Common Raised Bed Mistakes (10 MORE)

Raised beds can solve some garden problems and make growing easier, but simple mistakes can negate the benefits of raised garden beds. Gardener Scott discusses another 10 common mistakes gardeners make when growing in raised beds. (Video #339)
Gardener Scott's video "Common Raised Garden Bed Mistakes (TO AVOID)
• Common Raised Garden B...
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[@ScottHead]

I've failed as a KZbin gardener. The other day, my oldest son told me YOU were his favorite KZbin gardener. Sigh...

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks for that smile, Scott. I'm pretty sure I'm not the favorite of my kids either. 🙂

[@bobertcronos8433]

Subbed to both! but don't make me pick a favorite

[@tammyohlsson7966]

Now that’s funny! Enjoy both of you!

[@shadyman6346]

Subscribed to both!

[@kittiew260]

Oh goodness you both offer so much! I enjoy both Scott's so you both are my favorite!

[@evonnewaters4927]

Labeling is important. I nursed a weed in a vertical planter for weeks until my turnips came up in a grow bag. Then I found it looked nothing like the other plants.

[@vasilispants8241]

He speaks so clearly I think these videos were made for international viewers like me. He sounds like my English teacher!

[@GardenerScott]

You are right. A large part of my audience is international and I do my best to be understandable.

[@Angie-ci1lp]

Not labeling is a mistake I made before 🤦🏽‍♀️ I plant in grow bags on cylinder block, wooden slacks and cattle panels it was a blast last year.

[@sandrahoffman1958]

When setting up my raised bed, I first use weed barrier then rabbit wire four foot wide then use sixty four concrete blocks to set up a four by sixteen foot raised bed. THEN fill the bed with organic cotton burr, rice haul and peet moss. In mid Missouri I can harvest carrots and potatoes thruout the winter…yes winter, and the soil is soft year round. Can’t be more pleased with this method after ten years.

[@simplifygardening]

I love raised beds especially for poor soils but they take some looking after. great video mate

[@Bateluer]

I can confirm that I have made several of these mistakes, especially regarding raised beds drying out. My current raised beds are 18in deep, and every plant around the edges struggled or died.

[@kimmicannon5629]

Thanks Gardener Scott. Enjoying binging on your videos on our first day of the year as I prepare my first veggie garden.

[@claudinedecarlisle8647]

I love your videos and always learn something. So thank you! I have to admit I laughed pretty hard when I saw that you were on the soil in your raspberry bed after just having reminded us to stay out of our raised beds. Love the chuckle and the tips.

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks, Claudine. I first realized that when I was talking about the asparagus bed, but sometimes it can't be helped. :)

[@michaelmarchione3408]

I have one raised bed that I didn't use the right soil in. It compacted itself and I constantly had problems with water run off. I did,'t have enough rabbit manure and I ended up using a very bad substitute. Even an experienced gardener like myself can mess up. What did work for voles is driveway underlayment. I had a lot left over and went back and lined all our beds. It is a lot heavier than garden or landscape cloth and it drains very well.

[@RedStorm.]

Good thoughts..been using raised beds for about 6-7 years…it’s the only way to go for me

[@brianseybert2189]

When I put up my raised beds, treated lumber was nearly double the cost of untreated. The exterior of the beds I stained and sealed but for the interiors, I lined the beds with house wrap. Do not know how long the house wrap will hold up but I figured it couldn't hurt, if anything it could be a benefit by holding moisture into the beds. Last year I learned a very important lesson reguarding paying attention to the path of the sun over my beds. The year before I had a bed with just celery and beets, huge celery plants and a couple harvests of beets. Last year I had a brain storm to plant broccoli with the celery because how much celery can anyone eat and give away. My mistake was planting the broccoli in front of the celery, the broccoli completely shaded the celery. As it turned out, we had a very hot spring and the broccoli soon bolted. I kept harvesting some small broccoli, but left only 2 plants out of six as worm food. Good news! the celery did recover for a modest harvest. I have also since found out that brassicas use different soil microbiology than all other vegetables, in fact they send out chemicals that destroy beneficial fungi the rest of our veggies need. They will have their own dedicated bed this year. Another great video Scott, THANKS!

[@thomaslist252]

You mentioned alternatives to rectangular wood beds, i have started my garden with a cast iron bathtub. Its worked great thus far.

[@Ms.Byrd68]

Anyway you can position your 'Front' yard with FLOWER beds you can (some what) DUPLICATE with your 'Veggie Garden' because in that garden you should try to grow a 'COMBINATION' of Flowers (pollinators) and Veggies.

