7 Beginner Raised Bed Garden Mistakes to Avoid

[@scottolson6201]

I've built 15 raised beds of various shapes and sizes, but by far my favorites are the 4 ft. x 8 ft. beds. Most of my beds are 12" tall however the first bed I ever built was 24" tall and I made the mistake of filling it completely with raised bed mix which hit the pocketbook pretty hard so I switched to 12" tall beds to save money. One thing I do include on all of my raised beds are 2" x 6"'s mounted flat along two sides so my 70 year old posterior has a place to sit while I garden. I try to keep off of my knees as much as possible.

[@MyFiddlePlayer]

I have learned my lesson and I always build 24" height now. Why? Because I hate bending over. Once you figure out that you can sit on a stool and reach sideways to pull weeds or make transplants, there is no going back to that crouchy-bendy stuff. You can fill the bottom with ordinary dirt and compostables to save money on expensive compost. If you are filling several beds at once, you can get compost delivered by the truckload, it is much cheaper that way.

[@APinTheAK]

@@MyFiddlePlayerya that bottom 12” can start with some layers of cardboard, then throw a bunch of old fire wood/cut up trees/branches/etc, ect. Save a ton of money.

[@ChonkTek]

Have you experienced termites with that method? ​@@APinTheAK

[@richardfritz2436]

If you can, throw leaves and lawn trimmings at the bottom and halfway up to create a lasagne-type strata. This will create bulk and nutrients.

[@PARoth2011]

Enjoyed your video, subscribed!

[@robbiesmith5169]

Your videos should come with a warning to always have your pen and paper handy to take notes. I think you are a great teacher and I’m learning more than the brain can absorb. So glad these are videos that can be rewatched!

[@hurricanelolly]

I suggested to another viewer what I do… video play speed at .75x and a notebook! I actually have a 3 ring binder of notes I’ve organized all my notes for gardening in! Just wanted to share because that helps me a lot!

[@valentinetania]

I stop the video every few seconds to take notes on a document on the laptop on each point he makes. I agree that this is very good practical advice.

[@8swerve]

better student if he looked into it before starting but it's a fun process. enjoy

[@jackzampella5758]

Brian, I continue to be a fan of Next Level Gardening and always come away with something to make gardening in my 272 square feet of raised beds a little easier. 78 next week and I'll never quit the fight 😂. Thanks for your help, Brian. 👍

[@Ken-h5d]

I really enjoy your content, Brian. Your presentation style is great. However, for me, the overload of information is causing severe "cerebral flatulence". I watch a video, go to my garden, and forget what I just learned! You keep doing what you're doing. I'll keep working on me. Eventually, I WILL get it! Thank you and Blessings to all.

[@socoamarettojustine]

pretend you're back in school and take a few notes! it's the only way I can remember lol

[@hurricanelolly]

I literally took 7 pages of hand written notes and put the play speed of the video at .75x so I don’t miss anything!

[@JodeeWalton-n2b]

I was just coming here to say that….take notes. Saves a lot of time.

[@babystepsgarden6162]

Lol! What they said! 📝

[@noora7773]

I have dedicated a whole hard cover planner for gardening notes and I love it. I just make a title per two pages and if I happen to later get more information about the same subject it doesn't matter I just make a new title about the same subject. I have drawn pictures and made plans for future season in it and the end result is very valuable to me... before this I had separate paper notes and it was a mess. I proper hard cover planner is really needed. I make notes whenever I get new information that I consider valuable now or later.

[@happy2cya70]

We built one area to plant using basic cinder block and it works great. We also use the large totes with rope handles (made for your kids toys) to plant in and they have been wonderful! We line them down our arched cattle panels for a 16 foot arch for cucumbers and beans to climb....this year we are adding pie pumpkins and tiny watermelons. The only thing we plant in the ground is corn, this year we may add some carving pumpkins under the corn. For our tomatoes and some flowers we use the black buckets the floral department at Kroger displays in.....they give them away here and work wonderfully! We don't have near the size garden you do, but with our health issues what we do have is a lot for us!

