How to Fill a Raised Bed and Save 60%+ on Soil Costs

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Get the raised beds I use in my garden: shop.epicgardening.com/ Raised garden beds are my preferred way to grow in my urban garden, but filling them can cost a pretty penny. Now, there are MANY ways to fill a garden bed on the cheap, and this is just ONE of them. It makes use of existing organic matter on your property (sticks, logs, brush, grass clippings, unfinished compost, etc.) to fill the bottom half of your bed.
Then, fill the remainder with a high-quality mix that you can either buy or make yourself. This method is particularly useful when growing in TALL (18"+) beds, as you don't need the perfect soil mix all of the way down. Over time, the fill material will break down and become food for bacteria, fungi, and other soil life and turn into high-quality soil for your garden over the years.
SPONSOR: ESPOMA ORGANIC
Espoma Organic has been organic from the start and makes absolutely epic raised bed soil mixes, potting mixes, and organic fertilizers. Their Raised Bed mix is my favorite bagged mix to fill a bed up. To find out where to buy, click here: www.espoma.com/where-to-buy/
IN THIS VIDEO
→ Full Article: growepic.co/41MBd6U
→ Espoma Raised Bed Mix: www.espoma.com/where-to-buy/
→ Birdies Tall 6-in-1 Beds: growepic.co/3RIEVKq
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Опубликовано:

17 апр 2020

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Комментарии : 1,4 тыс.

@ennykraft 4 года назад

If you want to do hügelkultur, you SHOULD put in some coarser matter like logs and twigs at the bottom since they will take a long time to compost, providing natural heat for your raised bed. Next level is plant and grass clipping, then a layer of partially composted material and manure and then garden soil mixed with fully composted matter. While the layers compost, the density will increase and you fill up your raised bed with compost/soil every year. That way a raised bed will last around six to seven years till you have to start it anew. Of course you can leave it but then you lose the advantage of earlier and more abundant growth. ETA: Please don't use any soil that contains peat. While it's fantastic for your garden, it comes from bogs which are decimated for peat production, resulting in the loss of a unique natural habitat. It is not considered re-newable.

@jerryscanas Год назад

couldn't we simply load peat bogs up with organic material for it to start breaking down all over again???

@BlueJadeU Год назад

Use Coconut Coir in the place of Peat. Very sustainable.

@kimherben7866 Год назад

@@BlueJadeU Hi, I live in Texas; so cotton Hulls and rice husks are a good replacement for peat. In addition, we have a lg. Compost pile.

@Skorpychan 11 месяцев назад

@@jerryscanas Not really, because you drain them to harvest the peat. It was fine in the past, when it was only taken for local gardens and home fuel, but industrial-scale extraction is removing it faster than it's replenishing. It's a fossil fuel like coal.

@Patchy921 10 месяцев назад

That's what I expected him to do when he mentioned Mark's method, Mark uses logs at the bottom. I much prefer brown matter to grass clippings but that's mostly cause in my area there's a bore grass everywhere and it and some invasive weeds will grow up many inches if it gets the chance to, collect heaps of leaves in autumn/fall and use them.

@andypandit1 4 года назад

Great use of common sense. You saved me a lot of effort. I am 80 and getting into farming now.

@33quincey 3 года назад

This is sexy 🤩

@shawnconnell3845 4 года назад

True that and the Australian homie who doin his thing holding in down down under with the self sufficientness....that guy legit too

@d.w.stratton4078 4 года назад

He's a total cornball which I love. Wish he was doing veganic permaculture á la Will Bonsall though.

@demetriusthompson2362 4 года назад

Self-sufficiency

@ramunerocks 3 года назад

@@HandlesAreForPussies Do you offer translations of comments in other languages, too?

@Probity100 3 года назад

Shawn Connell could you repeat that in English please? Thank you

@ramunerocks 3 года назад

Since people are still commenting and I'm getting notifications for this- I, as a native English speaker trained in second language acquisition and linguistics, want to make it clear that Shawn Connell is speaking English and that to say he isn't speaking English is quite rude.

@tanluwils1736 4 года назад

I ended up spending $80 on soil ingredients (peat moss, leaf humus compost, vermiculite, and perlite) today to fill a 12' x 5' bed, which I anticipate will be about 12" high. I appreciate this video very much because to purchase any more of those ingredients would almost defeat the purpose of saving money by growing my own food. Lots of us growers need to do it on a budget, so I appreciate the thought that went into this video.

@alliseburris566 Год назад

Throw your fireplace/bonfire ashes into your mix, shredded newspaper, coffee grounds (ask your local coffee shop), fur from the pet groomer, spent mushroom compost, etc. Lots of materials available for free or nearly free.

@Hybernatus2000 4 года назад

Thanks so much for this video and all the others. I run a native nursery here in SD and just started a veggie garden in my yard and I'm SO BAD at it! You've already saved me from making some major mistakes but I know I'll still make a lot along the way.

@FairyFrequencyASMR 4 года назад

Awesome raised bed gardening tips! We are just now clearing out the leaf coverings from our beds. Can't wait to get into that soil! Very glad to meet you. Just happily cultivated all of the positive buttons. Hope you are having a fantastic day ♡

@epicgardening 4 года назад

You can do it!

