Hope everyone's gardens are doing well this summer! Here is a full garden update so you can see what we've been able to grow in these awesome raised beds! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_mW64u1i64Q.html
How well did the panels perform being horizontally layed vs the groves going vertical? Did the sides bow out with no vertical center support on the long side?
I just built a bed this weekend with the wife. Just wanted to say thanks for the materials list and details. Like others mentioned i was able to complete it with 7 2x4x10s and i added a center brace on the long sides to help with bowing just in case. I did have to trim the 8 ft met sides by like 1/4” to get them to fit inside but everything went pretty smooth!
I have two of these raised beds, but with a 'twist.' I lined mine with heavy black plastic before filling as you done, thus creating a giant 'bathtub.' I also placed several plastic corrugated slit drainage hoses in a single layer on the bottom, inside the plastic, then drilled a drainage/overflow hole an inch or so above the level of the tubes. In the corner I insert a pvc pipe with holes in the bottom to fill the tubes with water. The end result is that I have created a pool of water in the bottom of the raised bed that cannot be overfilled [unless the overflow hole gets plugged ! ]. Then I only water every so often- the plants grow deep roots as they are seeking the water just as they would in nature.
Overall great video and instructions. I built a couple of these with a couple of differences to save money: 1) To save money and cut down on wasted material I was able to use a combination of 8' and 10' boards. Here is my modified materials list: 4 2x4x10's, 4 2x4x8's, 2 2x6x10's, and 1 2x6x8. 2) The corrugated metal sheets can easily be cut using a cheap pair of tin snips. You dont need to buy an expensive attachment for your drill or an angle grinder to build this.
Thanks and appreciate the feedback. I agree that tin snips will do the job but the powered shears are nice for folks with arthritis or anyone cutting a lot of sheets.
These tin roof beds seem to be the trend right now. That and making sourdough bread. ;) I've watched a bunch of videos on making these and found yours to be the most insightful and easiest to follow. Thanks!
This is the best video you can get for making a raised bed (I have watched several) with corrugated steel. He explains why you need to make the cuts that you do. It's to avoid cutting the steel more then once, if you don't have an angle grinder and you are using tin snips cutting the metal will be a pain so you will only want to do it once. I am going to throw an extra leg in the middle to support the panels so they don't bow out.
Great video and nice garden bed. I only had two pieces of feedback: 1) I only needed 7 2x4x10, not 9. That was even enough to give me a center support on the long side. 2) the 99" boards left me 96" after I attached the side, which is exactly 8' -- the size of the roofing panels. As a result, I couldn't "squeeze" the panels into the long sides and have to cut them down about 1/2 inch. I think the 4 long boards for the sides should be 100" vs 99" to give allowance for the roofing panels.
@@LittleMountainLife Looking to get material to make this and have a question. When you filled these did the metal decking support the weight of the soul with out bulging in the middle on the long run? I've seen this exact design but they have a mid support on the long run. Just wondering how it worked for you. Thanks again for the video... watching it a second time. :)
Thank you for adding the details, like screw size and what you used for securing the metal panels. That helps a lot! I think I can actually try this myself!!
Fantastic video! Well done! It was so great that you took the time to explain the measurements and gave great instructions on how to build. We’ve been researching and this is by far the best video. Thanks!🤩🤩🤩
Those are nice raised garden beds. I'm all about reuse/recycle. I used old scrap materials as raised beds. I'm in the process of building more beds with more scrap materials. I figure my vegetable won't know how good or bad my beds look. LOL. As long as they hold good compost my plants will be happy. Great design of bed that you built. Thanks for sharing. Your friend Bryan
Hey cool! Just built 2! 8x4. We put front and back center braces. And one over bottom and top to help prevent bowing. Added mesh cloth to bottom. Voles here in winter in FL. Can’t wait ! Going to start filling them tomorrow! 🥳 Doing the hugelkuguter. Whatever it’s called. 🤣 Good job!
