I MESSED UP! Avoid these 8 MISTAKES when building raised metal garden beds

[@gulfcoastbutterflygardening]

LOL! You are cracking me up! Thank you so much for going before us and reporting your findings! You are going to save a lot of people a lot of pain and frustration!

[@catnipaddict88]

I recently found that the public parks near my home have free mulch bins. Even better or a surprise was that it was actual woodchips so I was able to cover my entire garden and it also looks pretty

[@sarahbhutta251]

Where are you located?

[@catnipaddict88]

@@sarahbhutta251 Fort Lauderdale

[@sarahbhutta251]

@@catnipaddict88 oh that’s great! I’m in Boca and will check if I can find this resource.

[@PattymacMakes]

I put in one of those this year to see if I liked it and I LOVE it. It's a great raised bed, but wow does it take a lot to fill. I had a ton of storm debris from my trees I had saved so that really helped. Great to grow int, though!

[@evelyn247]

All I’m going to say is your not alone in your craziness, sending extra hugs! Thanks for keeping it real and the reminders ✌🏼

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

Having a friend help out is key...pizza and beer isn't bad either :)

[@samelita007]

Tensile strength 😂. Epic gardening sells the tree surrounds and it was a game changer for my backyard orchard. It helped control moisture and nutrients delivery to my fruit trees

[@jean-loup2186]

Thank you lovely young lady ! A kind little blond boy want to help you ! Good sunday to the family !

[@redwood421]

Learned a long time ago that the first step is to always inventory the parts. Read the instructions once and then do them step by step as you read through them again. The only thing I would add to the bottom of the beds is stainless steel mesh hardware cloth to prevent animals from tunneling up from the bottom. Those metal beds will last a very long time - so no need to rush building them, get them right the first time.

[@nickl2426]

😂 I do this all the time and end up having to go back redo something and looking at instructions. Great video explaining the don’ts lol 👍🏼

[@johngault8688]

I see you're using cutting to fill the bottom of the raised bed, which is good. If you run out of things to throw in their, I would recommend driving around the neighborhood and looking for things people put out on the curb (yard waste), such as logs and leaves... It is a great way to save on soil needed and to have a reservoir of organic matter to turn into rich, organic soil.

[@OldSchoolPrepper]

Hugulkultur rocks!

[@ecobluefarms223]

Can you share once you filled it was it sturdy Well I filled both of mine and they are AMAZING

[@larryharvey7709]

Can’t stop laughing. Thank you. Like Tim the tool man Taylor says. “Instructions are just the manufacturer (suggested) method.” Loved the video. 👍❤️

[@larrystone5749]

Good job and video enjoyed it thx for sharing Be safe God Bless

[@Csimmons111]

😂 The struggle is real! I have 3 of the same ones, but we put them together in the living room, because it was August. ☀️ It is a major benefit of the metal beds, that you can put them together indoors vs sweating outside making wooden beds, which I’m sure we’ve all done. 🥵 I love them though, and have 30 determinate tomato plants in them currently.

[@debragray1631]

What brand of metal raised beds are those? Price? Thx

[@jimmythefish]

Wingnuts on the outside would help to tighten in the future, surely?

[@amandaritzau2602]

Only watched the first 20 seconds and i think this will be a good one! Lol honesty 🤣

[@jimbobdaddy]

I don't like reading instructions either, but sometimes it is the right thing to do.

[@bmo5082]

experienced builder here and I would have made the same mistake with assuming all the panels were the same size.

[@WildFloridian]

LOL! I’m glad I’m not alone. Definitely a bad design.

[@soxferpanders]

Does the dark colour become too hot in the sun? Does it burn you when working in them?

[@hollytibbetts2003]

The power of two is real;-)

[@TomCrosman]

I did the same thing with a 4x8 bed. Thought all panels the same size.

[@AdventureIndiana]

Did you compare cost of buying these versus building from scratch? I suspect building would be cheaper/easier. Buy galvanized roofing and some 4x4 post for corners. I have a garden I planted in the ground this year and it is doing well, but I was thinking about raised beds next year. Your beds look great tho, sharp looking.

[@WildFloridian]

I did not. I didn’t want to invest in tools. I’m a basic tool set kinda gal. 😁 Generally, you trade time for money. So often it is cheaper to build from raw materials. So it wouldn’t surprise me if you came back and said there was a cheaper way 😄 These particular beds have some design challenges and I’m, now, trying a different brand. The new brand I like better. It had some things that would be harder to replicate from scratch (Ex. The double coating)

[@AdventureIndiana]

@@WildFloridian I am looking into different options. Normally I fly by seat of my pants. I told my wife we should plan out what we will eat, what we should grow, then plan based on those needs. I will end up flying by my pants 😀 good luck with your garden and thanks for reply

[@1dontknow4321]

Can I ask you what are the benefits of having the beds raised? We get lots of rain and raised beds help plants from drowning especially when hurricanes pass over. I know it would also be easier on the back not to bend over as far. Are there other benefits?

[@WildFloridian]

Of course 😄 The other benefits is it prettier to have boxes around plants (at least neighbors think so 😂) and for plants like sweet potatoes… they will be contained and wont grow like weeds everywhere. And you wont accidentally compact your soil. It can also keep the little critters out… see Mr. Bunny 🐰

[@Vesparado]

Foe me, my existing ground soil is very compact and a lat of lava (I'm in Kona), so having a raised bed gives my starter citrus trees a much better start.

