreciate this video. The blocks as of 3/3/2017 cost me $1.79 each. Sigh.
Cost me $1.50 each as of 03/28/2017 at Home Depot ;)
Where I live they are $3.60 each! I recently put in a flower garden and used the blocks for this
But no mortar? How much extra work is it to use mortar?
What are "corner blocks"? I called my local home depot and they have something called planter wall blocks...but they look nothing like what your pictures show. Are they necessary? Please explain. Thanks
The corner blocks give you a clean edge on the corners. If you go to your local store, you be able to quickly see the difference. Here are some pictures for you to reference: Standard Cinder Block:
www.menards.com/main/building-materials/concrete-cement-masonry/construction-concrete-blocks/8-x-8-x-16-standard-concrete-block/1794360/p-1444441426010.htmCorner Block:
www.homedepot.com/p/Oldcastle-16-in-x-8-in-x-8-in-Concrete-Block-30161345/100350252
See the difference?
Does the concrete affect the acidity or sweetness of the soil?
Good question. Actually, I haven't done any soil testing after adding my soil into the bed. However, I haven't experienced difficulty growing anything in there either.
+JT you will leach some lime into the soil and reduce the acidity, but only a small amount.
I love the idea but, I'm a little worry about expansion/contraction between seasons, We get nice weather in the 80's-90's F (30-35 Celcius) down to around -40's during winter. Is there an alternative way to make a better footing for the base ?
We see temperatures in the 100s here in the summer time and negative 10+ in the winter. I have noticed a little movement in the blocks from year to year, but nothing to worry about.
How has this bed been working? Any shifting of the blocks?
+Andrew Robillard After 5 years, the blocks on one end shifted about one half inch. Everything is still pretty square and strong otherwise. Still love it! I have just topped it off occasionally with additional soil and compost.
Whopper-jaw? It's the first time that I've heard that phrase used. Where is it from?
is there a possibility of chemicals leaching from the concrete into soil and plants?
+Bllie hunt Hi Bill, The only thing that will leech from the cinder blocks over time is lime, which is the same variety many gardeners already add to their gardens to reduce soil acidity.
Good..thank you..I want to build one. Easier than trying to make one from wood..and much cheaper. Great vid.
+Bllie hunt There are actually heavy metals in some concrete blocks which can leach out into surrounding soil if exposed to an acidic environment or pulverized.
People have been building houses out of concrete blocks for over 100 years with no leaching problems
Building homes has nothing to do with gardening and knowledge of chemical toxins leeching from the materials used. You need a qualified analysis from a Agricultural Scientist. Send a piece of the concrete to a lab for analysis.
coole Idee...schönes Beet....:-)
Where did you get the cover that goes on top, and the tubes?, looks really good.
The tubes were cut from 1-inch vinyl black well tubing. You can get that in 100-foot rolls from Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor Supply, etc. Each one is cut to about 8-feet long. The cover can be either greenhouse rated plastic (for winter) or shade cloth for other seasons. Shown in the picture is the shade cloth option. You can get that from any greenhouse supply store.
Did you put 1/2" hardware cloth at the bottom of your bed. I am going to build one of these for asparagus and have a lot of moles so I was going to use the hardware cloth at the bottom. However, asparagus roots can get 12-15' deep so they would grow through the cloth and the moles could still eat the roots. If you did attach hardware cloth how did you attach it to the cinder blocks.
Greg Brooks You have good points there. I don't plant any long term crops in my raised beds. Instead, I have different lower beds for things like asparagus, rhubarb, and horse radish. You could do those in this bed. However, heavy rooted crops will probably push your blocks over the years. The hardware cloth is simply bent up or down where it touches the blocks to fit as tightly as possible.
When you say lower bed do you mean just one 8" layer of cinder blocks
Greg Brooks moles DON'T eat plant roots! They eat worms and grubs.
You have Voles, not Moles. Moles eat meat. Voles eat roots, bulbs and tubers. I have raised beds with 1/2 in hardware cloth at the bottom and they havent been able to get to any of my veggies! :)
Do you have a clever way to cap the ends of the hoops in winter? Or provide for easy access when the plastic is on? Those are two nuts I'm trying crack.
During the winter, we cover the bed with plastic instead of the shadecloth. The plastic cover we have is about 14-feet longer the the bed itself (about 10x30). This gives us about 7 extra feet of plastic on both ends of the bed. We bundle this together and place a landscaping timer across it on the ground, then place a couple cinder blocks on top of the timber. This keeps the wind from blowing it open.
Gaining access to the bed while it is covered is a bit of a pain, I agree! The way we do it; we slide the plastic upwards on one side so that it's bunched at the top, sandwiched between the inner and out hoops. I'm looking for an easier/better way to do this part, but haven't came up with a solution as of yet.
