DIY Raised Garden Bed with Drawers

Learn how I made my raised garden bed with drawers for storage AND a self-watering irrigation system. This DIY project is guaranteed to raise your horticulture game! As always, the plans for this build is included.
Get the plans for this project here: bit.ly/2HIX9Zg
Click here bit.ly/2XbmbVW and use code APRILW20 to get $20 off your order from Get Sunday.
Click here to find Western Red Cedar near you: bit.ly/2G5mUmZ
Patreon: www.patreon.co...
Instagram: / wilker_dos
Website: www.wilkerdos....
Want to support me? Support the companies that support me:
Triton Tools: bit.ly/2jaC0dD
ISOtunes: bit.ly/2rVobCD
Rockler: bit.ly/2oWrisB
Titebond: bit.ly/2zicV9i
Infinity Tools: bit.ly/2LAsD35
Armor Tool: bit.ly/2PjJuKJ
Check out my merch for sale: bit.ly/2VezUuO
Things I Used in This Project:
ISOtunes Bluetooth Hearing Protection: amzn.to/2pEjNtv
Miter Saw amzn.to/2tF5Azc
Miter Saw Stand bit.ly/2pwceVy
Titebond III amzn.to/2zZIRQw
Super Jaws amzn.to/2qFLYJF
Pin Nailer amzn.to/2IvOziJ
Woodpeckers Square amzn.to/2HofR92
Mallet bit.ly/2RlMPZR
Plastic Liner amzn.to/2WNnN8w
Perforated Drain Pipe (w fabric sleeve): amzn.to/2Wbdkrl
Pocket Hole Jig amzn.to/2ECBOQU
Drawer Slides amzn.to/2Qb8LqB
Precision Speed Square amzn.to/2MzZgPZ
Outdoor Stain amzn.to/2tg9YSO

[@anyonecanbuildwoodshop1827]

Another great idea build. I'm going to build one of these for my youngest, she is the gardener. Good idea for the drawers, now all her gardening equipment can be stored there instead of in the garage.

[@LifeofBliss]

Nicely done. My wife has been asking me to make a raised flower bed, this has helped a lot!

[@talk2kev]

You will love that watering system ,I grow peppers using two 5 gal. buckets per plant it makes it easy grow and your watering regiment will be very forgiving .

[@Warrior-Princess]

Grrrrrllll!!!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏 That is the best design for a raised bed I’ve seen TO DATE! That’s some superior carpentry skills so I won’t be trying it... I once drew blood chopping a turnip... but #GOALS for sure!

[@MTNurse]

Will you please give us a follow-up on how well the lawn treatment works? thanks for your videos!

[@spencerjw]

Agreed, this is one of the only sponsors (besides obvious woodworking sponsors) that I've gone and created an account for. Waiting on April's feedback and possible review (please?) and for them to get back to me on a review of my lot.

[@HOMadsen]

Its big and very cool ! 😎 Nice job as allways ! 👍😊

[@MisterBroat]

This is a good idea, but I got to ask. are those three pipes connected together or does the water just flow between them through the soil? Also Since the drain pipe is higher than the pipes and you have the box sealed with plastic won't there always be about 6 " of standing water in it. Everything will be swimming in water......is that not bad for the plants if there is to much water? I would think a half as big pipe in the bottom and the overflow about 3/4 or right at the hight of pipe would be enough and also to at least connect all three pipes so that the bottom of the box would be filled quicker. This may sound negative to everyone, don't get me wrong, it is a great idea that I want to build, but I want to build this only once. Great channel. I am always waiting for the next great building idea.

[@phlodel]

When are you going to start using lumber you cut on your saw mill?

[@acmarceneiro]

Very nice video,goood

[@michaelgleason4791]

One of these days we're going to see you go flying across the shop when you flip something just a little too heavy.

[@bobwatkins1271]

5:48: You seem to be confused about the difference between mils and millimeters. A mil is a thousandth of an inch; a millimeter is a thousandth of a meter. That's quite a difference! Your plastic sheeting appears to be 6 mils thick, not 6 millimeters thick.

