Concrete Raised Garden Bed Molds - Plastic ABS Portland Cement based Forms

Make a long-lasting rot-proof raised garden bed by casting your own concrete panels with these abs durable plastic molds. These concrete forms have a removable pipe that forms a hole in the overlapping end of the cast garden box wall. Rebar is inserted in the holes to pin the corners together either in a straight line or at a 90 degree corner. I've been making these wooden molds and casting these concrete garden box panels for around 10 years now. 5 years ago I made a video showing my first wooden mold design from plywood. In the years since I've refined and simplified the design in an attempt to make them easier to build, and to also experiment with making the panels lighter.
Not everyone who wants a raised concrete garden bed has the tools or ability to make their own molds. That's where these new plastic forms come in. Now you don't have to build anything at all. If you can add water to a bag of concrete mix then you can make these panels. Read the detailed blog post instruction writeup that details how easy it is to make a raised garden bed that will last a lifetime.
CONCRETE MOLDING INSTRUCTIONS: manabouttools.com/molds/
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DISCLAIMERS:
Some of these links have an affiliate code, if you purchase tools with these links I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you! The tools or equipment seen in this video and have been purchased ourselves.
#raisedgardenbed #concretemold #gardening

[@Golden-Nutmeg]

Do I already have garden beds built? Yes Did I still watch and enjoy the entire video? Yes

[@teejay622]

Same

[@pyroarch57]

Me too!@@teejay622

[@ljprep6250]

Me, too, but all my cedar raised beds are finally rotting after 15 years in Oregon weather. I'm thinking making them out of Hypertufa, though. That's a whole lot lighter than solid concrete. After seeing the price on the molds, though, I'll use scrap plywood for molds, TYVM.

[@chiblast100x]

@@ljprep6250 Yeah, at the production scale I'd need for redoing my own beds that price is a bit steep. For my part, I have other reasons I need to make my own molds but seeing that price is just another reason on the pile.

[@beebob1279]

@@ljprep6250 I just saw the prices. A bit steep. Plywood molds are cheaper

[@vicalbincooper]

Great idea! As someone who has made a lot of concrete countertops I would suggest doing a lot more vibrating. You basically vibrate the heck out of the form until no more bubbles come up. The end result will be very smooth with hardly any surface voids. Also vibration allows you to use less water which makes the concrete stronger. I have a cheap harbor freight CHICAGO ELECTRIC 3/4 HP Concrete Vibrator that costs only $99. It has survived years of abuse. Admixtures also help reduce water and include small fiberglass fibers which further strengthen the concrete. I would absolutely add rebar or mesh. These extra steps don't take long or cost much more but will have a major impact on the longevity of the pieces. And finally, in our area we have a lot of voles so I would put down some mole barrier wire at the bottom of the garden bed before setting up the sides and I would use much longer rebar pieces to help pin the garden bed down.

[@slaplapdog]

This is the first time I've wanted to buy a youtuber product. This is an actually worthwhile and unique tool.

[@krashkidd1162]

SAME HERE!

[@Thor1O1]

To bad his price is a little high for a garden bed. I will just stick to the wood forms.

[@ltsallwood]

@@Thor1O1 Or just get a sheet of plywood and make your own mold for a like a 6th of the cost like I plan to do soon.

[@Critter145]

My opinion? You’ve created a product that removes the learning curve and allows novices to make functional beautiful objects with a difficult material. 🔥

[@_GntlStone_]

Saw the thumbnail and thought someone ripped off your idea and commercialized it. Glad it's you making this great idea available to us all!

[@thetechfella1]

I thought the exact same thing!

[@teejay622]

Ditto.

[@deadcarz4926]

Add cement dye to make them more attractive.

[@SCscoutguy]

It really isn't his idea just his take on it. I have a gardening book from 1978 that has plans to do this same thing but without the pin holes.

[@deadcarz4926]

@@SCscoutguy I liked the idea of the moulds, until I saw the price.