Thanks for watching!
Jim Stockton If I think of an access-panel solution, I'll let you know!
Fly ash from concrete blocks leaking into crops?
Looks great! I have a question: We have an old barbecue pit that was in the yard when we purchased our home in 2007. We never used it, and it's not in the best condition. We want to dismantle it in order to expand our growing area. Can we use them to build our raised garden?
Are you referring to using bricks from the barbecue? If so, yes those can be reused to build a raised bed garden. Actually, any ashes left on the brick might even be beneficial! Best wishes with your build!
Yes,I was referring to the bricks from the barbecue. We never used it. But we noticed the red brick and slate was coming apart, and it would be a waste to chuck those bricks away. Thank you!
I would buy new blocks. The barbecue blocks might be weakened from the heating and cooling, and they might fall apart a lot more quickly then new ones. It's not like blocks are expensive. Use the barbecue blocks for a pathway to something.
I have a question, Is it possible for one to grow fruits in there, fruits that otherwise would not grow in cold environments? lets say like oranges or pineaples? Provided that the height be adjusted for these trees?
You can definately grow fruit plants or bushes in a raised bed like this. However, for tree fruit like citrus, you would be better off to grow them in a greenhouse.
I would not leave the blocks loose. They will move eventually. Cement them in for long lasting gardening
Have been using this raised bed for about 7 years now. I occasionally have to adjust a few of the blocks, but overall, everything is holding up well and everything is still good and level.
I think youll find most plants/veg are lime loving anyway.
Do you have a design with a walk-way through the bed?
I'm pretty new to all this gardening stuff but will the cloth fabric not allow the garden roots to grow accordingly?
Denando Dante This cloth is designed for use on greenhouses. It will let plenty of light thru so that the plants grow as normal.
Thank you! Love the video and the inspiration.
I was told not to grow food around these type of blocks because of lime poisoning from the concrete. Can someone give any facts on this please? Thanks
What poisons? Concrete is a natural substance however the dust is not good to breathe. Powdered rock is good for gardens.
I use lime in my garden it helps the PH balance.
Cement lime is different than garden lime. Go to a nursery or Home Depot, Lowe's, they will tell you the same thing.
not enough to hurt your plants. I used treated lumber for my raised beds and that is a whole nother story as well. Try a small bed and see if it works. I love my raised beds.
I can't give you anything super solid, but just googling around doesn't turn up anything alarming at all. This sounds like something a hippie would say.
صوب زراعية جميله
Give me sir how long does the well tubing have to be per strip
That is completely up to you depending upon how tall you would like your hoops to be. Best to cut one and see if you like it....then cut the rest.
Where do we see the instructions on building the top? Great design.
Henry - Sorry , but we didn't post anything for making the top since it's a pretty easy operation. We simply sewed a sleeve into each end of the shade cloth fabric and inserted the two end hoops into the sleeves. Since we have inner and outer hoops, the shade cloth gets sandwiched between the hoops to hold it securely. If you are using plastic instead of shade cloth, you won't be able to sew the sleeves. Instead, you will need to insure that your plastic is wide enough to extend past the ends of the beds with enough slack to tie off to ground stakes. We will try to post another video when things warm up again showing better details for the top. Thanks for the suggestion!
jimginnyohio Since you only us the shade cloth for a short time, is this during the hottest period? When the top is off, does the soil drain sufficiently when it rains pretty hard?
We sometimes use the cover when first setting out plants starts to aid in hardening them off. Other times we use it during the hottest part of the summer. Furthermore, we have also used it to help keep the cabbage moths from laying eggs all over our brassicas so that we don't have to battle with the cabbage worms. If doing that, you'll also need to close off the ends too! For drainage, as long as you use a good soil mixture, that will be no problem.
jimginnyohio Hello, I use screening material over mine, that way when it rains it breaks down the drops to a mist, it also cuts down on the direct sun... it works great :-) I use screen material that they use for canopy's.
The way it's positioned in the square is driving me crazy!! Why not put it to the side and add another one or put it directly in the middle? Sorry, OCD acting up.
I am slightly confused by the orientation ,the North South Axis of the bed. to get maximum sun exposure for individual plants ( assuming two ,maximum three plants) , wouldn't it be better to orient the whole bed lengthwise North - South ( in northern hemisphere) . all other consideration being equal.
Pervez Khan Inbelieve you misunderstood. The long sides of the bed ARE oriented north and south.
At 4:57 the diagram clearly shows North at the top. My guess is your planting several shorter rows north to south so the sun hits them as it travels ... that's how i'm going to do it ...