[@p3t3rjhackett]

DRAINAGE!?

[@ancient_gamerr]

I think it'd be better if you had some medium, like scoria or similar, between the soil and the hoses. The soil at the bottom of the bed is constantly gonna be wet and there's a risk of it becoming an anaerobic enviroment. By putting another layer between it'll allow the water to wick up to the soil leaving it moist/damp and not wet. Put a pice of weed fabric between the stones and the soil. This is just my thoughts :)

[@michaelparkin8216]

Yup I agree! But run the weed fabric all the way around & up to the top of the sides. Because even tho there is a plastic 6 mil liner in it will not stop leakage.

[@ancient_gamerr]

MICHAEL PARKIN Well, I don’t know how much the fabric will help since it’s ment to let water through. It’s just there to keep the soil out of the rocks 🙂

[@ErraticPerfectionist]

Actually if you read the articles from the original wicking bed creator, he uses only organic matter at the bottom for the reservoir because soil/organic matter is much much better at wicking than stones or sand. The point is not to leave water in the reservoir constantly but to allow it to dry once a month to avoid it turning anaerobic and smelly.

[@austinhenry4382]

I have used this type of bed for three summers and it has worked great. The only difference is I made mine deeper to allow the supper wet soil to be deeper from the surface and not causing root rot. I also used a mixture of peat moss, potting soil and pine bark to make my mix. The soil does stay wet at the bottom, but the plants seem to get the correct amount of moisture. I grow more food in my 3'x7' planter than we used to grow in a garden 6 times that size.

[@ancient_gamerr]

muttonchopred ?

[@banannaninja]

6 mil plastic is 0.1524 Millimeters thick. 1 mil = .001”. Not 6 millimeters thick (: That would make it almost a 1/4” thick.

[@ben_the_cat_guy]

Dmitriy Barsukov she means the imperial milis I think

[@mururoa7024]

Tip: Add some marine grease inside the drawer sliders. They'll last longer since you're using them outdoors.

[@stanarrighi7112]

Open a drawer, hello Mr. RATTLESNAKE

[@alexandermenzies9954]

:-))))

[@gotsloco1810]

Stan Arrighi, I was thinking Hello Black Widows. In California we have lots of Black Widows. Not sure about Texas. Scorpions? Also rats and mice.

[@BaLindaus]

I live in San Antonio. We have a problem with brown recluse spiders and scorpions.

[@eePatCox]

it's not 6mm thick... it's 6 mil thick == 0.006 inches (1/1000th of an inch is 1 mil), which is about 0.15 mm. They get confused all the time.

[@hyperous]

Hahaha I thought it was a bit flexible to be 6mm!

[@ancient_gamerr]

The old battle between metric and imperial measurement 😄

[@nathanwotwot]

It would be a heap easier if imperial just laid over and died already 😂

[@Paultimate7]

@@ancient_gamerr There is no battle Just stubborn people and industry (american here)

[@Paultimate7]

@@nathanwotwot Seriously!

[@wizzarin424]

Nice Build - love the drawer idea. Would not have stapled the bottom however, and also would have used thicker liner. You may want to check your drawers from time to time for leaks, don't think that duck tape will hold for very long. Also I agree with others about a different medium around the tubes like river rock (something smooth) but allows water flow.

[@Petertronic]

Nice project. Careful about falling down the gardening rabbit hole. You'll be wanting a greenhouse next! :)

[@goodgoat3096]

I see a new project coming.

[@kady5398]

I like how you have it outside hour shop, niceeee!

[@zookiatookya320]

Shhhhh! Let it happen.

[@bunnywarren]

She could build a small greenhouse that goes over the top of the planter. Maybe with liftable sides for the hot summers that open automatically.

[@bobbyfowler7319]

So, what ya going to grow? Great job, your video's are wonderful! Peace

[@josephkrug8579]

Hopefully your duct tape is more waterproof than what I have used. To avoid the staples issue I wonder if you could also possibly have just made a wooden frame for around the inside edges of the planter to hold the plastic out in the corners.