Just got my 1st of 4 done. I'm not as tall as you (can tell by your knee bend while sitting on the top rail) so I cut the uprights at 17" and trimmed my panels to fit. Great plans and video, Thanks 😊
I had my husband make a couple of these for me last weekend and they are awesome! I would likely make them a bit shorter since the galvanized metal material was 21" in width and I am vertically challenged, but they will work just fine the way they are. I am very happy with how they turned out.
And weeds are not going to grow through that depth of fill. You need those worms and other bugs, especially if you have a hügelkultur type fill included. There's gonna be one heck of a lot of outer pressure on the sides for those corner joints to hold.
"It's time to jump." My meniscus torn 23 years ago is screaming, "NO, DON! DON'T DO IT!!!" 😱😱😱 Love the design you came up with. Typically treated lumber is a bad idea for raised beds even though they'll last longer in the elements because the chemicals leech into the soil and get absorbed into your plants, but lining them with the metal is a great way to skirt that issue. 👌👌👌👌
I appreciate your sharing the garden bed build. Thank you. I would like it taller (to at least 32") so I don't have to bend over too much, but not sure how to do that, with the metal sheets needing cutting lengthwise.
You’re welcome! To make it taller I’d just buy twice the amount of metal and overlap them instead of doing long cuts. It would help strengthen the walls a bit too.
Great video, your raised beds look fantastic! We are just starting the same journey, bought some land and am setting up a small farm/ranch in Colorado. I am envious of your weather, it has been snowing in Colorado for the last week which has put a stop to any outside planting for us.
These beds look great. I'm getting ready to build some and wanted to see if, looking back on this build, is there anything you would do differently? thanks for posting!
Thanks so much! I honestly wouldn't change anything. They did so well in the first season and we hope to add more of the same beds next spring/summer. :)
"it'll save my back when I'm 60! " Son, I'm 64 and I bend over and kneel down in my garden all day long. Trust me, that as long that u stay active u should b fine 4 decades 2 come. b safe and mindful, Jose
At current prices (3/2022) here in Utah from Home Depot (Lowes was slightly more) your boxes would be $292. 10’ Pressure treated 2x4 - $16.58 each 10’ Pressure treated 2x6 - $23.68 Box of #8 1” self tapping metal screws (only box was 100 ct) $9.50 Box of 3” screws (1 lb) Exterior/decking screws $11.50 2’x8’ corrugated roofing panels $16.98 Total $292.2
just my thought from doing a small backyard garden. The plastice at the base of the raised bed should not be there. Above soil should touch earth soil. Use cardboard if you want to deal with weed. The soil below knows how to regulate moisture. It absorbs and retains duing a downpour and slowly releases other times.
Appreciate your thoughts. The soil below the raised beds isn't really soil. Its clay and rocks displaced by the excavation of our home site. So far the beds have worked really well especially with water drainage.
These are excellent instructions! Especially how to cut the metal sheets. I also like how you simplified the cuts to connect everything and just used screws and on top of that you put a ledge in there. This will be awesome to build cold frames onto them. ONE weird question - these are 4'x8' raised beds correct? That is what others have done and what I need to build. Was checking in case I needed to modify your instructions above.
And what area of the US are you in? We are up here in New England. My wife was watching this with me and thinks the view from your house is breathtaking.
Did you say your lumber was Pressure Treated? The color of the PT lumber in the PNW is a dark brown with incised knife penetration cuts. Your lumber looks like standard hem fir. It will work but wont last very long unless you paint it. you might want to brace the seat connections with a gusset or blocking as the wood will shrink and possibly start to cup. Did you consider watching the color of your steel sheeting to your roof or walls? Overall, nice design and build. It will out live me . LOL
Everyone has their own preferences. We prefer to not have to cut the roofing panels as much. There is slight bowing but not enough to blow out and it’s easy to just add a center support brace. Thanks for watching
This is a really simple design that is really functional. I am going to be building an entire outdoor space with the walls made out of beds and inground planting space in the middle. We have a really big problem with dear so that has to be a physical barrier. I really liked the idea of pre-drilling your holes to accommodate for the length of the board. We have a small homestead in NE Florida. If you get a chance, check us out and consider subscribing.