[@user-hd1oh7of8l]

that was like watching a really long segment of How It's Made. such good narration.

[@moonraker814]

The concrete garden boxes are one of the best ever series on KZbin in my opinion, very well done as always.

[@efh1896]

Sure they are. This guy is a rare mix of communication and science guy

[@MxAxG]

I teach at a community college in the construction technology department. We purchased some molds for ranch fencing, those molds were around $650 a piece (just for perspective). To anyone that thinks these are too expensive, I would challenge you to think about the amount of time saved within each casting. I built a few of the molds myself and I am seriously considering purchasing these to be able to cast them quicker. No disassembly and reassembly. No caulking the corners, no drill motor, pvc is reused and they are light! I am thoroughly impressed with the evolution of these beds molds. I contemplated making metal forms but once cast the metal along with the concrete would make them a bear to manage. These forms are genius, great work!!!!!

[@BrooksCWhitehouse]

bought them the minute I could cause I knew even if I couldn't start pouring molds for a month or two they are easy to store and will have a lifetime of use

[@chaosplan]

Yes, this is great! What a great way to expand your “hobby”, I hope these molds bring you a lot of well earned success.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks so much!

[@ltsallwood]

They're just a little too expensive for what they're made out of. And I personally think 8 inches won't be tall enough. I'm going to build my own molds that will be 24-30 inches tall and 3-4 feet long. I know that will mean they will be very heavy but it will prevent me and my family members from having to bend over to do gardening. Plus give me extra space in the raised bed for hügelkultur as well.

[@carlbledsoe4773]

They are stackable! Duh. Evidently you don’t know how to read

[@DavinStewart]

So nice to have watched this evolution through the years. I wish you great success with this new product!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you so much!

[@gregoryadkins]

14:37 check this out.

[@zugzug2849]

Thorough explanation and great attention to detail in your demo. Professionalism on display.

[@Metanaut1]

helpful tip, if you have a air compresser, with a rubber tip blower, running it along the edge will pop the mold right off.

[@ediecantor7003]

An air hammer would vibrate the table and save the sawzall motor.

[@makemakezone]

I just received mine, I ordered two of each. I haven't used them yet but my initial opinion is that they are really well made. I do have an idea to make them somewhat better. If you created an insert that rounded the joining edges, you could join the beds at non-right angles.

[@mattevans-koch9353]

What an amazing transition from experiment to business. Well done sir. Hope you do well with sales. Thank you for sharing this with us.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you very much!!

[@aimeepearn9991]

Found the guy on a certain other site who copied your plans and is selling this very product, but I've been following you for a while and wasn't inclined to buy from him. I know you've made it easy to build, but I lack time and confidence, so thank you for producing this mold. And thank you for the reasonable price.

[@ElementofKindness]

I really like these molds. A 48" option would be the icing on the cake. As someone who works a lot with concrete repair, I would suggest avoiding Quikrete products. I favor the Rapid Set brand products typically available at Home Depot. Also, mixing the concrete with 100% acrylic fortifier (concrete adhesive additive) helps immensely with avoiding shrinkage fractures. One could save some money and cut the fortifier with water 50/50, and still get very good results.

[@fritzwilhelm8258]

That would be over 83 lbs. Just sayin'...

[@paulvandenberg5341]

Great, my lumber yard sell 90 lb bags. Once set they will probably stay put. I find mid bed spread to be a challenge on my 4x20 beds.

[@fritzwilhelm8258]

I see your point, 83 or 90 lb slabs are no picnic to cart around or put in place.

[@kameljoe21]

@@fritzwilhelm8258 You should only have to do it once. 4 foot would allow you to have a pretty good amount of adjustment. 4x8 box is 2 end panels, four 3 footers and two 2 footers. Would look quite well that way.

[@fritzwilhelm8258]

@@kameljoe21 I'm a fan of 4x8 beds myself. Being old, I would have to stick with the two foot molds. I think I'll try to make them out of plywood, not being independently wealth... Good talking to you.