[@juanitaglenn9042]

Ive got clay soil and a pretty good slope with not a lot of extra cash. I've got time though😉 So I made raised beds on the south side of my yard and its supposed to be 'temporary' as my husband wanted to get permanent rockwork done once we ready. Anyway, my temporary but probably not so temporary gardens are willow wattle. I made both of them into a horseshoe shape running along the slope of my yard. I pounded in rebar every foot and a half and wove them. Used cardboard to line them and kill weeds under the soil. Compost, manure from cattle farms, leaf mold, twigs left over from the 'build' and grass clippings fill the beds. I put heavy cardboard over them for the winter to help protect the soil and smother whatever spring seeds want to come up. I then scavanged a bunch of coffee grounds from a local fancy organic coffee shop to throw over that to hold the cardboard down until it snowed and see if it will deter cats from pooping in it when the snow leaves. This will be year number two with these raised beds. Last year they grew the most huge potatoes I've ever seen, and did really well with squashes, cherry tomatoes, beans, peas and kohlrabi. I had no idea what a few of them were as some of my plant labels got lost. Lol. It worked out great that I planted my pumpkin that I thought was a zucchini on the SW corner so it grew all twining up around my hill and it looked like I meant to do it!! I love raised beds!!

[@urbangardeningandchickenke1018]

Excellent video with lot of information

[@LoveandPeace1971]

Excellent education Gardener Scott. Thank you!!!

[@budj13]

Excellent advise and the voice of experience. Raised beds are great but not without pitfalls. My first beds didn't have hardware cloth and I learned a painful lessons the first year!

[@charminbyers]

Thank you 😊

[@deecooper1567]

Love my raised beds 💜💜👵🏻👩‍🌾❣️

[@clartigue10]

I have to go away for a couple of years, and your videos are what I’ve left my family to go off of when maintaining the garden and growing food while I’m gone. Thanks for all you’ve taught me and soon my family over the years. I don’t simply enjoy gardening, I love it and find a tranquil peace in my days when I get to be in the garden.

[@GardenerScott]

Thank you for sharing that. They can certainly ask questions at any time. I hope you have safe travels.

[@shelleystern9778]

Hi, I have been enjoying your. videos. I have a question and hope you can provide some. solutions. I live in Boulder Colorado and participate in a community garden. We have built. many raised wood cedar beds. My main. problem is. surrounding grass growing into the beds. Do you have any recommendations how to get rid of the grass? Any advice would be much appreciated

[@tennesseenana4838]

This year I am using the 18-gal food safe storage totes. They're like the one you showed using in your worm casting video. I have hard clay soil as well as an entire yard that was planted with Bermuda grass, plus 4 to 5 inches of rain per month here. Using these totes placed on either bricks or blocks is working great for me - zone 6b/7a. I also have several flower containers for my pollinator flowers. This is my first year for seriously growing veggies so it'll definitely be a learning experience. I'm learning a lot from your videos and thank you for them.

[@heidiclark6612]

I love raised beds! This is a very timely video because I just finished building 5 new 1 foot high new raised beds. Its been a while since I have had any new beds so this video was great! I always learn a lot from your videos! Thank You!

[@TalkingThreadsMedia]

Good tips. Thanks! I’m adding 5 raised bed plots this year. Everything else is in-ground.

[@stephenmoberg8807]

Right on !

[@monikas5125]

I have a new garden this year and chose metal raised beds I love them and should last for a long time

[@stephenhope7319]

I have been growing in raised redwood beds for 21 years because my land is clay soil. I put some clay thru the compost every month. I also use 45 gallon animal feed barrels as planters. All have drip irrigation and drainage to my 3 inch corrugated drain pipes. I use galvanized pipe structures to tie up my tomatoes on twine. Looking forward to this season. I am growing a new ( to me ) tomato called Redfield Beauty this year and am looking forward to that in 9b Sacramento. Thanks for your videos, Gardner Scott.

[@valoriegriego5212]

Hello Gardener Scott!👋 Your garden design is looking great. I'm sure you are going to introduce us to that new area in the background of one of your shots...metal siding...keyhole looking.🙂 I have a container garden...totes mostly...small raised beds. It's amazing how much food I can grow for my family and others secession planting.🙂 And I don't have to weed or worry about critters eating my food.👩🏾‍🌾

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks. Yes, videos on the metal bed area are coming.

[@jenpaige3110]

😍 Mala eating snow I the background

[@judyvance1556]

I have recently started using straw bales as the “walls” of my raised bed. I make a rectangle with the bales, then fill with my soil ( currently my bottom layer of “soil” is peat moss, then I added dirt. Right now I have field peas and grass as cover crop. I’m in SW Ohio, so it’s not time to put my ‘crops in.

[@GardenerScott]

That's a good idea. They need to be replaced each season, but they add good organic matter as they break down.