[@johnanderson3405]

We also used 4 cattle panels to make a long arch trellis for our cucumbers and beans. Looks awesome when everything is grown up and over the top. Easy on the back for sure. 😊

[@cherylj7460]

I was thinking about cinder blocks. You could actually insulate them too.

[@stevenfeil7079]

Cinder blocks and bricks suck moisture from the edges of the beds.... up to 6 inches away.

[@happy2cya70]

@@stevenfeil7079 We haven't had any problem with that at all. I have beautiful garlic growing in mine now!

[@Savage3OO6]

I'm a cold weather raised bed gardener (Michigan) and I do myself and my garden a huge favor by winterizing by mulching all of my leaves in the garden. I just lay down an incredibly thick layer of leaves (3x as thick as your probably imagining) and I let the ice and snow compact it over the winter. When spring rolls around, I dig most of the leaves and soil out of the bed, throw in a bunch of fish (usually carp, gar, suckers and bowfin), then I throw the leaves from the previous fall on top of the fish, then I put the soil back in. The following spring, there are no identifiable leaves or fish bones left and I do it all over again. It's a long hard process, but my garden is the envy of all of my gardening friends. I have 11 beds that are 8x3x1 and I try to do one or two beds per week, starting around April 1st.

[@classicrocklover5615]

I am in the Thumb of MI. I also do "lasagna composting", instead of the traditional compost pile. So much easier to manage!

[@AkbarZeb-p6f]

I do something similar, but I rake up piles of leaves & hit them with the lawnmower before putting them on the beds so that the wind doesn't blow all of the mass out of the beds when it kicks up. The excess I keep in a garbage bin with drilled holes at the bottom & left open to the elements so I have more to work into the soil in the early spring & everything breaks down faster. We have a 3' raised bed in the greenhouse that we put our dead chickens in (old age or slaughtered, never diseased ones). We also fertilize throughout the year with water changes from our aquariums. It also drains through a couple of buffer zones so the extra nutrients don't pollute the neighbor's pond.

[@homesteadgal4143]

Good informative video. In 2020, we converted one of our field gardens into a raised bed and container garden. Best gardening decision ever! We made 12 4'x16' raised beds and have not regretted the decision to make them full-length -- we use oak fencing boards for our wood and the beds are a foot high. We have 12 raised beds plus 40 5-gal container grow bags. We lined each bed w/ hardware cloth to keep out moles/voles. Two beds are dedicated strawberry beds and we just started one more bed for strawberries. We're Zone 6B and grow a great deal of our foods, canning or freezing our excess. The raised bed garden is fenced to keep our dogs out -- we used cattle panels for that. We have not found that the 16-foot lengths are a problem at all, in fact, it is good to walk lengths to keep an active eye on everything. We also have another garden (a field garden). We won't convert that garden over because it was expensive to make our raised bed garden. Plus at our age, we're not sure we can keep up with the demands of 2 large gardens in years to come...who knows. We used premium fill (mushroom compost and a soil blend - purchased from a reputable business). And we filled our beds to the top. We ordered bulk (2 dump-truck deliveries). Costly, yes, but this soil blend has been fantastic!! Now that the fill has settled, we topped-off the fill this year and the fill-levels are back at the top so that's 12-inches of lush growing soil with fairly decent substrate. In all, our raised beds were done as an investment -- it continues to pay us back in so many ways. We wish that we had done this a decade or 2 ago.

[@gedreillyhomestead6926]

The paths between the beds should be wide enough to accommodate your wheelbarrow. 👍

[@Mmm...yummymummy]

I have a WAgon.😅

[@DerekHudson-lu5mm]

And wide enough for the mower if there is grass between the raised beds

[@oldauntzibby4395]

I have a large garden cart and I want to be able to turn it around, so I have very wide paths, but I have tons of space. I also have rattlesnakes so I like wide paths so I can jump back if necessary without landing in the raised bed. Hasn't happened yet, but I like to think ahead. 😂

[@APinTheAK]

@@oldauntzibby4395 nope nope nope nope nope nope

[@Joe-l5m3v]

Or in my case,lawnmower. Ask me how I know!

