I’ve been using 1/4” hardware cloth in the bottom of my wood raised beds for years. Excellent at keeping the burrowing rodents out of the garden beds. You won’t be disappointed.
I like the mesh wire (the rodent wire 1/4" mesh). I want the worms to come up into my garden and the roots to never be stunted if they want to grow deeper
My beds have reached an age where I'm having to replace the wood and I really like the look of the corrugated metal. I had watched a bunch of RU-vid videos on it, but they always used a grinder to cut the metal, which I wasn't very excited about. Thanks for showing us the cutter that fits on the drill -- looks like the perfect solution for me!
I have 4 beds that are similar, but built the frame on the outside with the galvanized paneling on the inside with a piece of threaded rod to keep the walls from bowing out. Filled them using the hugelculture method. So far, the 1st one I built 3 years ago is holding up great. One suggestion on cutting the panels, use a grinder with a cutoff wheel. Then you have a tool with multiple uses (cutting, grinding, sanding, shaping, etc.).
Yep, we did ours on the inside also. He probably didn't want the grinder as they can throw sparks and where he's at I wouldn't chance it. I thought the drill attachment was pretty slick. Non the less he has a nice area that will prevent deer from eating his garden once the gate is on. We have to fence everything.
@Blake Umthun, do you have a channel showing your beds? I am interested in putting the frame on the outside too. I figure I have another 25 - 30 years of gardening left, I want to build something that will last that long. I'm fine with using pressure treated wood, but it seems like it would last longer on the outside of the bed rather than inside. Did you bury posts? I'm not going to bury the metal, so I am wondering if a frame along the bottom is sufficient, or if I need to anchor it into the ground.
@@alicias9928 I don't have a channel, but a quick search and I found a channel that's almost exactly what I have. Goshen Farms and Gardens has a video from 2 years ago. "How to build a raised bein 1 hour for under$100"
this is what I'm doing this year! The corrugated metal here in Finland is cheap! unlike Canada, where I come from, everyone's houses rooves are made of it. It's cheaper than wood here, but I do prefer the look of wood. Thanks for another awesome video.
Great video, its crazy that just a week ago i wanted to know how to build a metal raised bed because I was done with all my wood needing to be replaced. Thank you so much
Great video, Gardener Scott! I’ve been considering making these types of beds with these high lumber prices. One thing just in case it confuses anyone. An impact driver doesn’t hammer: it impacts rotationally as opposed to from the back. This is for increasing torque when driving fasteners. Same concept as with an impact wrench.
when burying the wooden posts on my raised bed I covered the section that touches the soil with a few layers of pallet wrap to give it another layer of protection. should delay it from rotting and getting eaten by the bugs in the soil
@@AtomicZombieAndroid you can heat it up so it contracts into the grain. it wont stop it leeching through the wood where its exposed but I haven't seen any issues so far
Cool tips, I have been using corrugate roof for my raise bed. The 2 ft height is great for sitting. I also cut them into 12” as well to have more beds.
My boyfriend built me three 4x12-ft beds like those last year and they are absolutely amazing. We used Hugelkulture method to start the fill on the bottom. I also had lots of comfrey leaves from previous year and two other areas of my property, which are highly highly nutritious so those went in as well as a layer. This year I am using rerod in the corners and centers that will stabilize PVC pipe, which I already have plenty of, and this will be the support for shade cloth should we have another unusual scorcher in Wisconsin.
Also, the cheapest way to cut the galvy sheets ( forget the bulldogs, snips) buy a metal cutting blade for your circular saw and get some ear plugs too! and safety glasses, you will be thru that sheet in no time, and horizontally too if you dont need to bury it.
Great video lots of great info. To put post in with out a gas post hole digging can be hard I found a cloth pot filled with cocoa core where I want to dig a hole watered daily for 3 or 4 days makes it much easer. It works great for planting trees and srubs makes the ground moist. Eastern colo is a challenge.
Brilliant video mate. I wis I knew you were doing this we could have collabed it. i have just finished filming a raised bed video that will go live tomorrow lol. Brill video mate
I built one last year using the same metal but cut it into 12" pieces using an angle grinder and have the corrugation going up and down. I only want my bed around a foot high and was afraid it may not be sturdy if I just used a single sheet going lengthwise but yours looks sturdy enough. It was a lot of cutting though and the angle grinder did not work well. I have a craftsman power tool so hopefully I'll be able something like you have to fit it before I build another one later this year. Thanks for the tip.