[@leblackstock]

I have watched your channel for years. I've been wanting to make these for a long time. Now that you have the pre-made molds, I will definitely be buying them as soon as I can afford it!

[@BenMitro]

The plastic moulds are an excellent development of the garden moulds!

[@NICKL256]

I've watched your wood form videos multiple times over the last few years. Haven't had the time to make them. But this new plastic mold is a game changer. Awesome!!!

[@petem6291]

You do nice work, I am sure you put many hours into the R/D we need more people like you making things and taking pride in there work

[@jamslam406]

I purchased the combo pack! Thank you for making me so easily available and I’m so happy to support you and and all your work into this KZbin channel.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Yay! Thank you!

[@bobhoward9016]

I've been thinking making cement beds for the long term survivability. And you've already done all the work of building the forms,,, AWESOME 👌

[@charlesjensen3288]

Should help alot of people out with these molds. I have been makeing a similar concrete panel and didnt like the wooden forms overall so I made one from urethane resin, but that cost $500.00 to make but is reuseable and its pretty heavy in itself. I only make lightweight panels with pearlite. I have changed up my garden beds as my needs changed and grew. I don't regret going concrete as the look is nice IMO. Again I like wood but the cost of renewing and the high cost of wood 4 yrs ago got me to change and I have had alot of great comments on my garden. Going with a mold really helps with a consistant product that is reproduceable. Super glad you stepped up and created a product that others can have the success I enjoy . CHEERS MATE! I wish you the best of luck on your endeavor.

[@megacleancab256]

Can you stack them for a taller garden?

[@user-uo4qg6lp7x]

This video was very informative and narrated perfectly and completely!😊

[@ariofsouthdakota]

I absolutely LOVE this idea. Id love a model that was 12" tall but all I see are 8". Looking to do a big garden project in the near future but I want/need my beds to be 1ft tall.

[@sacredcowbbq1326]

I couldn't stop watching. It's amazing how neat and tidy you were filling the molds. I probably have concrete everywhere. Fantastic idea.

[@enmariushansen]

Never ordered anything this close to it being made available anytime before.

[@fidel-3470]

Pretty neat - I'm a long time gardener and I think there's a couple tiny tweaks to consider: 1) add indexing marks in the mold every 12 inches for people that practice Square Foot Gardening, the dimension should nicely fit a piece of wood lath. 2) I'd be interested in seeing how these look stacked higher, as I generally build deeper garden beds. 3) Have you looked at materials other than concrete with these molds, for example I think a segment of the gardening community would be interested in a more sustainable option like hempcrete or making a natural brick.

[@Runehorn]

I wanted to do this years ago, but was not sure about making the molds myself. This solves the issue, I will be buying

[@kevineyesix2257]

This is a wonderful result of your effort with the forms that I’m sure many will appreciate. Well done!

[@MidnightMaker]

This is a really great design. It has been banging around in the back of my brain for 5 years.

[@kjpowa98367]

The progression from a good idea to a genius idea is readily apparent. Good job, and thank you for this wonderful advancement for home gardening.

[@williammiller5575]

Excellent! People often forget we have the ability to fabricate things like this often with better quality. Those concrete forms will last a decade or longer verses treated wood or cedar. I like the innovative method of designing the forms, very nicely done. :)

[@ronrothrock7116]

I love the molds! Thanks for making them available!

[@larryzook900]

I have made your forms and they work great, thanks for sharing this about two years ago

[@BrettBumeter]

Excellent videos, especially liked the multiple different ways to approach this, including getting the air bubbles out of the concrete with multiple different tools.

[@JamesG10100]

I'm so glad you decided to offer this mold as an option. They look awesome! I am not handy and the thing holding me back was the construction of the wood mold. This makes it much easier to work with. Thank you!

[@charlesmckinley29]

Glad you got these made . I hope they sell well!

[@superdave336]

Love the molds and will probably be ordering them soon. Wish I would have seen this before I built my existing beds. Thanks for sharing.