[@npast1]

One mistake I made was to fill the raised bed too much when I first filled the new empty bed with the soil. I wish I would have left about 6 inches of empty space inside the bed. As it was, after a couple of years of adding some compost and manure in fall, my raised beds gradually became filled to the brim, with no more room to add any more organic matter, so I had to remove the top layers of soil from the beds.

[@marvinmulford2536]

I plan to copy your idea of raised beds, hope you don't mind. I,'m a retired dairy farm where crops were always grown in the ground . With beds I don't need the machinery I had.

[@savannah9398]

This year will be the first time I have a space to try growing my own plants and vegetables. I have been researching everything I can to plan a raised bed as the initial test of my own capabilities. Your channel is so rich with information, I am so glad to have found it. On lining the raised bed: you say that you used a hardware fabric for the bottom. Is this what you would recommend overall? I have seen many small clips of content regarding raised beds that has people beginning their beds with cardboard, followed by tree and leaf material, then lastly soil. How do these two compare? Thank you for sharing your knowledge here, it is invaluable to a beginner!

[@GardenerScott]

Lining the bottom depends on the concern. I use metal hardware cloth to keep out gophers, but that is not necessary if you don't have gophers, moles, or voles. Cardboard smothers plants and can kill grass and weeds when placing a bed, but that isn't necessary if you don't have those plants under a bed.

[@joefrancis759]

I made my beds with untreated fir 2x9, deck ties and screws - they have lasted 12 years in front range weather. There are two corner spots where they have warped a tiny bit, but otherwise still really strong. I kind of can't believe it.

[@Seoshinawi]

Probably some kind of hardwood for it too last that long? Here in Sweden the lumber is either spruce or pine. after 2 years the beds i made were quite rotten on the inside. A thick coat of unboiled linseed oil on the inside has helped quite a lot on the newest ones ive made. Next up i will try to torch the inside and then put linseed oil on them.

[@joefrancis759]

@@Seoshinawi Fir is a conifer like spruce, but 'front range weather' (near Denver, CO, not far from G.Scott) is very dry climate, hot summers, cold winters with snow, but very dry. In a more humid climate I would never have been so lucky.

[@enialisnailo17]

My raised bed had so much cat poop in it, I had to destroy it. Nothing could have been saved. If you make a topic video about how to prevent pest from the garden, I will greatly appreciate it.

[@LadyDrosselmeyer]

I have heard that coffee grounds will act as a deterrent for cats. I mix coffee grounds into my beds at the beginning of the season to make it more acidic and personally haven't noticed any cats being to interested in them. Don't know if it is just an old wife's tale but it seems like it work.

[@roccoconte2960]

Raised beds are the way to go I've been doing it for 25 years now I used pressure treated 2 x 12s there still up today before I back filled I lined them with half in board insulation, nice video Scott.

[@lauriesmith7517]

Now, how on earth did you get that canine to walk across the bed on cue?

[@GardenerScott]

Practice and luck.

[@danbolton3180]

I've purchased waisthigh metal raised beds with expanded metal bottoms. I want to place a layer of cardboard on the expanded metal before adding biomass and soil, but my wife thinks too much water will be held in the beds. I believe too much soil will fall through the bottom without a way to stop gravity. Opinions...? I had 10 12 inch high raised beds at my previous residence with doubled wire bottoms and it kept my neighbor's moles out of my garden.

[@GardenerScott]

Cardboard should slow drainage. Consider using woody material at the bottom to hold the soil and moderate moisture. Here's what I do: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2Ockot-d6d9kK8

[@111sheilah111]

Yes or no to lining a raised bed?

[@JohnWCH]

We're going into our second season ever. The soil was good, but not great that I put into the garden beds. is there a benefit to get in there and till it all up again or just let it keep working underneath and till the top 3 inches before planting?

[@GardenerScott]

I like to work in new organic amendments in the top 6-9 inches until the soil is good throughout.

[@vassiliarkhanguelski3993]

Old hot tab garden beads

[@111sheilah111]

The raised beds I’m inquiring about are waist high..should I line them before adding soil and all the goodies..?

[@GardenerScott]

I don't line any of my beds.

[@dianefester9663]

Hi gardener Scott, I lined my beds with plastic. I put holes at the bottom to allow for drainage. But was it a mistake? I need to add, I have just 2 raised beds on my 6 metre balcony

[@GardenerScott]

For beds outside the garden, like on a balcony, lining the beds can limit drainage that could damage the surface underneath. But it can cause potential problems if the soil gets too wet. It's not a mistake, but does require extra monitoring of soil moisture.