[@msterling1559]

Or what about using a spray adhesive? If the plastic is not permeable, then I would imagine that the fumes/toxins wouldn't negatively impact the soil?

[@josephkrug8579]

@UC_ip8OOD6hesMrSZEEb1iWw As long as the adhesive doesn't dissolve plastic, I would try it before staples as well. :) Most fumes vanish decently quick for good finishes...so I would not expect fumes outside to be an issue as long as it doesn't dissolve the plastic.

[@Airn5475]

Why put staples on the bottom at all? That plastic is not going anywhere!

[@Sandriell]

It didn't need staples or anything at all. The dirt itself would have held the plastic in place.

[@WalkersWoodworks]

Pretty awesome idea! I have made my own raised beds several times but never anything that fancy. Also haven't ever seen that irrigation system. Pretty cool! I was wondering about it being to wet but you mentioned using a specific soil. I will have to look into that. Thanks for sharing!

[@Darnic-Fab]

So what keeps the water from leaking into the drawers, when you staple through the liner? What keeps the plywood from rotting when water leaks through the liner?

[@jacrispy8802]

Knick Knickerbocker duct tape

[@thekey147]

@@jacrispy8802 Whiiich isn't the best option unfortunately. Duct tape doesn't do super well being wet all the time (it should only be used in emergencies for a short amount of time)

[@jacrispy8802]

Cesar Monteiro I know I’m not sure why she didn’t find a better material. but duct tape might not be too bad as the dirt will constantly be pushing on the pieces of even if the adhesive fails. But I agree it wasn’t a good choice and it will probably be leaking in the next year or two.

[@Slugsie1]

I'm not sure if it's worth even stapling the bottom of the liner. It's not like it's going to come up with a few hundred pounds of soil, water, pipes, and plants on top.

[@jacrispy8802]

Slugsie I agree

[@smithcarolina]

Really nice design! I made one of these, called a SIP (sub irrigation planter) bed a couple of months ago. A couple of things that I did differently, that I would like to if know how the changes affected your bed. First, I didn't use a layer of soil on the bottom. I've heard this creates an aerobic breakdown issue long term. Second, I actually had to extend the depth of my box to accommodate a minimum of 14 inches from the soil surface to the reservoir. That was a recommendation from the local extension office. I didn't wrap the or buy the corrugated pipe pre wrapped. The extension office advised that the soil would likely not get in the slits in the pipe, thus not worth the extra costs. Also, I've found that regular old peat moss works great for a grow medium. Cheaper and actually less dense, and can't beat the drainage quality. I didn't staple the pond liner in the box at all, I did staple the overhang on the outside. The weight of the pipe, soil and water held it down fine. Lastly, on the advice from several SIP sites, i put a thin layer of pellet lime about two inches from the top.

[@jenniferedwards176]

Does anyone else think stapling through the water barrier plastic on the bottom of the bed was not a good idea?

[@JeffGloverArts]

Thank you for another great build and all your research into materials! What would you estimate as a cost for us mere [unsponsored] mortals?

[@chezzapie]

And there I was thinking.. “a raised garden bed? I already made one of those, what is it I’m going to learn here?” Haha, next time I’ll keep my thoughts to myself. Great job April.

[@ladypoetess]