@markl5681 3 года назад

Brilliant video. We’ve just bought exactly that type of raised bed in the UK. Your video was informative and has given me confidence on how to fill it properly and economically. Thank you!

@jheart3500 4 года назад

Stumbled across your channel this morning and wanted to say thank you! We lost out house in the city to a fire, and decided to move to the country. We have never gardened before, so my daughter and I are brand new to this. Weve just put up about 12 raised beds and started some tomatoe seedlings. They just started poking their little heads up and- i started to panic lol. Now what? How do I move them? When and how often do I water? So many questions and no one to ask. So, thanks to google, I found you and a few other amazing gardeners who are sharing their knowledge. We appreciate you so very much. ❤

@sofiang9022 4 года назад

I can't believe you posted this 45 mins ago. Just right in time, thank you so much!!

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Got you covered!

@charlottemcdermott9306 4 года назад

Thank you so much!! My husband is building a raised bed for me for Mother’s Day tomorrow and I’m super excited to start gardening! We were freaking out about the cost of soil this morning though and feeling pretty discouraged. So glad I just found this! ☺️👍🏼

@staceyogier6154 3 года назад

How did your veggie patch go?

@northshoregirl72 4 года назад

LOVE MARK. I have 2, now 3 gardening channels I subscribe to, Mark was my first. What a wealth of information you all provide! Thank you!

@forevergogo 4 года назад

I've been doing that for months, kitchen scraps, yard clippings, filling two huge raised beds. Did some big limb trimming and mulched the branches, that went in too. Once it was about 1/3 full or so, I went out and got a few Huge bags of organic raised bed soil, and now I got veggies on one side of my patio and some decorative plants on the other side.

@carolparrish194 4 года назад

Gardening with Leon has a great video on filling large tubs with materials. Well worth watching !Also great for moisture control.

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Thanks for the info!

@yaakovina 3 года назад

Lol whenever I’m filling up a new raised bed, I remind my friends this is the perfect place to hide the bodies.

@starbrite526 2 года назад

Like That Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode.

@danielson2454 2 года назад

Organic fertilizer 🤔

@thereinthetrees_5626 Год назад

@@danielson2454 very much non-organic

@AG-oe2wt Год назад

Wow thanks FBI

@yaakovina Год назад

@@AG-oe2wt you do realize it’s a joke, right?🤣

@atmmyers1 4 года назад

Thanks Kevin! Love how you just accentuated and expanded on something I already do -- and I'll definitely use some of your tips. Some additional things I use include "old used" potting mix (window boxes and containers that are ready for fresh soil after some years of use), lower quality ground soil that I partly replace when planting roses, shrubs, and perennials, leaves leaves leaves saved from last fall, and the boxes and boxes of organic matter from my husband's orchid growing hobby (okay, "obsession" -- tons of leaves, roots, flowers, and used growing medium). Thanks again -- love your channel -- just discovered it this winter. So ready to use your tips in my small Chicago vegetable garden!

@Patchy921 10 месяцев назад

Yes, mix that soil with plant clippings and lots of leaves and let the bugs and worms get to work.

@onedae 4 года назад

I've been doing this for years. Totally a money saver. Basically use bottom half of your bed as a compost pile and cover with raised bed mix to plant in to. Works like a charm. Great video!

@tonytan0 4 года назад

You and Self Sufficient Me are my favorite people to watch on this topic. Keep it up you two

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Awesome! Thank you!

@AndyHolmesADI 4 года назад

Nice vid - thank you 👍🏽 I generally fill big pot and raised areas with any old smashed crockery, plastic objects and broken bricks.. plants like to wrap their roots around things which also serves as oxygen pockets.

@sdfmills9909 Год назад

I would suggest avoiding plastic matter but otherwise totally agree with your post.

@stephaniebalducci6248 4 года назад

I love Mark of My self-sufficient me! And I am so glad we can finally get those raised beds here in the US. Still, with things the way they are it's going to be an expenditure. But well worth it I'm sure in the long run Glad I found your channel!

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Totally - these are not for those looking to save $ right now, that's for sure. But if you do the math on time + cost of wooden beds + replacing every 5-7 yr...it starts to make a lot more sense!

@stephaniebalducci6248 4 года назад

These aren't that heavy from what I understood. How come it's such expensive shipping? Are they coming from Australia? Not that they're not worth it just curious.

@jakep8678 4 года назад

This channel and self sufficient me are my favorite garden channels very informative. It would be awesome to see you guys do a colab video

@epicgardening 4 года назад

We did one in the past, but we're going to do another!

@jakep8678 4 года назад

@@epicgardening 😮 I didn't even know what a wanker

@JNYC-gb1pp 4 года назад

Hollis and Nancy is awesome too...so is the Rusted Gardener and project diaries

@barbarap8602 4 года назад

Charles Dowding is also great.

@DebRoo11 4 года назад

@@JNYC-gb1pp it's so great to get a variety of ideas and info from different sources.

@tammypurtee8770 4 года назад

We used tree branches and compost/ mulch, finished off with mushroom compost.