[@cynthiablanton9106]

Amazon has provided a huge amount of cardboard for the base of my raised beds. I should probably stop shopping now 😬😂

[@juneoliver1968]

😂😂😂 Ya, right! 😜😁🥰

[@kathleenredick275]

😂

[@aquilaclark814]

I feel the same way😂 about Amazon.

[@willdwyer6782]

Amazon's shipping cardboard goes through my Amazon-branded heavy duty paper shredder and gets mixed with water for compost. Earthworms love the stuff.

[@cynthiablanton9106]

@@willdwyer6782 Looks like I’ll be in the market for a heavy duty paper cutter!!!

[@truckywuckyuwu]

You can make your wood last an extra 4-5 years simply by giving it two coatings with some cheap vegetable oils. It cures and it helps with water resistance. My garden beds are 11 years now, and they're touching the soil and have had many years with lots of rain. No rot yet.

[@petestronach4949]

ok, good one 🫡

[@adriennewatson-hall710]

Awesome tip, thank you!

[@craighalle7892]

Do not use walnut leaves or branches as they poison the soil so nothing grows. I reinforced my beds on the outside to maximize internal grow space. I tried to line inside the bed walls to keep the arsenic from the roots. I also placed hard plastic on the top of my fencing so the squirrels could not climb in. I need to make chicken wire covers for my 4X4 beds so the birds can't eat my strawberries, before I can. Every thing else you spoke I agreed with. I also have to use a grabber to plant with and pull weeds because I can no longer bend down far enough to do it by hand and it works well for me. Another great video Brian. Keep on growing with it. May the Lord keep blessing you and yours.

[@SimonHaestoe]

Working with chicken wire is hell on earth 😫how do you make it convenient and non-spiky...?

[@craighalle7892]

@SimonHaestoe I attach it to a frame that will fit over the top of the raised bed. I use wire or nylon string to attach the sheets of chicken wire together. If it is going on top of fence panels, it needs to be slightly larger than the panels to sit and rest on top of them. I would use screw with washers to attach to the frame or whatever would hold the wire in place on the frame. Hope this helps.

[@sylviacisneros6933]

So that includes all poisonous plants not to use as a filler???

[@craighalle7892]

@sylviacisneros6933 Yes, of course. Most you wouldn't want to handle like poison ivy, poison oak, and others. Lots of people don't know about black walnuts' effect on soil which is why I mentioned it. If in question or doubt, keep it out.

[@sylviacisneros6933]

That means Oleander bushes, Brazilian pepper tree branches, and Wisteria vines would not be good fillers too.

[@adigmon]

We just put in two 3.5’x20’ raised beds that are 2’ tall. It’s A LOT of growing space! We used 3 cattle panels and tposts to make a 12’ long trellis over the top that connects the two beds. I love it and don’t mind walking around it at all. We made our beds out of repurposed barn tin and framed the outside panels with treated lumber. The wood doesn’t touch the soil, it’s on the outside and I lined the inside walls with landscape fabric. They turned out beautiful and I think they will last a really long time. We filled them with pine straw, leaves, and small sticks. Our local nursery has a garden blend soil we had delivered…it was our least expensive option and I mixed a ton of perlite into it. I mulched with wood shavings and everything is doing fantastic so far!

[@djb5715]

Could you send a picture?

[@MichaelWillby]

When you lot say , a ton of , this or whatever . Do you mean it or is it just slang for a lot of ?

[@adigmon]

@@MichaelWillby Hope this helps. I meant, it’s a lot of space to plant… not an actual lot’s worth. The beds don’t take up a ton of space but you can grow vertically and use square foot planting. There’s 60 planting spaces in each bed, so 120 with both (technically more, but I give them a little extra room). Considering the number of certain plants you can plant in a square foot, there’s a lot more space than that. For example, I planted 18 squares with bush beans and nine plants in each square. That’s 162 bean plants. I also had lettuce and radishes growing under my tomatoes. In planning well, I have a continual harvest coming out. When something is done, I replace it with something else…

[@adigmon]

@@djb5715 I don’t think there’s a way to share pictures in the comments. I wish there was!