I love my SIP system! I live in a 3rd floor apartment, with a small balcony, and not much direct light through any of the windows during the day. So my gardening is all in containers, but in less permanent, much smaller ones than this. Since container gardening requires more water than in-ground gardening, it's just responsible stewardship to use a SIP, since that keeps your plants at a better hydration level without needing quite so much water all the time. I use (at present) 3 plastic totes with recycled 1/2 gallon milk jugs as my reservoirs. Poke holes into all the milk jugs (5 per tote) and cut a slit in the side that faces down (to facilitate filling of the reservoirs), and add both drain and fill tubes. I use a hard plastic straw, about 0.5" diameter, as my drain tube, run into 1 milk jug through a hole in the back side of the tote. For the fill tube, I use recycled, straight-sided drink bottles. Cut the bottoms off, take off the caps & labels, nest 1 into the other, and then cut a hole in one of the jugs to fit the bottle top into. I just have to be a bit cautious when I first add my soil in, because recycled milk jugs are not the sturdiest things ever, and just dumping the soil in can crush them. So add slowly around the milk jugs to provide external support to the plastic before pouring in the rest of the soil on top of them. Capillary action lets the water wick up through the dirt that's pressed down around the reservoirs into the dirt above them, and keeps the soil more evenly moist without as much need for surface/top down watering, which can encourage molds or small pest growth in soggy surface soil if you live in a humid place. This year, in addition to my 3 big SIPs, I'm experimenting with turning plastic ice cream containers (Blue Bunny, for the curious) into mini SIPs, using old medication pill bottles as reservoirs (being chronically ill, I have a ton of them around) and 12 oz drink bottles as fill tubes, with just regular old straws as drain tubes. I've found SIPs to be especially helpful for growing really thirsty crops like tomatoes and cucumbers, where in the heat of summer I might have to refill my SIP reservoir every 1-2 days, instead of 1-2 times a week.

[@robertpenoyer9998]

I think the drawer slides will rust, either from moisture in the outside air or rainwater rolling under the lip of the drawer openings since there's no drip edge or other protection to prevent that from happening. Also for lack of a drip edge, water will probably get into the drawers. Even with a drip edge, a driving rain will get into the gaps between the drawers and the drawer openings. So it would have been a good idea to put some holes in the drawer bottoms for drainage. I'd like to see a follow-up on this project after it's weathered a summer and a winter.

[@threeque]

Wrong title. Should be "How to Build an AWESOME Raised Garden Bed."

[@christofix]

Until recently I was a professional gardener and this is really the most useful thing I've seen in my career. this will put many people with back pain back into gardening. The irigation system is also good and handy that will save a lot of time. Well done April

[@sumosprojects]

Christofix - DIY Projects I’ll second that mate 👍

[@christofix]

@@sumosprojects Thanks my friend!

[@veritasestveritas8646]

Third that. I've got back problems and this will definitely negate the constant bending over.

[@christofix]

@@veritasestveritas8646 I know what you mean my friend, i had to stop gardening for living because of my back and knees

[@michaelconnors7668]

Probably shouldn't keep your hat in the same drawer as the fertilizer.

[@TheCarpentersDaughterUK]

Wow, what a beast 😍 Have you thought about growing your own veg? I've dabbled a little bit and found cabbages, potatoes and courgettes (zucchini) the easiest things to grow. The hardest bit with cabbages , however, were trying to stop bugs eating them. That might be because I grew too many and couldn't eat them quick enough 😂

[@kefeng6805]

This looks great. I have a 3'(W) x 14'(L) x 5'(H) raised garden bed using sub irrigation. It has been working really great in the past 5 years or so. It doesn't look so great as this one though. I've been thinking about adding drawers forever and it is great to see some experts got it done. Only one thing that you might want to change before you put plants in: the drainage hose is way too high. The idea of sub-irrigation is that bottom of soil always touches air, not water. So the drainage hose should be lower than the top of the big water pipes at the bottom. My drainage hose is connected to a pipe that waters other plants nearby. Also I used thick EPDM fish pond liners instead of thin piece of plastic.

[@BirdYoumans]

Good job as usual. For me though, I built my wife a bed in the shape of a large U and we enjoy the process of watering the garden with a hose from above. Very therapeutic. But of course, we all have unique preferences.

[@jefferyhopcus8300]

Here in Seguin, if I made drawers and ever opened one I'd have a rattlesnake waiting for me to stick my hand in there

[@timmorris8932]

Copperheads here.

[@dmndsol]

Great project. You make everything look easy, good job. No closing oopsies? (dang it!)

[@DIYHGP]

When you stapled the liner in; you insured that you will have water in your drawers.