@user-gh8wt2zi2n 4 года назад

depending on what you use and grow you can go higher with the filler. In one bed I actually had sticks and twigs and leaves just bellow the surface and it caused no problems. Some plants even seem to like this. Not recommended for most root crops though or not at least until it breaks down more. Thanks for a great video Subscribe

@rcwilliams4959 3 года назад

Mel Bartholomew always leaves a warm spot in my heart! I never missed Square Foot Gardening in my misspent youth. I even got the book and started my own garden. Thank you for that callback!

@Bandaid17 4 года назад

Kevin I emailed you about this very subject, thanks for addressing it in a video. I found a video from a old Penn state cement block raised bed garden where she uses hay/straw bales. We got 2 for each bed and they fit perfectly in the large Birdie beds (which I love). Filled the rest with the soil /compost mix and just planted my cool weather veggies

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Very cool, glad this worked!

@barbarap8602 4 года назад

You can also use cardboard and newspapers as well, I even shredded up the box that the raised bed came in and mixed that in with the other materials I put in the bottom.

@another8125 2 года назад

totally, and mix up that shredded cardboard with absolutely free manure at the bottom, there aint nothing more therapeutic than mixing dry cardboard with fresh wet manure, if cant get rotted manure you could actually just use fresh if its right at the bottom and your plants will do a little dance when it come to 3 months in and its time for their roots reach that far down, they'll say thank you....of course!

@karenholt8441 2 года назад

I’m planning on starting a raised bed garden in our property. We’ll have to protect it from deer etc. but this has been so helpful, because we have lots of brush from fallen trees this last winter! Thank you for saving me more $$$. I follow the Aussie guy too, since I am Ausmerican, myself.

@johnlee7085 2 года назад

Karen - When you build your raised beds, add pieces of rebar (#4, 1/2”) in the corners embedded at least a foot in undisturbed soil. It’s then easy to attach deer netting. We’ve added 3/4” pvc pipes connected with tee’s at the rebar for a top and to keep it more rigid. Another option is to drill a 5/8” hole halfway into a 2x2 or 2x4 to slip over the rebar and exterior wood screws to connect the pieces of wood into a frame.

@BestGranny10 Год назад

What about shredded paper? My hubby is a shredding machine! I thought I could use it too

@jodibraun6383 3 месяца назад

I have access to a bunch - A BUNCH- of flat egg cartons that I plan to use to fill some of my new beds this year. Just tear them up & toss em in.

@sheriburns279 4 года назад

Love this. Down here in Texas we use stock tanks for raised beds. Maybe not as fancy looking, but definitely much less expensive than any I’ve seen on all the online sites. As for filling them up, glad to learn what we’ve been doing is the recommended way. Thanks. 😊

@jamespena2663 2 года назад

So I found his planters ( the one he showed) to be the same cost as the ones he showed but much larger and modular. Just got mine, check it out

@debbieday6885 Год назад

How do you keep fire ants out of your raised beds? I'm in the Hill Country. Those little bastards are everywhere.

@lisahannah3175 3 года назад

Anyone else notice Kevin kinda looks like Dean Cain? I feel like Superman is teaching me how to garden 😄❤

@suburbanhomestead 4 года назад

That is a great idea for urban gardeners, Kevin. I suspect the bottom carbon rich layer will become a water retention reservoir that may cause the plants to grow their roots a bit deeper than they are used to

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Thank you Siloé - yeah, I'm curious to see myself! Hope you are well and great to hear from you

@joannesherwood3562 4 года назад

This is exactly what I'm planning to do in my new raised beds, and larger containers. The price of compost has become astronomical here in England (more profiteering!!!) so I'm using pruning, leaves, garden, and kitchen waste. Keep calm, and carry on! 😊👍🌱

@epicgardening 4 года назад

You got this

@JNYC-gb1pp 4 года назад

A lot of profiteering going on right now with the few annointed companies that are allowed to stay open. Kinda fucked up.

@lolo-gp7gl 4 года назад

We built 6 raised beds and underestimated the cost of filling them 😂 the growing season for us is almost over anyway so I may start a compost pile for the next season.

@Douggg1000 4 года назад

What I like about your garden is that it takes up room that would normally be lawn which you would have to mow the grass.

@downunderthunder2538 4 года назад

Im making my garden beds at least 1 metre tall as im also 6'4" and also keeps my Jack Russel and Mini Foxy off my garden i live in the tropics of Northern Australia great channel cheers.

@sheilajohnson6478 4 года назад

Wesley Raistrick I’m American. Australia is such a beautiful place, I’d love to go there someday.

@tjw1861 4 года назад

Sheila Johnson yes it is but I think it will now be a long while before Americans are allowed into Australia unfortunately with their Coronavirus well managed

@downunderthunder2538 4 года назад

@@sheilajohnson6478 Yes it is a nice place i live in the North of Australia a place called Cairns in the tropics.

@Velladog 3 года назад

I've got my compost from Sacramento county. And it's up to 5 yards free for local resident.