[@ChrisGalbraith-me8lr]

I used treated 2x6x12'and before I administered soil and all stuff needed to grow I draped old billboard material tucked underneath pulling out a foot at bottom and draped over a foot at top allowing no treated chemical to contaminate soil and left a loose piece inside allowing drainage, it looks shoddy on the outside and invites the know it all gardeners from the block to criticise your apparent mistake and SURPRIZE! the young novice actually knows a thing or two,LOL. Wait until the beautiful plants I am growing are actually just HEMP! Life is so gran dios. I understand that not everyone has access to billboard material and six mil. black plastic will suffice if you can not afford the finer stuff but it was all i had and I painted graffiti on the out side.🤪✌🧠👨‍🌾🌱🌱🌳🌲🌻🐞🐝🌾🌿🍎🍑🥕🌽🥔🍆🫒🍅🫐🍓🍒🍇🌶🌶🫑🥒🥬🥦🧄🧄🧄🧄🧄🧄🧄🧄🧅🥖🥗🍄🌍🌎🌏🌛🌜☁⛅🌞🌡🌤🌦🌥🌧🌨🌩🌬💧💧💧💧💧💧♥🚫☢ 🚫☢‼ JUST 💩💩💩💩 all organic

[@AnitasPomeranians]

I almost watched EVERY video about raised beds on youtube, and yet this video is THE MOST USEFUL of all! I learned a lot and cannot wait to build my raised bed garden😊

[@babystepsgarden6162]

You are one of my most favorite people on KZbin! I learn more from you every day! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Thank you for taking the time and work to make these invaluable videos!

[@swampsagacity4685]

I used cinder blocks to make my beds because wood rots quickly where I live. I can move, rearrange, or disassemble the beds any way I want. I can also use the holes in the blocks to plant extra flowers or herbs. The blocks were less expensive than the lumber.

[@RRCRDA777-55]

awesome idea

[@rodgerpotter9587]

When I worked construction, I had access to free cinder blocks. The contractor threw away about thirty of them from each job. Even if he was building the house on the lot next door, he threw away the excess, instead of just moving them next door. You're correct. They're great for raised beds.

[@mikep490]

That's a good idea. Locally new cinder blocks are 2X the cost of 2x6 boards but they won't rot. (I got truck load of used pavers plus some cinder blocks.) Even pine wood holds up for a decade but I had blocks with no other use. To keep them in place I filled with dirt. I could plant an onion or border plant in each opening.

[@ragheadand420roll]

Then theres the fly ash argument Used when making the cinder blocks 😂

[@lolh4x]

4'x8' beds made of cinderblocks.. if it's 12" high, that's a TONNE of work

[@denisemouledous7352]

My beds are 3 x 9. I’m short so 3 ft is my perfect width and I chose 9 ft because I got 2 -12 ft boards and cut 3 ft of each one to make one bed. My beds are now 7 inches but my new beds will be 14 inches high.

[@JohnsSuburbGarden]

Brian...thank you for this. This year I built new raised beds in my small suburb garden to maximize the production this year....as I was building them, I was recalling all your tips from your how to videos on building them. Hope today is a restful day with your family...have a great week!🍅🏡

[@simongrunchy7725]

Most gardeners are missing the boat. Consider using discarded upright Freezers or refrigerators for a raised bed. They are just the right size for weeding and harvesting at waist height, making them ideal for wheelchair access or seniors, or those with back problems. One or a dozen, it 's up to you. It took me two weeks on Craigslist to get an even dozen boxes, and that was being picky. No stainless steel, or black refrigerators, no side-by-sides, only white boxes. They come insulated, and the type of soil they have is up to you. No more gophers, moles, rabbits, either! Just remove and discard the doors and shelves, fill and plant. Water with a garden hose, or plumb them with an irrigation system from below. Ideal for an apartment with a small patio, or a big yard. No more bending to weed! Details to your questions if you like.😃

[@BDOWNPRODUCTIONS]

What type of plastic is used to make the inside lining of the old refrigerator? Will it break down in the sun and contaminate the soil?