[@kathleentrued9359]

What about a rich lubricant on the screws to forestall rust?

[@jacquelineclauson4891]

I have a garden bed like those it is bending out even with the bits in the middle.

[@WildFloridian]

The ones I got suck. I wouldn’t recommend the brand shown in the video. The new ones I have are much better

[@che-NY]

Thanks for the great tips !. My wife and I just bought 2 of the same exact ones on Amazon. 1st time using these types of beds so thanks for the heads up. How are yours holding up ? Do you still like them ? Thanks Che

[@WildFloridian]

I’m glad the tips helped. I would return them if you haven’t opened them. Six months later there was significant rust degradation. I do not recommend these. It is over a year now and the corners are so degraded, I don’t know if they will hold up beyond another year. Hope that helps

[@che-NY]

@Wild Floridian wow, thanks for that update on the rust. I just ordered from Amazon this morning, haven't received them yet. After thought, the metal corners definitely look a little flimsy. Any other recommendations, different company, wood ? Etc... Thanks Che

[@che-NY]

Would really like to use these, I wonder if I should build my own corners and use the rest of the metal. Is that the only part rusting are thecorners? So you are not going to use them anymore ? I live in upstate NY where the weather is a heck of a lot worse than where you are Che

[@user-hz7kv6js6l]

Ha... thanks for sharing your mistakes. It sounds like something I would do. When all else fails read the instructions.

[@MageGrayWolf]

I built a couple of metal raised beds out of corrigated roofing.

[@crabtrap]

im not a fan of the wingnuts being used under soil. after a few yrs if you wanted to unbolt....wingnuts will be royal pain vs reg nuts and socket wrench.

[@speakersubject554]

Does it rust? The twist nuts, do those rust?

[@foorlife632]

I have been looking at metal beds and a lot of them do say rust and weather resistant. They have a coating on them.

[@mikimayagain]

I don't know how.much you paid but Birdie Beds which you can get through Epic Gardener are simple to build and quite sturdy. I've had mine for a couple of years, no rust an fuss. You get what you pay for.

[@Stevefor1776]

And you always have a few screws and nuts left over - not because you missed something but because they make sure you have enough.

[@graceful-shakti9019]

I literally just finished one of those and I found out how many screws I could put in before I lost my mind so I did it over a few days lol. Now I’m confident that I could build another one without melting down, but I will tell you this, the instructions that I got were terrible and indecipherable they did not make one bit of sense and I read them and I reread them. Granted I hate this kind of crap but it’s OK I got through it and maybe I got a different brand than you I don’t know it came from Amazon.

[@WildFloridian]

The ones in this video were not good to put together. I'm an engineer... and I thought it was not well packaged which led to damage which led to problems installing. And now... I'm really mad. The corner pieces are rusting big time. I've only had them 6 months. Not worth the money for this brand (Best Choice Products - Amazon). I'm trying a different brand (VegeGa). So far so good. Better packaging to protect panels. Simpler design... so it is easier to put together and... not as many screws. I'm watching to see how they hold up to Florida's corrosive weather. Summer is the harshest for metal products. So far so good.

[@LuvBritTV]

@@WildFloridian Great video! I'm in Canada, at present trying to put together a Vegega round 32" bed, Epic Gardening don't deliver to Canada (!) so I got it direct from China. It arrived late, got delayed 3 times, customs ripped it open and let all the nuts and bolts/screws roll around inside! Took a month overall, and corners bent! So not happy. I'm a senior woman, had to unbend the corners as best I could, put it together last night and can't get the last piece to connect with the first piece to form the circle! It's hard alone, it springs back and I can't hold it to line up the holes and also put in the screw/nut etc. it's nigh impossible! The gap looked too wide like there should be another half panel but of course there isn't! I left it last night on it's side hoping the gravity would pull it down together more haha! I haven't checked it yet. Thunderstorms due soon. China support have been good, gave me a small discount, and reply to my emails, but the translation is well... they don't understand why I'm having a problem. I think it's the tensile strength thing you mentioned? So I'm going to undo some bolts, loosen or remove and see if it helps. If you can comment I'd appreciate it as an engineer and someone who's done the job! I have no helper... so HELP! 🙏 ♥

[@Trial-N-ErrorFarms-jk9iz]

When I was in the Navy at Great Lakes, Mr. Norman, my instructor at basic steam cycle school, always said. It AIN'T THAT HARD. When all else fails, R. F. D! Read dafkn Directions!

[@sarahbhutta251]

I just found you!! The banana videos are very helpful. Thank you 🙏🏼 I am a “recent” transplant to South Florida (4 years or so) and of course wanted to take advantage of the climate. Your videos are going to be so helpful.

[@peggy3698]

Anyone have these? How long will they last? I know they are super expensive.

[@gidget8717]

Oh! 😬😆

[@gidget8717]

After 43 years of marriage, my husband brings me the instructions the day before he starts a project and says, "can you read this and tell me what I needed to know?" This is after years of glancing at the illustrations for 2 minutes and making lots of mistakes 🤣 (to be fair he is highly dyslexic and it takes him about 4 times of reading a section before he can grasp what's important)

[@lyndabrown3402]

Who's Ben?

[@citruscountygardener6921]

Great info but the music can go :)

[@WildFloridian]

Thanks! But I love the music 😂😄 But I appreciate you enjoying