@katmcmid1341 4 года назад

Buzzin you mentiones Mark from SSM! He's such a legend :) really loved your video man, thank you so much for sharing. Big love! ❤️

@HortiHugo 4 года назад

Well done ! Very well explained with great advice on using the logs, twigs and veg trimmings 👍🏼👍🏼 Try to avoid using peat here to preserve our remains peat bogs. All the best from Ireland, Hugh 😊👍🏼🌿

@johnlee7085 2 года назад

Guessing you don’t have a lot of rice production in Ireland, but it is a local (CA, left coast) waste product turned beneficial alternative soil amendment. Wish more people would promote it and save your bogs.

@amyjames745 Год назад

Agreed, please don’t use peat!

@marianamunoz6075 4 года назад

Thank you for this video! I love it!!!😉 Though I love the idea of Charles Dowding’s No Dig concept, I much prefer the extra tall bed method I learned from Mark at Self Sufficient Me as you’ve mentioned! So easy on the back & convenient that I’m more likely to get out & garden! 😆

@Vipenstrike 4 года назад

3:00 Get you some 1/3 *COMPOOST*

@epicgardening 4 года назад

B/c manure works too :)

@lindastonebraker2512 4 года назад

I came to see the poo 💩

@RideAlongside 4 года назад

Epic Gardening I see what you did there

@Zizzyyzz 4 года назад

@@epicgardening Nice save.

@cwsspot 4 года назад

I see I wasn't the only one to catch that😂

@a1930ford 4 года назад

You can also add a layer of sand or even pebbles at the very bottom of your raised bed for drainage, as well as take up volume so you don't have to use so much compost. Rotted tree limbs and such are generally very easy to find along the road side in most areas or at a creek bed or such. I am assuming that you do have drain holes in the bottoms of your raised metal garden containers. Nice video and information.

@thekid7000 Год назад

Rocks and pebbles in a raised bed? Nah. That can lead to root rot because the water isn't draining properly

@scottbutler3774 4 года назад

Great videos Kevin!! Keep them coming, I live in ontario, zone 5b so these videos have been very informative. They will also serve me well for my batchelor of agriculture and sciences!!

@bungiecoocoo 4 года назад

I started with Mark then Charles Dowding. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one learning from them.

@epicgardening 4 года назад

They're masters

@marshabennett8107 4 года назад

I love both of them too!

@jeanettewilkinson6362 4 года назад

Apollo SOL Mark in Queensland Australia is great 👍

@barbarap8602 4 года назад

Love Mark & Charles. 👍🏻🥰

@feralkevin 4 года назад

Heck yeah. This is the way to go. I call it a "modified hugulkulture" It works great with chunky compost at the bottom (which for us is usually chicken manure and wood chips from tree trimmers.)

@beckyc.244 8 месяцев назад

Can you put the chicken manure directly into your raised bed? My neighbor has chickens and just tosses the stuff into the city waste. I would love to have it but am worried about burni g the garden.

@feralkevin 8 месяцев назад

Chicken manure needs to be composted before used. @@beckyc.244

@chad_is_here 4 года назад

Thanks for the tips man! Glad you made a joke of spilling that soil😂

@epicgardening 4 года назад

;)

@AussieMaskedOwl 4 года назад

Awesome tip. I have partially composted matter that would be perfect for this. Thanks Kevin and glad you gave a shout out to my fellow Aussie Mark, whose vids I also love. Let's get into it!

@epicgardening 4 года назад

No problem 👍

@jessikaye01 4 года назад

"Compoost" , lol! The kids and I are making raised beds this year... it has been.... an experience, lol!

@mykingdomforahorse9256 4 года назад

Yrs ago I learned a trick for taking up space in lg containers which is to literally throw in pages of newspaper, chunks of cardboard, organic filling like leaves about halfway up, then fill with soil, the filling breaks down in the soil and feeds it. It works very well. BTW those metal containers are $199 each.....ouch

@mmdoz711 4 года назад

OUCH !!!! I CAN MAKE THEM IN STEAD

@mimimo59 4 года назад

Mary Mande how?

@Anthonybrother 4 года назад

@@mimimo59 Metal fabrication

@MadManMatrix 4 года назад

199 my god thats maybe 3 dollars of metal and 2 dollars of screws talk about a crazy markup.

@eop9969 4 года назад

Just use metal or aluminum roofing and some 4x6 and make it yourself.

@mjb9176 4 года назад

I garden in 9 galvanized horse troughs since they are plentiful here in Montana and I fill them with local renewable peat moss from a small pond bed along with branches, leaves, aging apples from our orchard, grass clippings, and cardboard/newspaper. We have a dairy nearby that has a methane digester putting out wonderful compost which we buy in pickup truck loads. I add worms when I find them in my garden. I just put together my first water-wicking trough after learning from Gardening with Leon. Now if it would just warm up. I don't know what I would do without all you generous RU-vid teachers.

@ricksussman1411 2 месяца назад

Hi I'm new to this.. Don't I need to drill holes in the bottom for drainage?

@mjb9176 Месяц назад

@@ricksussman1411 If only using it as a raised bed: I remove the plug found on the side. It’s about an inch hole which seems to allow for plenty of drainage in our area. If you live where it rains a lot, maybe you would. But once you do, the trough has no other value than as a raised bed or wood box. If creating a wicking tub, no. PS: I have moved away from wicking tubs in our area. We are too dry a climate.