[@simongrunchy7725]

@@BDOWNPRODUCTIONS The refrigerator boxes interiors are lined usually with hard thick plastic liners already. Many refrigerator liners appear to be non-toxic and food-friendly, made from materials like EVA, PVC-free plastic, or silicone. As the boxes are filled with soil, breaking down via sunlight would be limited to the top three or four inches exposed to the sun, but I have seen no evidence of it yet. There are many that have interior steel boxes painted white by the factory as their liner. Will they leech chemicals? Very doubtful, as they wouldn't be certified for food containers. Decomposition rate of the liners? Virtually nil. I have had a dozen boxes in my garden for 10 years with no sign of rusting out yet. They can be quite attractively decorated too, either with paint or pecky cedar fencing attached on the outside. Interesting note: They all come with holes from refrigerant lines that should be plugged! I can send pictures if you like of how I did mine. [e-mail]

[@shavian208]

I’ve used scrap scaffolding planks for my first raised bed. A bit long at 13’ x 5’ but it does the job. Next time I used corrugated iron and pressure treated wood to build an 8’ x2’ bed , two planks high which works well. Filled the bottom with logs and crap brushwood and then my own compost. Mr first crop of over-wintered broad (fava) beans is flowering mid-April and looking great. Thank you Brian for so many great tips.

[@charlesblakney2378]

A simple way that I’m trying this year is to char the lumber on the inside with a weed burner. I have heard that some charred Timbers that are buried have been preserved for over a thousand years.

[@larrysmac]

Every fall, my father covered his garden with his homemade Zinfandel grape pressings. His 'urban' backyard garden was so successful, the Detroit Free Press did a story on him. Heck, my grandfather had 2 productive fig trees in Detroit's old “Little Italy” where the limbs were tied down and tarp covered as protection from our harsh Michigan winters.

[@elcamnino7]

Building 3 beds today, and started some tomatoes and peppers from your videos. You've been incredibly helpful to a new Gardener!

[@halcyonyorks4454]

I used 2 x 12 unmilled hemlock for mine. They are 16 years old and just starting to need board replacement here and there.

[@cbbcbb6803]

Now, we grew gardens on my grandparent's farm. We did not use fancy "store bought" "dirt". Out vegetables did very well. So, how do you condition regular soil for beginning in town gardening? I guess, on the cheap.

[@mlisaj1111]

It can be done, but takes some time and effort. Lots of adding in nutrients (mostly compost or plant materials/kitchen scraps that compost in place), grow sunflowers in it first to break up if too hard and compacted, plant beans in it occasionally to fix some nitrogen, etc. The exact process varies by the kind of dirt you start with, and what you want to grow in it after. Just plain dirt works in many cases, of course, but better soil often means results. There are also a bunch of YT videos on ways to cut the cost of bagged garden soil.

[@FredMiller]

Fantastic video! I have been gardening for over 60 years and it took me a lifetime to learn the lessons you gave in 13 minutes!

[@manologal415]

Woo hoo!!! Congratulations on 1 million subscribers 😊. Actually, you are already higher than that as I type this. That’s a huge accomplishment and lovely to see your hard work has paid off. Thank you for sharing your knowledge on this and your other channel. My husband and I really enjoy your channels.

[@thorny3218]

I work at a warehouse, so naturally I built my beds out of pallet wood. Been about 6 years and they are finally starting to rot. I figured I’ll go one more year and then make them again. I filled the bottom half with sticks and limbs and mixed my native soil half and half with compost I made. I finally amended it with bone meal after years of gardening in the same spot. It’s not as difficult as some people make it out to be. I do need to bring in some more woodchips. That’s about all I’ve ever paid for. Cheers.