[@AndreaDawnBrewer]

T-SHIRT: Mom Said Eat Your Vegetables! 😂😂😂

[@gwp1ohio]

use white oak, 3" minimum

[@DaveDoesMetals]

I realize this is an older video, but I have a question about preserving your raised beds. You mentioned lineseed oil, (Boiled lineseed oil, I'm assuming), do you coat both the inside and outside of your raised bed or just the outside?

[@GardenerScott]

You can do both inside and out before filling with soil. To rejuvenate the wood in later years I just do the outside.

[@DaveDoesMetals]

Thank you!

[@hpqzhpqz9688]

How about plastic lining around the internal walls of the beds to contain soil moisture. Stop the edges drying out ? Cant be any different to using plastic containers ?

[@GardenerScott]

Yes, that can help.

[@laneeacannon1450]

Better yet, burlap sacks - no plastic leaching.

[@borracho-joe7255]

RAMS!!!!! How often are you treating the wood on your raised beds?

[@frankbarnwell____]

KC sour grapes to you. But came here to enjoy gardening.

[@borracho-joe7255]

@@frankbarnwell____ Gardener Scott’s a Rams fan, that’s why I cheered!

[@frankbarnwell____]

@@borracho-joe7255 I was a Rams fan in the 70s, went luv ya blue oilers a while. All good.

[@GardenerScott]

It depends on the type of preserver, but it's typically about three years. I'm planning a video in a few months to discuss the different options.

[@borracho-joe7255]

@@GardenerScott Great! I will keep an eye out for the video.

[@afrique1967]

Sir I am trying to figure out if can grow hot peppers and tomatoes in a 32 inch high raised beds, since the two vegetables grow pretty high.

[@GardenerScott]

You can. Most of my tomatoes last year were in 28-inch beds but I trellised them differently. Here's how, kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHrQgHSZnsyInas

[@afrique1967]

@@GardenerScott thank you!

[@brianschindler1511]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@joshuarisner5571]

I got a question I'm using cattle panel for my boxes sides 12" tall 4 foot wide 60 foot long what should I use for drainage material in my rows because I'm by a swamp and on a slight slope .

[@joshuarisner5571]

Will be using a landscape fabric or a small chicken wire fence material on sides to hold material in

[@GardenerScott]

The boxes should drain a little through the sides and soil amended with organic matter is better at draining than with the addition of stone or gravel at the bottom. A sandy amended soil is good if you have that option.

[@joshuarisner5571]

@@GardenerScott thank you so much for the info

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

Question Scot. Not related to this video but I ran into a situation and I'm very concerned. I built a 3x7 raised be a few months ago and placed it in the garden and filled with soil. But I have 2 bird feeders under the eave of my house just above it and didn't think about the poop. Well today I saw tons of poop in the bed. I will remove the feeders but is that soil at risk now? I don't want to eat something and get sick.

[@FloridaGirl-]

It’s fine. People use chicken, quail poop etc. cat or dog feces would be more of a concern.

[@firefalcon100]

i agree, just make sure to wash the food really well. The only thing that would be a problem is the bird feed sprouting in the bed or, having the birds deposit some additional plantings they've eaten elsewhere into your bed.

[@GardenerScott]

There is a possibility for contamination. The soil should be okay after sun and weather exposure after a few months, so wash any vegetables well before then.

[@karenjarman4666]

I’m concerned about any preservative put on the wood migrating into the soil

[@DebRoo11]

Linseed is a natural oil

[@jimmyg3382]

What type of wood is used to make that untreated raised bed that you show and discuss the ability to extends its life with linseed oil but plan to leave it untreated because you're experimenting to see how long it lasts?

[@GardenerScott]

Treated wood varies by region. In my area I believe they use pine or fir. The untreated wood is fir.

[@jimmyg3382]

@@GardenerScott Thanks! I wasnt sure if the 3 year old bed you were pointing to when you were discussing rot approximately 5:00 in was fir or cedar. It looked like fir but wanted to confirm. Thanks again!

[@Angie-ci1lp]

🤣😆😆😂 LOL! Children! No matter the age😆😆😆🤦🏽‍♀️

[@dianajackson2359]

Have you found a watering wand that lasts more than one year?

[@GardenerScott]

I've used different ones and most of my wands last two years but I often have to replace the head.

[@Andrew-ej5pk]

If I have to water I don't want to garden like that

[@HipOperation99]

If you throw old logs in the raised bed before filling with soil, wouldn’t you be inviting a huge carpenter ant colony to arrive to infest the wood?

[@GardenerScott]

If you have a carpenter ant problem that is a possibility, but when buried under inches of soil it is less likely.

[@Octoschizare]

Mala is a paid actor.

[@FishOnIsMyHandle]

👍👍👍