@Donna_G 4 года назад

I've used this method in the past without knowing that it had a name.

@jeepwran 4 года назад

I started just six inch raised beds this way with good results

@songmakerdragon2393 3 года назад

@@jeepwran My great aunt and uncle had raised beds (which converted to cold frames in the winter) that he made. They were wonderful! They were about 10 inches deep, but were on waist-high legs. If I ever have property on which to make such things, I want to use their set-up as my model!

@TheBombson 4 года назад

those raised beds are pretty!

@epicgardening 4 года назад

I think so too!

@Jerry4baker 4 года назад

Use dry logs and sticks then wood chips then dirt on top

@sjn7220 4 года назад

I just get free compost from the city green waste dump. Had to make a few trips but free is free 😀.

@dorisagape9768 4 года назад

What city do you live in

@sjn7220 4 года назад

Doris Velez I live in the Bay Area in Northern California. I go to the Sunnyvale SMaRT station for compost. My parents live in the twin cities in MN, they can get free compost too.

@marymidgett2022 4 года назад

Good idea,I’ll check into it

@sjn7220 4 года назад

@A H The place I get it from claims to be certified organic. I think most chemicals (herbicides and pesticides) will degrade during the composting process. It's mostly leaf waste around here as there's not many lawns.

@1rstjames 4 года назад

Most municipal compost piles are rife with anaerobic organisms which is a breeding ground for pathogenic organisms. This is because municipal composting operations are more concerned with sterilization versus maintaining aerobic conditions in the pile, obtaining 131°+ temperatures for the given period requirements, etc.

@JNYC-gb1pp 4 года назад

This is a hard time of year - waiting for weather to be right to put all seedlings out! I know if i do it too soon all my weeks of hard work will be wasted if they all die of cold shock.

@tannenbaum3444 4 года назад

Organic matter, but if you need a lot for several beds, straw is great, it makes the perfect soil.

@dorisagape9768 4 года назад

I am new at this, where would you recommend I go can in Florida to buy or get straw?

@ChucksterPenguin 4 года назад

Doris Velez you can check feed stores. They often have bales of hay for sale.

@morgenoghmanann8746 4 года назад

@@dorisagape9768 ~ Tractor Supply is a great resource, if you have one close by. Feed, and lawn and garden stores also should be able to help you out. If they don't carry what you are looking for, they almost always know where you can locate some.

@karenrickert9430 4 года назад

Doris Velez If you go to Tractor Supply, it’s bedding straw for animals.

@barbarap8602 4 года назад

You can also use cardboard and newspaper as well.

@joy4ki 4 года назад

When we were in Manilla our appartment had deep concrete planter boxes. I filled them up with 3/4 coconut husks then bought planting mix. Beautiful tropical garden.

@ferrous719 3 года назад

We just bought some big pots for decoration and I am glad I saw this before I put some of my good stuff in it. We've got a lot of sticks and logs that will work fine.

@LaVikinga108 4 года назад

How very appropriate that this video should appear today, as I'm building a new raised bed in my home garden (I'm in lockdown London..) I'm filling up most of the bed with wood chips, free from the local tree surgeon. I will also bulk up the precious little compost I have with coconut coir. Would you please consider going peat free, as peat moss is hugely unsustainable and intensive mining of peat has adverse effects on the climate, and destroys valuable ecosystems. In the UK, peat is being phased out, and although we did not meet the target of 2020,it will happen. Thanks for great content and useful channel! 🌱🌱

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Yeah there's a lot of debate around peat, the crazy part is that about 1% of global peat use is for home gardening applications, the other 99% is for industrial / commercial scale stuff. So home gardeners even if we completely quit peat, are making almost no difference in usage

@trevorm6746 4 года назад

I had a good giggle at the 3:00 mark. Compoost🤣🤣

@mywoolmitten 4 года назад

How neat that you got to actually work with Mel! And thank you for the tips

@sherryrees4007 3 года назад

Thanks for producing informative videos which are packed with ideas. Plus, you're to the point and I don't get bored.

@pinkyfromhaughtfarms6550 4 года назад

Great video!💚 You can also use empty water bottles, 2 liters, or milk jugs in the bottom to take up space. This works really well on large patio pots that you may be moving around a lot. Also a lot of cities have a compost yard where you can get it free if you haul it. I know not every one has a truck, but 5 gallon buckets and a few trips in your car may be worth it💚

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Great idea!!

@johnlee7085 2 года назад

Many plastic totes are bigger than the soil bags and cost less than one bag of the soil. I’ve filled them at a landscape wholesale yard for a lot less than the bags.

@laurelfleming4664 Год назад

I did that for plastic tote container gardening. Some I drilled holes in for draining and some I didn't because I didn't want to ruin the totes for other things. Having a good foot of plastic containers, and some large broken up styrofoam pieces allowed the water to collect in the bottoms but not drown the plants. Then the plants were able to draw up the excess water when they needed it. It worked quite well.

@bernadette6211 4 года назад

Great video, I do the same kind of things with my raised beds, it's so brilliant. The only things that bother me more and more these days are those plastic bags that the soil comes in... They end up in land fill ie buried in the earth or being burned in Malaysia.. I dump so many plastic bags, I really want other options..