[@RRCRDA777-55]

Excellent

[@RoadToFuture007]

I've heard a way to make the lumber durable against rotting is by burning its surface.

[@rickpratt8789]

Pallets are often made of treated lumber. Not all of them, but there are grade stamps that help identify what kinds of preservatives, if any, are used. Do a little homework and figure out if you are using something poisonous for your bed, or not.

[@chriswhinery925]

@@rickpratt8789 He's probably not using anything poisonous unless the pallets he's using are ancient. Arsenic treated wood has been out of fashion for decades.

[@SunnyGarden2912]

Certainly! Here’s an example of a KZbin comment for a competitor's video on home gardening: Love how you explained the importance of soil health at 2:15! It's such a crucial aspect of successful gardening. Thanks for sharing these valuable tips!

[@elenen4741]

I just finished my tiny garden surrounded by chicken wire that is buried down into the ground. It will keep the bunnies out but not the squirrels. My sugar snap peas are about an inch and a half tall now. I just hope they'll actually come to fruition. 🤞 I love your gardening channel! I just need to make more time to watch them and adhere to your expertise.

[@DebRoo11]

Pressure treated wood and corregated roof panels for the win this year for me. The soil isn't touching the wood. No regrets except not doing it sooner before my back and joints got old 😅 18" - 24" beds instead of ground level is going to be nice!

[@NPC2_4_U]

That's how I make mine. You can sit of the sides to work if you want to. Great for an old back. Perfect height.

[@jasmith1867]

I don't have much time. Thanks for getting to the 7 points without a lot of BS. Gotta go. I don't have much time.

[@dougbas3980]

Well done. I learned a lot. I am 77YO and a gardener. Just enough knowledge to know how good your advise is. Thank you.

[@Diddley-js6lf]

I built 4’x4’ 12” Deep then Put 3’ Legs on Them. Ran 2x4 on The Flat 3” apart, Put Square Fence Inside, Covered the Wire with Weed Matt, Stained Them Only on the Outside and Legs. They are very Nice. I am a Licensed Builder her in Michigan so I have 35 years of experience learning everything I could. We catch the Rain water from our Down Spouts because the Vitamins w/ Zero Chlorine. This is my Wife’s a first Time Using Raised Beds. So far so good. I built those for $59.00 for each One. We Used with Peat Moss Mixed with Topsoil. They are Growing like Crazy.

[@zarinafox7978]

I have used cider blocks. Purchased as I could afford. They are 3ft high and only 2 ft. Wide. I started off using limbs and leaves in the bottom. Not good. The dirt fell in and cost was more. Now after 5 years I discovered to use the organic material and I added broken down card board layered Up to 2 ft from the top. The rest with dirt. I put in a drip system you suggested. We run it everyday for 10 mins. A day. As it gets hot we might increase it to morning and late afternoon. I prune regularly and on weeks that temps are over 90° I put up tarps for sun blocks in specific areas. Still allowing lots of light but blocking scorching sun. This is the first year after 5 years that the garden has flourished. Still not completely satisfied so keep sharing your experiences as they help tremendously! Thank you!😊

[@paulbannon2968]

I had no idea roots would split like that in cloth pots. Man, you're a Godsend 🙏

[@arubaguy2733]

Many years ago when we lived on a farm, I splurged and had 5 yards of "premium top soil" delivered, thinking it would be a good starting point on a new 20x20 plot. I was wrong. It compacted and solidified quickly and I ended up spending a small fortune on bagged potting soil and coconut fiber to lighten it up. We since moved to a condo where my only option is fabric plant bags that I filled with 1/3 potting soil, 1/3 composted cow manure, and 1/3 hydrated coconut coir, with 8 pounds of fish, bat guano, and worm castings to make it more nutrient rich. I use the same media every year by screening and hydrating with 50:50 hydrogen peroxide:water to kill any pathogens in the mixture and add another bag of compost every Spring to replenish lost volume and nutrients. Works great for me. I use absolutely no bag fertilizers or chemical boosters and only supplement with a top dressing of calcium once a year to avoid blossom-end rot. I employ root-zone water drippers to save water and avoid damp leaf fungus problems. All the bags are mulched with at least an inch of pine shavings.