[@metalrott324]

I still have my first rendition blueprints. Great stuff neighbor!

[@Ayami3184]

I learned so much about simply using concrete itself, as an absolute beginner. Your video is super clear. Sincerely, thank you so much.

[@kimh6610]

I will be checking for the kit availability early April. Great timing ! Need to replace old rotted wooden boxes and wanted to learn how to do a concrete project. As a first timer, this seems very do-able. Thanks !

[@ShopTherapy623]

Nice work! I loved watching the evolution of these from the beginning! I hope you sell a butt load of molds!

[@davidtrammel]

I've seen your earlier videos were great and this one is amazing. Thanks.

[@ps-gq5km]

I also like that with longer rebar, you can make double or triple course planters, but unfortunately I think that would only work well as squares, as the pivot point in the middle of a 6' long panel might give way to pressure from taller soil. Have you considered some sort of tie back or other idea to prevent a long run from pivoting? If you're going to raise a bed, why not raise it to the point where you don't have to bend over... =)

[@twistedsphere]

congrats on bringing a new product to market! that's quite an achievement!

[@TomTrys]

Been following this for years! Very excited to get some and try them out

[@Ataraxia_Atom]

These raised bed molds are really cool. I remember watching your original video years ago but ended up making my raised beds out of wood

[@suzannepiontek8150]

Great idea. I like the simplicity ands practicality throughout !

[@scottmcintosh2988]

I worked years making reinforced concrete pipes use car soap and a pump sprayer to help release the concrete from the molds !

[@TheTamrock2007]

Fantastic product. Wishing you success with them. I'm getting on in age and need something much taller. I will for sure keep this in mind.

[@squidikka]

These are amazing. I hope you delve further into these ideas and perhaps further expand on molds for retaining walls, or border walls for gardens, perhaps some with curves. What's great about these mold designs is that they not only can function as a great box form, but also as a border wall as well.

[@ps603]

I love them. Explained very well & the results are great.

[@UsDiYoNa]

Very well thought through. Good product, excellent design.

[@50sKid]

Very cool. I was certain you were going to use longer rebar to anchor them further into the ground.

[@nicholassmerk]

I have probably seen concrete raised beds before, but I think this is amazing! I need to do this.

[@gordonland3916]

love these concrete boxes . ill be ordering some soon . keep up the good work.

[@HunterMatthew]

wow those are beautiful and will last forever. i love this fantastic idea

[@marcusfneely]

Thanks so much for making these available! Very exciting!

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks! It was a HUGE effort to design these and make them available. But, like I said, there's so many folks wanting to make these boxes that don't have woodworking skills. Cheers, Kent

[@jdrew500]

This is a natural and positive evolution of very good idea!

[@oupaswoodshop1325]

Brilliant idea and execution

[@RR-vu8ch]

You are a perfectionist. Zen way. Hard working like many DIY Americans. Great. Authenticity, clear knowledge and skill. Need to learn lot from you people about quality of work, perfection, extreme diy hardwork. Salute all DIY

[@tleander40]

Fantastic video and idea to make plastic molds! I've made several wood molds from your previous videos. I really like the idea of your plastic molds. Great thinking and innovating!

[@sovanns]

You are so talented! Love your work.

[@duramaxmak]

I have been following you for years and so glad to see you develop this to where your at today. I really like the new forms keep up the good work

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@curtdunlap6818]

I built a pair of forms a couple of years ago with a slight variation. Instead of using the CPVC tubing to make the holes, I cast the tubing right into the concrete and hold them in place with a wooden dowel. The CPVC helps to protect the concrete while pinning the panels together. It works great! Thanks for the mineral oil release agent idea too. This should also help to waterproof the wooden forms. I had had problems while casting multiple panels over a few days with the center of the long side boards flaring outward making a tapered edge which didn't sit well with stacking the panels. All in all, I have had great success with your idea! Thanks!

[@douggibson9084]

Excellent idea, bravo. It's all about draft angles. If you had a mold shaker you should be able to remove most of the air bubbles. Thanks.