[@RobertTorres27]

@DIY Home & Garden Projects - It would appear you either didn't pay attention or didn't watch the whole video.

[@DIYHGP]

Robert, your assumption is wrong. I watched the whole video. I am a gardener with 40 years of experience. I know that tape, even duct tape will not hold up to long term water exposure. It may not leak year one, mabey not year two, but leak it will. The proper way is to fold in the liner with out any seams or punching hole to attach it to the bottom or sides. April said she is just getting into gardening, so I am just offering tips to prevent her from issues down the road.

[@RobertTorres27]

​@@DIYHGP Offering tips is definitely appreciated by all who want to get into gardening. Your initial post, however, did not come across this way to me. It critiqued without offering a suggestion or alternative method, as if you did not see she duct-taped the staples. Your follow-up to me did include tips, which clarified your initial intent and was, indeed, helpful.

[@IWANTMYSNACKPACK]

The pond liner would be 0.6mm thick not 6mm. Nice build, adapting to your conditions is why I enjoy watching your videos

[@markusayt]

Did you staple through the plastic liner at the bottom? Will you need some backup drain holes in the plywood bottom? Great design with the drawers. Thanks for the video.

[@pauldominic2150]

Great DIY video!! A raised bed has soil in contact with the ground... so yours would be an elevated bed, since there are drawers and space underneath the soil. :D

[@hujiuning]

Is the overflow hole too high? A good position would be at about 2/3 of the diameter of the perforated tubes.

[@alfalfa]

To be clear soilless mixes (no organic life) are peat moss/coir + sand + vermiculite/perlite and plants are fed through chemical means typically even though you can feed with compost/worm tea. If I was you I'd go with an organic fertilizer and worm tea for long term success. Great idea with the self watering system in hot Texas.

[@RetroBerner]

Fish emulsion works great too, and it's virtually impossible to accidentally over-do it

[@dwaynethompson1885]

My two cents: pick up Mel Bartholomew's book "Square Foot Gardening." squarefootgardening.org/2018/07/our-mission/

[@upsidedowndog1256]

I look forward to seeing what you plant and how it grows!

[@ericcorse]

If you are going to grow veggies like tomatoes, peppers the more sun they get the happier they will be, I'd think 8 hours minimum. You are going to love this very little weeding.

[@jantoniosk]

Won’t water seep trough the staple holes over time? Other than that, great job.

[@kuyalouie946]

Thats why she put tape in those staple

[@greb3212]

Duct tape will not prevent water from leaking out.....

[@WoodworkingCraftsman]

great job!

[@arnoldsmachinetool4632]

LOL NO NO HOA GOD NO !!! My wife is looking at Raised bed panting. She started last year with some 2X10 boards on the ground to see if it was something that she would enjoy doing. She Love it . :( I support my wife on anything she wants to do and love her with all my heart. But as you can see from my logo. I'm not a woodworker and if she comes across this video she will definitely want me to build her two or three. So if you get a frantick e-mail from a guy in NC, that will be me. begging for some help. PS: I greatly enjoy watch you and others with your amazing talent and skills of woodworking. Thank you for your time and dedication of filming and editing your wonderful videos.

[@stevekent3991]