Great video! Well thought out and easy to follow. 3 questions please: 1. Did the sides bow when you filled them up? 2. It's OK to use treated wood for growing veggies? 3. Now that you've used them, would you do anything different if you were building more boxes? Thanks very much.
Is my math wrong? Looking through your cut list it seems like each box would only require (7) 10' 2X4s 4 boards give you (4) 99" cuts and (4) 19" cuts 2 boards give you (4) 49" cuts and (2) 19"cuts 1 board gives you (2) 19" cuts
I just built two beds and couldn't figure out why I had 4 boards left over. I made 4 19" cuts out of the last board and used them for side braces, which I would highly recommend.
Great job - practical design and looks great! I'll definately be making these myself so thank you very much. Will the ground cover under your beds stop earthworms though?
I don't understand why you would need 9 2x4's. You can get the four long sides (99") and 4 short sides (49") and 6 uprights (19") out of six boards. I would think 7 would be the number, right?
Have you had any problem with the middle of the 8' side bowing out? I was wondering why you didn't add a middle support, is the tin roof strong enough?
Another question, if the 2x4's are actually 3-1/2" wide wouldn't the 3" screws not even make it to the adjoining board? Or is it when you say "pre-drill holes" are you actually just drilling in about halfway?
@@LittleMountainLife Yep, I re-watched and figured that out, although, .5-inch hole and 3-inch screws still don't equal 3.75-inch (2 X 4 width) + plus an inch or two into the next board. Any more info for an apparently complete newbie?
Hey! Nice video,great view.just wondering if u sealed the edges where the metal comes together? Lots of leaks if u don't? Thnx for ur time and keep safe!!!!!
Those look great! I have been watching alot videos on how to make these and I have to say yours was the easiest to follow. Planning to make some. Have you had any bowing issues on the sides? I was thinking of adding a support.
Glad you liked the video! The metal is bowing a little bit. I don’t think it’s bad enough to completely blow out but a support would be a nice fail safe.
If the sheet metal for your short sides is exactly 24” high, and you use two 2 X 4’s that are 3.75” wide each (7.5”) and a 19” piece (26.5” total), how does your 24” piece of metal cover the 26.5" height completely/perfectly with no wood exposed at the top and bottom? The metal sheets I have are about 26” to 27” wide. Are your metal sheets exactly 2' (24") x 8’?
Is there a big noticeable look between the beds made with 2x6's vs the 2x4's? Do you have a cut list for the beds made with 2x6's? I was planning to use 2x6's but the one you made looks good and not sure if its worth the difference. I'll probably add a middle vertical support on the long run sides. Great video!
I don't have a cut list for 2x6's and would recommend 2x4's to save money and make assembly easier. An additional support in the middle of the long sides will certainly help strengthen the beds. Thanks for watching!
Oh that’s a tough one. Don’t think I’d ever build these on a deck because of the deck boards staying moist from the drainage. But I’m no expert that’s for sure.
Thanks for your video. Planning to build at least one. The 2x6x10 PT are 60 cents cheaper than 2x4x10 PT at the local Lowe’s. Thinking about using all 2x6. How did you attach the long boards to the risers? The same as the 2x4?
Thanks! I actually used just 2x6's for a couple of our beds and they worked great! Yeah I just pre-drilled deep holes so I didn't have to use long expensive screws.
question - I was reading about not putting pressure treated lumber against the galvanized metal due to the corrosion, have you seen anything yet now that its been a year?
Did you put any material or barrier between the beds and the ground/dirt? How do you keep grass from growing into the bed. I'm struggling with it at my little 4 x 8 bed at home :(
All the galvanized steel roofing I find says no contact with pressure treated lumber, as it will start to corrode the metal. Science right now is okay with modern pressure treated lumber and zinc plated metal in your garden and garden chemistry. But the combo of them touching is what the roofing manufacturer warn against. Are you using PTL for that build?