[@stewmeat9261]

These are awesome. Can you stack them 2 high for taller boxes and use longer rebar ?

[@teejay622]

Clearly, I should have read the comments before posting my question - lol. I asked the same thing, practically verbatim. 🙃

[@tonySor]

I would like to know the same thing ... but I am tempted to stack them 3-4 high

[@jennyjohnson5428]

I'm 70% sure I'll be buying some of your molds. Thank you so much for offering this. Wishing you prosperity 💜💙💚

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thanks!! I so appreciate that.

[@Tim_griswold]

I love your design. I made my own 2 years ago. Plywood coated with fibreglass resin. 32”x8”x4” . Built the bed 3 units high. Works great in Ontario 🇨🇦👍

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Excellent!!

[@Miniscapes515]

Just what I was looking for. ! I will be buying a few.

[@tamaslosonci1660]

This is great content, thank you very much! I built my first raised bed using concrete blocks. It was so simple, a rectangular shape, but proved to be useful by the years. So I have been thinking how can I mass produce it by molds, and by me. And I always got to a deadend, beacuse I wasn't thinking in a waterproof desing, my bad. 🙂 Well, I would buy your molds, even if they aren't measured in metrics, but sadly I am located in Hungary. So the only thing I could do to help you is an advice: upgrade your raised beds, to keep the water in them you need for july and august. And it is not that hard, you only need to dig in deeper, and cover the rest. 😉

[@KLFaber]

Congratulations on bringing a great product to market.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you!

[@jimbennett1519]

That is a game changer sir. Brilliant

[@TheAmos1968]

I think this guy is absolutely brilliant! I know this is for gardens and veg beds. But as I am building a passive home and worried about root infiltration and water management around my home with landscaping. This is a total solution. It would take a lot for work, but it would be a great solution to the problem of keeping the foundation clear of landscape problems around the home. Plus something you could do yourself is a plus as costs for homeowners are so out of control. I think if I could figure away to get a water management system incorporated into this design, it would be a 100% solution. My mind is now turning to figure that out. But this is a 75% solution to it all for sure. Thanks for such a great video, its just to cool.

[@matthewluna6443]

Hey congratulations been watching since your wooden variants glad to you market your idea.

[@abella981]

This is so awesome finally I can make cost effective concrete beds

[@RenegadeThat]

Outstanding idea, I built a mold several months back based on your initial design. I love the idea of it being a plastic mold; however, looking on the site it's priced a bit steep. I plan on purchasing in the future when I get around to improving my garden. Hoping the price drops a bit around that time. Great work, great design, huge fan!

[@TheLOAF90]

You sir, are a genius; I sincerely hope that this is extremely profitable for you.

[@mickwolf1077]

thats a neat idea, it saves replacing wooden ones every decade or so

[@novakvideoproductions]

Those might do well to have additional pipe alignments continuing vertically along the entire length of the walls to reduce weight. Thinking about it now, it could be used to stack vertically, plus I can imagine a few modular attachments that could serve well, like a green house frame.

[@frontiervirtcharter]

another weight reduction could be using 'foamcrete' .. not as strong but much easier to lift - foam made from dish soap and water , mixed into cement slurry.. the yield is about 40-50 gallons of very light concrete from a pint of dish soap , a bag of portland, and about six gallons of water . The device to make the foam costs a few hundred in parts

[@albertbell7120]

Absolutely brilliant idea,I use pavement stones 3ft long 2ft wide 2” thick but they tend to push out after a few years of usage and they are very heavy now I’m getting on in age … love your idea from the 🇬🇧

[@donjewett1059]

i built my own forms , it took me two days . it worked great and i had fun

[@paulvandenberg5341]

Lovely. I believe the optimal bed size is 4’x 20’. Fits 10’ greenhouse plastic and 10’ rebar hoops for low tunnels.

[@damienbates]

Love it! Showing an example of adding color to the concrete might appeal even more to some in your audience. Some nice reds or blues.