Have another thought that might work a little longer? Maybe instead of putting your metal on the outside of your wood framing. Put the metal on the inside of your wood framing so your dirt basically only hitting your metal instead of the wood. You could use 2x4 or even 2x6’s be even better turned with the 4”or 6” parallel with the ground on the top ( and bottom if you like? ) of your wood frames to strengthen your Boxes from bowing from the dirt pushing on your frames too. Plus would give you a wider edge to sit your rear end on when your needing to take some weight off your feet! Just an idea to think about?
Depending on thickness, another trick for cutting that metal is to turn the saw blade backwards on the skillsaw. Make sure your wearing proper PPE! It can be a little more dangerous and awful loud too, but saves you from having to buy another cool tool if funds are limited.
Nice drill attachment! My husband showed a way to cut steel lengthwise by scoring and snapping like drywall. Very nice area to help keep those deer out. What is planned for the middle--flowers and herbs? My latest beds are about 22' and they are down and dirty. We were given some oak boards rough sawn so nothing is even and some are bowed. Didnt really care at the price of lumber and planting time is soon. With the sand it's impossible to do wide beds as they would just flatten. We laughed when we were done as my husband has been a carpenter his whole life and these were not representative of his work. We could have cut the boards the same widths, but who cares, I don't think Better Homes & Gardens is arriving anytime soon🤣🤣 Once those vegetables start growing, probably won't see the wood anyways.
I wonder what you mean by "relatively permanent." The wood infrastructure will decay relatively quickly, though cedar or redwood will last fairly well. My PT wood 4x4 corner posts showed extensive rot within 5 years. The wood would also last better if it was on the outside of the bed instead of the inside like on yours. Galvanized corrugated roofing panels are typically very thin and will probably start rusting through within 10 years, maybe sooner. Panels available from HD are 0.01 inch thick (31 gauge) which might be fine on a roof where the water runs off and they dry quickly, but when constantly next to damp soil aren't likely to last so long.
Take a old skill saw blade and put it on your skill saw backwards, then use it to cut the metal sheet. Works like a charm! Unfortunately I can’t take credit for this technique, I seen it done first on Homestead rescue and had to try it myself to see if it really work? It does and very well too!
Because wood eventually rots and labor evolved I think I like the concrete block or cattle feed truths the best. The concrete block can be painted and a flat slab added for a sitting bench going around or partly around.
Those are nice beds. I want to add another tall strawberry bed and have been kicking around the idea of either making a bed like yours or buying a 4x8 Vego modular bed. BTW: Great find on the metal cutter for the drill. I will definitely get that if I go with the metal roofing beds.
Roughly 10 years ago I built some raised beds on 4x4 legs with a 12” deep box on top of the legs so the top of the raise table was 36” high. Built these for my lady that has bad knees and can’t bend down or get on the ground. The 4 legs were screwed to 2x4’s inside a square 4’x4’ frame and two other 2x4’s screwed inside the square frame for support to put a wood bottom on top the legs just made of 3/4” CDX PLYWOOD and added 2x12 to the top of the CDX PLYWOOD to make the sides of the raised bed box. If you understand my directions here? Anyway reason I bring these up is they actually held up 10 years before they started falling apart from the plywood rotting thru. My new ones are made the same way except this time I’m using a 1” thick waterproof plywood that’s got plastic laminate on both sides of the waterproof plywood too! Which the plastic laminate makes a great barrier to the dirt and water too! Instead of using the 2x12” for the side of the box, I also used the 1” thick waterproof plywood with the plastic laminate on the sides of it for the 4 sides of the raised table box. So the whole inside of the box is covered in plastic laminate along with the waterproof plywood. I expected these beds to last at a minimum of 30 years possibly longer? About 40 years ago I made some flower boxes out of this same material where the flower boxes were mounted on a house under the house windows so the flower could be seen thru the windows. I built those 35 years ago and their still holding up on the house today. So I have high hopes these tables will last least as long if not longer? Don’t know about you, but nothing I hate more than having to rebuild things I already built once ! LOL So these tables better least last for the rest of my life at least! LOL
did you consider having your framing on the outside of the bed with the metal inside? seems the soil weight pushing outward would then be pushing the metal against the frame..