April, great build but unfortunately I think the article you read has given you some misinformation. The whole point of using the drainage pipes is to aerate your soil and provide space to store water. You are supposed to have the whole bottom layer as drainage pipes with a small gap in between each pipe e.g. 10mm. That will provide enough space for your medium to wick the water up. Any potting mix will do for your medium but something like Mel’s mix is good. Mel’s mix is 33% compost, 33% peat moss and 33% vermiculite. My version of Mel’s mix is 33% home made compost, 33% coco coir, 17% vermiculite, 17% perlite. From what I can see from your video, it looks like you can fit 5 drainage pipes spanning the width of your bed. Where you drill the drainage hole is crucial to the success of your wicking bed. Drill the hole about 60/65% of the height of your drainage pipe. It looks like you are using 100mm diameter pipes. If that’s the case, drill the drainage hole 65mm from the bottom of your plywood false bottom. This means when the water storage is full you have 65mm worth of water storage and about 35mm worth of air storage. You have a decent sized bed so two drainage holes is better than one. One at either end of the bed. Add a filter (any fabric/cloth) to your drainage hole hose pipe so insects and bugs don’t use it as an entrance to your water tank. Roots need oxygen and water. Depending on what you decide to grow in your bed, there is a high probability that your plants will die from root rot. There was no need to staple the bottom of your pond liner. Don’t make unnecessary holes in any liner manufactured to be waterproof, especially when it’s under the waterline. You could have have used anything to temporarily weigh down/shape your liner whilst stapling the top of the liner e.g. compost, bricks, offcuts of wood, water etc. Sorry if I sound overcritical, I’m a keen gardener and I’d hate to see you start your new hobby with a disaster especially when you’ve gone to so much effort and expense to build a nice looking and functional standalone raised bed.

[@aj_aka_alan]

Have a question on this project. Could you downsize it to accomodate growing a small amount of silver queen corn from NJ / DE area? I've tried growing this in TX but the corn can't take the long summer dry months. I was thinking if I had something like this smaller and on wheels, I could give the corn some shade when it is needed most.

[@keekee3233]

Beautifully done.. I so want to do this with upcycling old pallets..thanks

[@glennbourbon3679]

You know what I do not understand? Who are 290 a-holes that gave this video a thumbs down? I watch a lot of woodworking videos for ideas, tips, and tricks. On nearly everyone, there are a couple hundred thumbs down. I really wonder what type of people they are? Their lives must be really sh!ttY.

[@moredataforya.7548]

You kept talking about how much you loved the cedar.. and then you STAINED IT??? Clear coat woulda been so nice. Also, sand would have been better around the drain pipes. I’ve heard using soil at that level in the water causes it to become anaerobic and stink.

[@michaelanderson3063]

The lawn treatment looks interesting and I will have to look into it. But after being in property maintenance of large buildings for 30 years we would speck both liquid and granular fertilizer. We did this because the granular would help promote root growth. If the roots are not strong the plant will not be strong. Keep up the great work. PS I did a NO, NO, I show my wife the planter and guess what I will be making.

[@GarretFitzgerald1]

Everything went well and love the planter box. Only exception is that it is definitely leaking despite having used very few staples on the bottom and covering with duck tape. I’d definitely recommend NOT using any staples on the bottom. I just ordered a new liner and plan to redo it.

[@CasualDIY]

Fantastic project as always, one thing from me is that your planter is almost as big as my garden lol in the UK you don't get much land with your property 🤨

[@spencerwilton5831]

Jak Eley Trust me you don't get much land for £500k either here in London!

[@JFairweather]

That type of glue says it is waterproof, but it is not for outdoor use. I used it when building shade panels to protect struggling new grass from the hot Texas sun. When the Fall came I found I could remove the screws and literally pull the things apart. The glue gave up without much of a struggle.

[@BrothersMake]

Very cool idea with the watering system. Would be really interested to hear how it works long term. Great to finally meet you at Makers Central a few weeks ago 👍🏼

[@austinhenry4382]

I have the same type of beds at my house. Been using them for 3 summers and they work great. Only difference is mine are about 50% deeper to keep the super moist soil from the surface. I also didn't put any staples in the bottom, and my drain hole is about 1.5 inches lower than yours. I have not had any problems and have grown bunches of food. Broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, peppers, beans, tomato, potato, and peas all do well. Seems to be too wet for carrots and onions.

[@deltekkie7646]

hahahahahaha. Can you say oops?? You said the plastic was 6mm thick. I think you meant 6 mils. They are not the same thing. 6 mils is 6 thousands. 6mm is 0.2362 inches. That's OK, we all make mistakes.