@johnlee7085 2 года назад

Check out bulk soil suppliers in your area. I get 18 of those 1.5 cubic foot bags worth for $30-$50. I’ve even seen people without a trailer have it dumped on a tar and shoveled into plastic totes to go in the back of and suv. Home Depot and others also rent pickups cheap.

@judyjohnson2892 Год назад

The plastic bags can become liners in cardboard boxes to create mini raised beds.

@plscott43 4 года назад

I'm so glad I was able to come across this video. I just spent a little over $100 for top soil and potting mix; and still seems like that wasn't enough. That was my garden budget! I do have lots of grass clippings and cut up branches that I needed to do something with (spouse will be happy to see that gone). Thank you for the knowledgeable and well spoken information.

@elizabethschafer261 4 года назад

Thank you so much! Mel’s Mix was so expensive for us. It’s too late for our garden, but we need alternatives if we want to expand.

@rodeobaby20 4 года назад

You can even throw old moldy hay in these beds and it will add nitrogen to the soil and help maintain moisture and insulation to the soil so roots stay warmer

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Oh yeah that works SO well

@BrandonLedbetter 4 года назад

Definitely filling it with 1/3 Compoost, cuz I love Compoost. I mean, who doesn't love Compoost. Compoost is my favorite.

@epicgardening 4 года назад

;)

@HomegrownHomeschool 2 года назад

Thank you for this! We’re starting our first outdoor garden and I’m a complete newbie. Your videos are very informative which I love

@jacobcreech4382 4 года назад

I love the style in which you explain things and make it easy for anyone to pick it up. Great work. Love the channel.

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Awesome! Thank you!

@ktylonox8646 3 года назад

I use the wood shavings I scoop out of my chicken coop. The wood is carbon, the chicken poop is nitrogen, and they break down into the perfect compost over time. Nothing goes to waste.

@bizzielizzie913 4 года назад

You can turn upside down plastic flower pots to take up space.

@jeepwran 4 года назад

Yep, done this in large containers for flowering annuals

@Iloathsnow 4 года назад

It is slightly missing the point. This is the long term solution. The organic matter and cardboard turn into soil and useful fungi and earthworms love it. A cheap way to grow your own soil while growing crops.

@lisakukla459 4 года назад

@@Iloathsnow That's true, but I don't see any reason why someone couldn't do both things at once.

@adenbuford7396 4 года назад

Many plastics degrade over time and can leach toxic chemical into your soil. Consider clay pots?

@heikesiegl2640 4 года назад

@@adenbuford7396 clay ia great! I always put clayshards in my pots and claypots in biggee cobtainers. Great for distributing water

@catgynt9148 4 года назад

Thanks for your video. I bottom fill taller raised beds with straw bales with vertically oriented stems. The bales decomposed into a wonderful blend after the third season. Stay safe, enjoying your gardens while staying quarantined away from the coved-19 virus. Cheers

@johnlee7085 2 года назад

Great idea! I’ve seen this as a hugelkulture variant but hadn’t thought about it in this context.

@adrianianna2868 2 года назад

Same idea for my 6 meter X 1.2 meter bed. I used an old pine tree cut into rounds & backfilled with hardwood woodchips delivered for free. Here in Australia it is very hard wood but I found it started breaking down slowly over the next year & needed topping up after each crop with compost. A good thing is that it holds a lot of moisture & reduces how much I need to water. Important here with our high temps in summer. Works really well. After 2 years now when I dig down it is great looking black loamy soil that grows anything.

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Additional information for filling your raised beds: For beds >18" tall, you can fill bottom 50% with any type of organic fill material (logs, sticks, grass clippings, twigs, unfinished compost, etc. Then, fill the top 6-12" with a high quality mix of your choosing (see below). To save the most money, use larger volume organic matter like the logs, sticks, etc. and use stuff on your property. Soil Mixes: - Espoma Organic Raised Bed Mix: www.espoma.com/where-to-buy/ - Mel's Mix: 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite - Joe Lamp'ls Mix: 50% topsoil, 25% compost, 25% other organic matter Tall Raised Beds: shop.epicgardening.com/products/tall-6-in-1-metal-raised-garden-bed

@wchiwinky 4 года назад

This is basically how I've been doing my mounds or raised beds, Thank You Kevin! I love those culvert-looking beds you have! ....Just checked your link: they are out of stock! (which seems to be the trend in every garden center/shop right now, smh!

@epicgardening 4 года назад

@@wchiwinky Hop on the email list, I'm getting more soon and opening preorders :)

@reginaj6038 4 года назад

Would redwood tree limbs be too acidic for most plants?

@waterdragon5418 4 года назад

I dont know if you have a video explaining the following: how can I cut back on watering so much? The air here is very dry, do these planters need to have drain holes because the amount I have to water is not only expensive but is rinsing all nutrients out of the soil.