Turner is Right
Sorry, but that has not been the case. We have been using the bed for over five years and it is fine. No tree roots! Everything is level and in place.
This is good and actually is for growing vegetables. Why one would need a raised bed for growing trees?
I read somewhere that PVC hoops decompose due to sun exposure. (I believe person was talking about white pvc hoops). Will the black color prevent this? Or would it be best to use galvanized steel tubing (as is used in hoop green houses) ?
You can use either! The black tubing I am using for this is pretty durable stuff. It is designed to go deep into the ground for wells. I have been using it for over 5 years now and it is still as good as the first day I installed it. Plus it is pretty cheap too! A 100-foot roll of it was about $45. Thanks!
All plastics degrade from sun exposure. :)
what are the corner blocks for I don't see them in the design?
Thanks RICK
The corner blocks are the cinder blocks that are used to make the finished corners. I am using two of them (stacked) on each corner of the bed. The best way to see the difference in a regular cinder block versus a corner block is to visit your local big box store and look at the blocks they sell. It will become obvious once you do that. Regular blocks have two ridges where the blocks meet in the middle to allow separation between them to apply mortar. The corner blocks are flat on the outside edge to form a finished looking corner.
How do you reach inside to garden when there is a top on?
That's one of the faults we discovered with this design! It's tough to get into the garden with the top on unless you dislodge a couple of the hoops to reach underneath or slide the entire side of the cloth upward. It can be done, but it's a bit cumbersome. We've learned to live with it however, since we only keep the cover on it for a short period each year. We are considering building a walk-in hoophouse over the garden so that we can have better access thru the entire winter.
jimginnyohio Can't wait to see your video on the walk-in :)
Would also love to see a picture of your misting system. Thank you for all of the great ideas. The beauty of it is that you can use your imagination and add on more features.
Sorry to bother you again. I'm trying to establish my hoops but this well tubing seems kind of flimsy. And I can't get my Hoops to stand up
Are you sure you bought well tubing? Every roll I have ever seem is extremely firm and durable. In most cases it’s difficult even to unroll the coil unless it’s heated in the sun for a while first. It should stand up firmly on its own if you have the correct stuff.
@@jimginnyohio it doesn't have a label that says well tubing. It just says black vinyl tubing.
Looks good, but from past experience I suspect tree roots will come up through the bottom of the bed within three to four years and render the bed useless. Hope it doesn't happen to you, but that's been my experience.
We have been using the bed for 5 years now and everything is perfectly fine with it.
Mine work great too after several years.
plz can u advise me whether I can built these raised bed on the roof of my building slab instead of doing it on ground
+faizal kurmaully That would be a lot of weight on your roof, so I would advise against doing that. Instead, I recommend doing a rain gutter garden instead. Do a RUclips search for Larry Hall or Rain Gutter Garden.
ruclips.net/video/GRQzhFBCot4/видео.html
+faizal kurmaullyfaizal
I cant see them in any of your drawings. Are you using split face block?
I didn't use split faced blocks, but you could. Actually the blocks I used for the corners of my raised bed are called "double corner concrete blocks". Those are used for all of the corners. I didn't specify those in my drawings since they are optional. However, they give the bed a more finished appearance. If you go to the store and look at the concrete blocks sold there, it will become obvious why those are used for the corners.
@@jimginnyohio Thanks, I am looking at your 3 minute time line drawing and dont see any 1/2 block. A state landscaper uses 3-4 inches of broken glass to stop underground root feeders. Wine and beer bottles work with window glass broken into 1-2 inch chunks in 55 gallon oil drums, then either in a trench around or directly under the planting beds, lasts forever, free and easy to install.She did a trench around her home garden and made a 1000 SF rodent free island. Have some band-aids ready.
@@rexhavoc2982 Correct. I did not use any half blocks. Interesting concept for the broken glass!
@@jimginnyohio I did the trenching for her, 4" wide 2 feet deep, she had many drums of broken glass, I think she all most filled the trench, I was not around when it was done.It would work like a french drain also if water was a problem.
Why buy 8 corner blocks??
You don’t have to, but the bed will look better if you include those. They are usually the same price as regular blocks.
concrete leaches chemicals into the soil that change the ph
ВАРИАНТ У КОГО УЧАСТОК ЗЕМЛИ БОЛЬШОЙ !!
cool stuff:)
Also, my current garden has a slope. The lowest end is probably a block or two below the highest end. Should I just use a stair case going up the slope? Or should I dig to form a level base?
so what was the total cost of your bed including soil?
About $250 - $275 for everything.
The cinder blocks alone cost my close to $200.00 plus delivery. The tubes and the bottom layer protection cost me another hundred.