[@erjdev]

Hey April, any chance you can update your amazon short links to go to Amazon's Smile to automatically help support charities? It could add up over time and help generate revenue for many non-profits. :)

[@OldManandtheSuperC]

I have built a number of iterations of raised beds. I’m skeptical of this one, no offense but that is a lot of weight and the plywood underlay will not last. Especially using a stapled plastic liner and a constantly wet wicking system. Moreover I failed to see the value of stapling the bottom. If you had the sides secured wouldn’t the soil hold the bottom in place? My latest iteration I used aluminum flashing to separate my soil from the wood, working well but I filled down to ground level with fill sand over a landscape cloth barrier. Top 15” were compost and soil. Given the price of western red cedar I would want a build like this to last more than a year or two. Good luck.

[@olivermansfield8341]

Seems decent if your keeping it indoors, I'd be a bit concerned keeping it outside (especially in rainy England) as I would expect given 2 or so years, the wood will deform and the drawers won't open, not to mention that the drawers would probably let water in.

[@debdottir]

I love gardening. If it ever stops raining here in Minnesota, I'll get going. Good luck with yours.

[@jim_no_rulers]

If you make another one, hugelkutur might be worth looking into. It's basically adding wood in with the soil to act as a sponge for long term soil building, which could make good use of non-toxic scraps. richsoil.com/hugelkultur/

[@fredericrike5974]

Less than a minute in, and you "prettied it up"- never be sad you are from Texas or the South; many places don't understand the value of a woman that can drive a tractor! By the way, I'm a feminist because I'm the son of a strong woman!

[@Hapsard]

Ummm ... Curious, didn't stapling through the bottom of the liner make for a leaky liner? ... I think the soil would hold the liner in place such that stapling it only around the top would have been good enough and left the integrity of the membrane intact where it counts.

[@Paultimate7]

I love the look of it. But to be honest it looks a little flimsy. I can see it still lasting a good 30 year, but I think its not something grandchildren would much use. However I think thats mostly due to wood. The design itself is pretty nice. If you had the $, I would try this design with harder wood and more bolts instead of screws in some places.

[@RS-Amsterdam]

Great build, nice for herbs in the kitchen. I have some Q's (maybe you have answered them in a prior video but then I have missed it)] - Do you have a camera guy or gal or do you have your camera on a tripod and move it over every time ? - Who does your video editing, it looks so pro !! Thanks again for sharing and success with the gardening !

[@johnlyden7243]

Nice work! Just for future reference, "6 mil" does not mean 6 millimteres, but rather 6 thousandths (.006) thick poly

[@peterkennedy4010]

Love the design. How about a raised garden bed, but underneath you have a rainwater storage tank? It would look the same as you have designed this project but the bottom 20" would be rainwater storage.

[@FreemanFinance]

Hello April - I purchased the plans. Did you have the store cut your 1 x 4 x 8's to 3/4" or is that step just not shown during your video that you used a table saw?

[@johnfrench6561]

This is an interesting design with the drawers! However, I suspect the water you put in will over saturate the bottom of the planter without any drain holes. Please let us know how it works throughout the summer.

[@mikesmicroshop4385]

You are going to need to add some additional support to your sides! They are way to thin to span that much distance and hold back wet HEAVY dirt! they will bow our on you! It would have been better to use all 2x6 construction and even then you would still need to have cross supports to keep it from bowing out! I have made hundreds of raised beds for people that have disabilities and need to have their gardens up where they can get to them to work! I have also repaired quite a few that were made by other people that did not realize how much pressure and weight a cubic foot of wet dirt represents.

[@IveysFamilyFactotum]

Great build April. I love that watering system I might need to give that a try on my raised beds i plan to build here soon.

[@DistractedDaisy]

Please follow up with what you have planted and if you liked how this system worked. It's a beautiful project..

[@seanbailey6004]

I plan on building this as soon as spring starts. It would be without the drawers though, since we won’t need them. Love the irrigation idea. How often would you fill it with water considering the size of the planter?

[@Joe___R]

Nice planter design, the only chance I would make is to either have full length drawers or drawers on both sides so you don't have any wasted space under the planter box.