@stephaniebalducci6248 4 года назад

@@waterdragon5418 from what I understand the organic matter at the bottom and the mulching at the top it's going to really help conserve your water. They are bottomless oh, yes but there is an advantage to that as well. Hopefully epic gardening will answer your question better than I can 🙂

@unajimmie4225 4 года назад

I love those beds, I’m 5”3 🤔may be perfect for my tall height 😉 you have an Epic garden Kevin❤️😘

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Thanks! Yes they're great!

@unajimmie4225 4 года назад

Noooo comment!!! 😳

@karinoshea3330 3 года назад

This last October we had a massive ice storm. The power company, as they cut down downed limbs and trees, they just piled them up and left them for homeowners to clean up. I used it to start six 4×12 foot raised beds. I have also gotten a kiddie pool and some fabric pots to start a small 'necessaries' garden until I can fill my beds with organic materials. Thank you for all of the info, am a new subscriber, and will be bingeing your channel tonight! Much love from Oklahoma!!!

@agentry96 4 года назад

Thanks for this (and all your other) videos. I'm a new gardener with bad knees. I'm thrilled to see a raised bed assembled at this height.

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Glad it was helpful!

@philxray666 4 года назад

I filled the bottom six inches of my 24" raised beds with the low quality clay soils I had to get rid of in my yard on my first couple of raised beds, but the next six I've done exactly as you suggest. The big mistake I made was with the first two beds that were put in close to a young peach tree and I'd never even thought to put weed matting on the bottom. Five years later, peach tree is 10 feet tall and both these raised beds have been choked out by the roots of that tree sucking the life out of all the vegies in them. All I can do is dig out all that soil and lay down weed mat hoping it will do the job and start again!

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Oh no! Hope that works

@wchiwinky 4 года назад

I use cardboard, which works great (you have to save big pieces if possible)

@philxray666 4 года назад

@@wchiwinky Thanks for the suggestion. I've got plenty of cardboard around so will try using that combined with the best quality weed matting I can get hold of.

@learntocrochet1 4 года назад

In areas where there are a lot of weeds I use three layers of cardboard, then straw, then branches, then soil mix. In my work area I used old carpet covered with straw. Went over two years before a few weeds showed in the carpet area.

@mariap.894 4 года назад

Phil De Punter. It happened to me last year. I put 3 raised beds under my Mango tree and even with that black tarp, the tree roots went through! Hope you have better luck. I moved mine. Be safe ❤️😁👍

@shannonbarrett9418 4 года назад

Can you please tell me where you got your cool looking metal veggie beds from and how much the taller one cost? Thank You:)

@Ekinnajay 4 года назад

he sells them on his website

@marniemcculley4643 3 года назад

great video, finally a video that gets right to the point. I have a huge compost bin that will go to good use now filling up my raised bed. Thanks for the info!

@chinatownboy3368 2 года назад

At the bottom of every container, or raised bed, I use a few inches of clay pellets. The same type that people use for aquaponics. Allows for better drainage. Sand on top of that. Along with the twigs, branches, leaves, and organic matter, I scoop on worm castings and worms to process it all.

@badWithComputer 4 года назад

I managed to get around the cost of raised beds by lowering them to where the top is flush with the ground and using the excavated dirt to fill them which worked out about the same volume.

@margeincharge8760 4 года назад

BadWithComputer so you buried your raised beds?🤔

@BeautiFuFu 4 года назад

5:12 LOL no sir I saw that very clearly 😂😂

@randydeshane9991 4 года назад

I did one of my 24” raised beds exactly the way you are describing. I let it sit for a few days then I set it up foot planting. It has been just over 2 months and it has dropped 3 or 4 inches. We will see how it does with veggies. Great idea.

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Yeah, now you've got some nice settling and you can top dress!

@jjc2323 Год назад

Here two years later - after buying 6 birdies beds from you! I need a super cheap way to fill. The soil in my area is really bad (had it tested) and working on amending that area in the mean time. thanks Kevin!

@-ilkis- 4 года назад

Those raised beds are beautiful. Did you bought them like that or were they custom made?

@juliedurlak 4 года назад

Birdies raised garden beds

@cdv.8244 3 года назад

He sells them on his website. I’ve also seen them at The Home Depot.

@cherylowilley6007 4 года назад

I'm worried about that snag on the top edge of your container, where the metal wrap ends.

@2bagsOfChips2k2 4 года назад

Think that is a plastic/rubber edge cover that is just popping up. Unless you are noticing something different.

@that_auntceleste5848 3 года назад

We did one bed this way this fall - so far it's a couple of logs on the bottom, yard waste, shredded leaves, coffee grounds, some ground-up eggshells, and remnants of bagged compost; I'll top that off with bagged mix before planting in the spring. My husband and I have decided that we'll use our Christmas tree for the next one. 😄🎄 Learning a ton from you, Mark, Charles, Liz Zora, James Prigioni, and then for my climate MI Gardener this year.

@jenniferw8963 4 года назад

Thanks for this. I have some 17 1/2" tall beds to fill. I am going to line the bottoms with some old grey firewood I never got around using.. also some branches and tree trunks laying around yard. Will save a lot of money.

@AmesDeejay 4 года назад

My raised beds were always filled with kitchen scraps and paper on the bottom, they will decompost by the time the roots reach them.

@michelledleal 4 года назад

What do u do to keep varmints out of ur compost?