[@ollady7968]

Hey Brian, great to see you're new garden doing so well! I moved cross country,from green pastures to a dessert climate, about a year bf you made your move. You're issues have been my issues, and your video posts a real life saver, starting w/ the Grazon scare and gopher issues!! Automated watering is both a blessing and a curse. Definitely can't do wo it in a dry climate, but completely confusing, especially in raised beds w/wire mesh. persistence is my new motto. However, _my question,_ if you're still monitoring this post, is about _wood chips._ I have access to a lrg amount of walnut shaving/sawdust _but am told not to use it in the garden or compost because of the _compound juglone._ The raw cut lumber was dried and stored in a barn for over 50yrs and with materials being so scare in the desert,I was hoping to make use of it. _After 50+ yrs,do u think its likely to still prevent plant growth?_ The answer alludes me...plz help! Thx, _Long_ Time Subscriber fromOh/toAz

[@dunedainmom]

My 2 cents, if you staple plastic sheeting (I think it's made from hdpe, or ldpe, #2 or #4 plastic) inside, I think it should work. I'm also a desert dweller, im trying to make wicking beds from old IBC totes and old milk jugs (both #2 plastic, hdpe )

[@dunedainmom]

I have also heard, ( I think from Geoff Lawton videos??) That if the black walnut wood rota down with fungus, the juglone breaks down. May be worth searching

[@ollady7968]

@@dunedainmom Thx! I'll definitely look into that

[@PaulGuerrero-d8o]

I tried container gardening these past 2 years, and I have learned that I used a tremendous amount of water though the plants did thrive & produce, I was determine to me more water efficient, so this year, I did away w/all the containers, kept the soil, and I built a Raised Garden, once built, I put logs, card board, banana leaves, and tree leaves and I re-use the soil from the containers, I put some fresh all purpose fertilize, cow manure, bone powder. As for the water, I bought 2 soaker hoses, and this year, I have the best crop bar none. I only soak the plants about 5 minutes every 3-4 days, and on the tomato and bell pepper plants, each time I walk near them, I shake the plants up a bit, and I got tons of tomatoes just from 2 plants, and the same for the bell peppers. I recommend soaker hoses for water efficiency .

[@nickyford4518]

Excellent video; quick efficient helpful instructions with no annoying hand gestures and other BS. Thanks so much 👍🏽

[@JodiMontano]

This video is perfect timing for me. I have a new house and am planning my garden area. I have 3 deep metal beds to set up for starters. Spring planting in my area usually starts just after Mother's Day, and I'm not sure they'll be up and filled in time for this season, so I will probably be using grow bags.

[@johnlord8337]