[@bonniesf6719]

The drawers were full length.

[@bonniesf6719]

Oops. Went back & saw they were not!

[@eddiemaldonado6668]

Do you have a video on building a window flower box to install on brick wall? Best wood and fasteners to use would be nice to know. Thanks for your videos. Warmest regards

[@amwtm]

Your plastic is 6 *mil* - 1 mil = 1/1000 of an inch. Also, I really like your design and I'll probably make something similar for my own raised bed. Thanks!

[@wadechandler5153]

So, the middle tube fills....runs out into the soil....leaches into the other two tubes , there are no connections? So basically you saturate the however many inches of the dirt at the bottom of the planter to fill all three tubes? I like the planter box / style.

[@thomaspowell2286]

I've noticed that you're using a impactor to drive the screw through the pocket hole to The Other Board why not use a regular drill and set the choke so you don't drive the screw too far into the pocket? And how far do you know to drive the screw through the pocket hole using the impactor?

[@mikesmicroshop4385]

If you can find it get some Port Orford Ceder! It is much harder and longer lasting than all of the other ceders and makes great raised beds decks just about any outside ground contacting structure!!!!! It is the hardest and strongest of the ceders that I know of!! www.bearcreeklumber.com/species/portorcedar.html

[@gorillagoalie23]

If you use this bed for vegetables the plastic will leach out into your plants and you don't want to consume those chemicals. I suggest only using this system for flowers and not with anything you plan to grow and eat.

[@tasma3]

This is good, aa neat idea however one comment. When attaching hinges you should never screw into the plywood end that will limit the life of those pieces, only solid wood. You would just need to adjust the plans to make those ends run down so they are not the part you are attaching to.

[@StephenLinhart]

I’m confused about how the irrigation system works. Does it not create a bottom layer of soil which is always totally saturated with water? That seems like a problem, like when the water table is to near the surface.

[@waderue]

very nice , but i made mine out pallet jack , you lay one between two of the pallet jack and use 3 inch screw to attach them and then made in length i wanted and cap the ends with a other pallet , simple and cheep , but i like your also, but one thing i know is if you get the right pallet jack most are made out hard wood ice video april keep up the good work

[@fournierluc2205]

Ok how do you drain rain water, will it go through your irrigation system? How did you block the end of the irrigation pipes?

[@williamwinder3466]

When Texas was going to become a state the government wanted to cut it up into smaller states, but good old Texas said no, and there wasn't much anyone could do about it.

[@ronmccord8866]

I used to make my sub irrigated beds with a liner like this, but after they began to leak I went with reservoirs. I use 27 gallon totes

[@air.assault]

Dumb question, when do you know it's time to refill the tubes with water?

[@bikerchic7938]

I didnt have drawers but the corners of my bed were 4x4s and I extended them up about 3 and a half ft. I need to put sun screen material around the sides and top because I live in Phoenix and the sun is intense

[@dynamighty99]

Hmmm Texas legalizes pot for medical purposes and April gets interested in gardening....

[@Bear502]

Hi. it seems the drain tube in your build is above the pipes, so pipes would be full of water. builds for self watering tubs i have seen say the drain should be about an inch below the top of the pipe so there is an air space in maintained in the pipes.

[@lucasrose8272]

Some pea gravel between the drain pipes would have been a good idea to help with the watering. But in truth not totally needed. Would be interesting to see what you will grow in your planter.

[@Wok-y-Taco]

Your videos have a small target audience.... people who have the tool resources you do.

[@ToolShow]

April this is an awesome project! -Sarah

[@jacobalten]

Wow, for some reason i have missed out on all of your projects. i love your projects. i only wish i had the resources to build some of your projects. but its fun to watch you build them. i remember you just starting out your dream. you have come so far. i am amazed at what you have come to. i saw your other post about the sectional gardening boxes.. awesome... outstanding. keep up the outstanding work. thanks for sharing.

[@01JH]

Certainly not for the average Joe. I’d like to know how much she spent on the project.