@AmesDeejay 4 года назад

@@michelledleal luckily we dont have those on the philippines :)

@airodarkwind8719 4 года назад

I sincerely hope anyone should check how the PEAT MOSS they will be using was harvested.

@epicgardening 4 года назад

There's quite a bit about peat moss that's worth its own video

@mrnobody8540 4 года назад

Folks have used this for years - infact it's what's behind the straw bales idea as raise bed. I prefer what call my way - a reverse raised bed. However, everyone has a twist on what's right for them. Thanks for your time and consideration in helping others.

@theresacaple85 4 года назад

You sir are a genius. I have these deep raised beds and so far I just fill them up halfway🤷🏾‍♀️. But now I'll do as you suggested. Thanks so much!!

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Glad to help!

@denisefriese7522 4 года назад

IMPORTANT INFO: You need to tell people that this only works for annuals or things that dont mind being dug up. The soil level will be constantly sinking as the organic matter in the bottom decomposes. You need to add new soil or organic matter regularly until it's only soil left. I have seen so many people plant perennials in this type of mix and then dont know how to deal with the sinking soil.

@adriankap2978 Год назад

Denise, it's been 3 years about only using organic matter for annual plants and never for perennials because of the sinking of the soil and it makes perfect sense after you mentioned it. Is there anything you'd recommend to put on the bottom of stock tanks so it doesn't sink? I got stock tanks because I'm tired of the underground critters eating the roots. Thank you the valuable information!

@debbiedowers3927 10 месяцев назад

@@adriankap2978I don’t think you can completely avoid settling soil; it just happens. You’ll also want to refresh the soil every season, so that will take care of some of the settling. Using larger logs and branches will decompose more slowly resulting less soil sink.

@johnlee7085 2 года назад

Love your channel and have learned so much from it. That being said, peat bogs are being destroyed by the harvesting of peat moss and take decades to restore. While it’s not the topic of the video, it becomes a silent endorsement of the devastating practice. Please create a video on the alternatives and refer to it in all such situations. We’re in the process of filling some really large raised planters and used rice hill compost. Rice hulls are the waste product from harvesting rice and used to be burned, so doubly beneficial to use them as a soil amendment.

@elijahmcfall2236 8 месяцев назад

Working on building a large garden for next growing season. Had a taste in my 1 raised bed but lacked the space until now. Have a 4x8 foot bed, 3x8, and four 3x6. Filled with layer of cardboard, twigs, other paper things, yard waste, leaves, and mixed horse manure compost. Will mulch with leaves and more cardboard for winter! So excited to grow.

@mikecranston7717 2 года назад

Kevin, The Espoma raised bed mix is 29.50 for 1.5 CFT. I can get an Organic Garden mix from a local company which is 38 bucks for a cubic yard , it’s a 50 50 mix of screened topsoil and screened organic leaf compost. I have 5 , 4x8 beds to fill which are 15 inches deep, I am using your method and grabbing branches etc and filling the bottom half, thanks for the info

@veritysmart 4 года назад

No to peat moss. Might as well put a torch to the planet. Hugelkultur is great and I’ve used a variation of this on my raised beds very early on. Also have two compost bins and use cocopeat for fibre along with top soil, perlite etc.

@frogsnack7072 4 года назад

I don't know much about gardening, so this comment sounds snooty to me. You could bother to explain yourself.

@h.s.6269 4 года назад

@@frogsnack7072 peat moss has a lot of controversy around it. It is unsustainable and damaging ecologically to get it. But home garden usage counts for an extremely low % of the overall picture since it is used more commercially or in industry.

@deborahpruyne6274 4 года назад

How about just buying the shorter containers and elevating them on something like cinder blocks?

@nikitaw1982 4 года назад

Bigger soil volume maybe more stable ecosystem. Not that he mentions anything related to that.

@Meta-Drew 4 года назад

This method helps maintain moisture levels in the bed as well as giving some additional fertility. Also, building beds with solid bottoms that could hold a good amount of soil would take a lot of work, time, materials and would likely perform worse and require more maintenance.

@rivertam7827 4 года назад

These beds don't have bottoms on them.

@paulgentry4172 4 года назад

We had a giant cottonwood removed last year at the time we were building raised beds. We used the stump grindings to fill 12 beds halfway. We used a bag mix for the top half. There was still enough shredded stump for the paths between the beds. In the fall we added 6 more beds. We used plant debris for the bottom half of those beds. All the beds were topped with a couple inches of shredded leaves before winter. We forked the mulch into the beds this spring and started planting. Amazing soil now.

@epicgardening 4 года назад

Wow...I'm jealous just reading this!

@cherylowilley6007 4 года назад

Oh, and, you have helped me tremendously with this technique - thank you !!

@AsianGarden2Table 3 года назад

We built some truly massive raised beds and used a bunch of tree mulch from local tree services for free. Tilled that up with a ton of rabbit manure from a local rabbit farmer. Check out our channel!

@johnlee7085 2 года назад

We’re in the process of filling 270 cubic feet of planters. Used a combination of scrap wood, horse manure, leaf litter, rice hill compost, and trailers of bulk soil. $200.