[@stephengraham1153]

Or browns. I already have a number of raised beds made from "garden sleepers" which after protective oiling have turned a very dark brown (almost black) so would prefer a matching colour.

[@aaronpops4108]

Great idea! I have cast about 50 panels since December and need to cast about 20 more before May. I used the same concepts as your panels, but there are several differences. My panels are 18" tall x 1 3/4" thick. there's a 1/2" inset on the face of the panel. lengths range from 1.5' to 4'. I use galvanized conduit that I cut to length, and I made square pieces of metal that are siliconed into the form and suspend the conduit in place. those metal pieces are removable and reusable. I'll be welding 1/2 washers onto 1/2 rebar that will link them together. the washers make it possible to remove the rebar later. The 4' sections are certainly heavy and not for the faint of heart.

[@chrisjordan6129]

Congrats on the progression of this idea. Hope you have big success.

[@MANaboutTOOLS]

Thank you very much!

[@Timberwolf-01]

Love this. I'll definitely have to try this out.

[@Millhouse24]

Great idea to make a plastic mold. Best of luck with your project

[@dennisalbertson9335]

I love the plastic molds. I would buy them.

[@jmfarrell5]

Excellent… worth the wait and development 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@dalastjedi1768]

Oh Man. i'm absolutely buying 1 for now. that one comment deterred me a bit saying it was 600$ but the are only 80-130$ based on which size. totally worth it.

[@billboswiggert1swiggert182]

I really like your system. Might need get couple molds in the future.

[@f.demascio1857]

I look forward to them being back in stock. I have too many projects going right now to build my own. When i start pouring our fire pit surround, i could use the molds that week and mold at least 4 or 5 beds

[@stoathenge]

Can these be stacked to make a deeper garden? So 2 high, or 3? I'd assume the limitation would be the rebar.

[@racebiketuner]

Great stuff! How do you recommend compensating for the draft angle when adding layers?

[@keithosterkamp6207]

Those are a great iteration of your original design of which I built several 24” and 48” versions. If I were to turn this into a side hustle business I’d definitely be buying these molds as it is much less work to unmold these versions vs. wooden molds. That would be money well spent in time savings alone. Love to see a 48” version as well. Since most of my beds are 4’x8’ timber frame which are nearing end of life and need to be replaced. Also looking forward to the follow up video with alternative light weight products.

[@wcramp56]

I have enjoyed watching you make these Concrete Raised Garden Boxes for years especially after seeing my wooden raised garden frames rot away. Since most square foot raised garden beds are 4 ft square or 4 ft by 8 ft rectangles, it would be great if your new ABS plastic molds had a 4 ft long mold option. I wish you the best!

[@CerberusOnFire]

Same. My entire garden is based on a 4x8 size. I know I could line up a bunch of 2 foot, but would really like to see a 48" version.

[@julietmurphy8637]

The design of the panels makes them quite modular. Using the 24" panel, put 2 together to make a 48" length on the long sides with one 24" panel on each end. Better than trying to move 4' concrete panels!

[@wcramp56]

@@CerberusOnFireFYI, the original MANaboutTOOLS conc. garden box forms (version I & II) provided for 4', 3' & 2' lengths which give a lot of sizing options for raised beds. By my estimate a 4' long conc. panel weights about 73 lbs. which is pretty heavy for most people. Using two 4' long panels for a 8' raised bed frame, the mid joint may tend to splay outwards (become misaligned even with a long rebar joint pin) due to soil pressure from the raised garden bed. This may be overcome with an interior tie strap from one side of the bed to the other. But as Juliet points out (due to weight concerns) it's possible to make an 8' length using four 2' panels. Yet, this may present challenges for keeping all four panels aligned (i.e. in a straight line). Bottom line: Different approaches may work for different people. For me, I'd prefer the 4' panel option.

[@SetitesTechAdventures]

Fantastic. This year I am trying my growing right into the ground but I suspect next year I might be coming to you for some molds.