Cost wise if I were to build another 5x10 from three treated 2x8x10's and scrap 2x4 pieces it would cost me about $95. That is still much cheaper than a Vego, but not cheaper than some off brand metal beds available, especially if you get 2. I however don't like the extreme rounded corners most have. I feel it decreases plant spacing. I also don't like the hundreds of gallons of fuel being burned and the polluted bilge tanks often emptied in the oceans to get them here. I chose 8 inches high because it is a perfect balance of price per piece with the fewest cuts. I also amend 12 inches or more of clay below that to make it a hybrid raised/in ground bed. Luckily for me I have more space for in ground sections once the bindweed is dead.
Howdy neighbor. We live up in Florissant and watched you all the time and value your advice as we are building a garden up in bear country. We are in the process of building a wire mess fence 6' high and buried it 12" and installing solar powered electric fence on the outside of that barrier. I've found all kinds of advice that vary but I was wondering what your advice might be on the spacing of electric fence wires?
Hi, Kevin. Here's some info that might help from a system designed by CSU: bearwise.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/electric-fence-instructions-bearwise.pdf
The attachment to the cordless drill is called a "double cutter" We have specific tools in the sheet metal industry to do this, also a tool called a uni-shear for cutting sheet metal. I think good advice would be to go to your local big box, Lowes, Home Depot etc and rent the tool at their rental counter; especially the gas auger (drill) . Last time I rented an auger for fence posts it only cost $45 for the day. By the way , I see you have a Phd. . Post hole digger.
Does the metal get hot in the sun? I am (figuratively) scarred by the memories of my legs getting burned from going down metal slides when I was a kid 😆 I am short so when I lean against my raised beds, my legs are right up against the outside.
Hey Scott! I am new to the channel and planning to begin my raised bed adventure this upcoming week. I have strawberries, tomato’s and assorted peppers to be planted in a very sun rich area of my backyard. I plan to roll some paper out then add soil and nutrients before planting. I didn’t know about adding mulch until watching your videos. Do you advise any particular store bought soil and mulch for a beginner? Thanks.
I don't have a recommendation on particular store brands. Your soil mixed with compost is a good start. A big-name quality potting mix is usually good. There aren't many store mulches to choose from. Dried grass clipping, crushed leaves, and straw are the mulch mix I prefer.
Hi Scott I just bought a used grainy dryer floor the sections are two feet wide and eight to twelve feet long they have the little groves in them to let the air through to dry the corn. I was wondering what your thoughts are on using them for raised beds.they are really thick galvanized metal. It looks like the metal you used only it has air holes. I really value your opinion so I thought I would ask. Thank you sir.
We did our first steel raised garden boxes, We already have a mole! Saw it today...we have chicken wire and in the bottom of these new steel boxes... never had in our wood raised garden boxes. But wood too expensive this year. We're in KY. What should we do? Dirt is in, getting ready to plant...🌱
If you plant perennials such as asparagus in metal raised beds, will the plants survive a Rocky Mountain winter? I really want raised beds for everything because I'm not getting any younger, but I don't want perennials to die either.
Hi Scott, I'm a gardener in Colo springs. I wondered if you might help me choose which planters mix to buy from our local landscape companies. One option is a topsoil compost 1 mix with no cow manure and another option is a planting bed mix that has manure, perlite,bark fines and top soil. I'm not sure whether or not to use a mix with manure as I read that it could potentially carry bacteria like salmonella or E. Coli. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that and maybe you have a favorite bulk mix ypu like to use. Thanks in advance! Cathy
Hi, Cathy. Most of what I've used is Planters Mix from C&C Sand, and occasionally the Tri-Mix. The soil blends sit on their lot for long enough that the E. Coli concerns should not be an issue.
@@GardenerScott great! That's exactly the place I was looking, and good news about the E.Coli. thanks so much for your help! BTW, I LOVE what you did for the Galileo School 💚💚💚