Good applications. We have a church project, that sits on the most-moist of black gold (natural) soil. We would have to put down a hefty load of wood chips to suck up water into the high raised beds, but also keep back enough zone of saturation (ours is right at the surface !), so that the above soil becomes the zone of aeration. Then putting in sand, keeps the water in the wood chips, but if it is black sand (i.e. finding gold, black sand iron is nearby) and this provides iron to the plants, whereas pure sand (silicon dioxide) is just sand. - IF !! - you want to put in nitrogen into the raised bed matrix, this is the time to either (1) layer in a massive load of alfalfa or vetch or (2) get out the household ammonia (NH4). Dilute the ammonia, close off your nose and mouth, and soak the sand with the nitrogen (which also helps decompose the wood chips (that suck up nitrogen). Cover again with sand, keeping the ammonia gas at that layer. Roots dig down to find the nitrogen - as deep nitrogen makes the deep roots grow stronger, while nitrogen is the "UPWARD" potion of NKP for bigger/taller plant growth. - IF - you have potash, campfire ash, wood ash from other burns - this is potassium and other wood salts. Potassium, the K in NKP, is the "DOWNWARD" growth of sturdy and big roots, which happens when they grow down to the nitrogen layer. If you have other potassium salts, this is where you want to put them - also making deep and strong roots (or tuber vegetables, carrots, salsify, parsnips, turnips, rutubagas, beets, mangels, jicama, daikon radish, potato, sweet potato, yam, ...). P, or phosphorus, is rock dust, quarry dust, or the famous A-Z rock dust, providing the many 1500+ dust soil minerals for the plant's healthy growth and fruiting production. Also nitrogen (and sulfur) are the basis for the many 22 amino (i.e. ammonia, nitrogen) acids for humans, animals, and plants to live healthy lives, and higher enzymatic processes in all life forms. Phosphorus is the "ALL ROUND" chemical element, for a wide and bushy plant with maximum foliage for great photosynthesis and plant sugars, starches, proteins for the plant - but also the final fruiting production. On top of these thin layers in a small-height raised bed (2-6 inches) or thicker with higher 1-2-3-4 foot deep raised beds, one then piles on the various matrix of loamy soil (clay, sand, silt), organic and fibrous manure (also its nitrogen content), organic tea (liquid nitrogen and minerals), ... if you want to use water retentive gel crystals that is your decision, but not necessary. Install your subsurface irrigation piping and drips, or wait to have a surface drip system, or a small irrigation sprinkler system. The best is to keep YOUR WATER and YOUR WATER BILL to a minimum, so install under a healthy load of mulch coverings. With a lady here, with her garden, vineyard, and orchard in greater SanFran, we put 4-8 inches of tree trimming (twigs, chips, and shredded leaves) mulch across her entire garden. 8-12 inches in the vineyard, and 12-18 inches in the orchard. We found the garden was producing 1+ inch black gold soil in 1 year, and the vineyard and orchard producing even more (with NO IRRIGATION !) - natural soil zone of saturation providing all the water needs. Get your raised bed project going and producing. With further years, remember to layer the POST-harvest soil with these same chips, sand, ammonia, sand, potash, rock dust. Leave these out in the Fall/Winter/Spring rains, deep fertilizing these chemicals down into the de-natured soil of the previous harvest. Put another large layer of the surface mulch AFTER ! you do all your Spring plantings, then mulch the surface.

[@johnlord8337]

IF you want to apply Epsom salts DEEP into raised bed soil matrix, then put this into the potash and rock dust layer. Magnesium goes to the magnesium chlorophyll, while sulfur helps create amino acids, and higher enzymatic functions. IF you want to apply POWDERED CALCIUM, oyster shell (sweet alkaline ph soil) or such, then put this into the same potash and rock dust layer where you apply calcium, or layer on any pouring of milk, cream, probiotic yogurt providing calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus. IF you want to apply SUGAR, white man (bleached) sugar, Karo white or dark thick corn syrup, or molasses (with iron and sulfur), then gives intense sugar energies into the soil that the young plants such up like vampires for insane growth, flowering, and massive fruiting production. The proof is sugaring your tomatoes - and you will find that you have some sweet and flavorful tomatoes. IF you want to apply VITAMIN B COMPLEX into the soil (energy vitamin, vital amino acids), try to find a local craft beer brewer and get his post-mash brewing and wasted byproduct. Spread out this mash layer atop the rock dust layer. Vitamin B provides strong healthy and energy sugars, starches, and proteins for the plant, plus additional "loamy organic" fiber in the soft and crumbly soil. Grow those raised beds, and don't look back !!!

[@sharonromero128]

Wow! Sharp! Button down shirt. Very nice. Very helpful raised bed tutorial. I always cover the beds for winter but, would dig before adding new compost. Very good point. I won’t dig; didn’t want to anyway. Laughed again! Thanks, Brian. Many blessings

[@robertrenekerjr6819]

I have a raised garden, and I used treated deck lumber and never had a problem. But I also had this around so something to be said for using what you have. Also have been using leaves and grass clippings in the fall to cover my garden in the fall. Has worked well for me for 30+ years.

[@elyserhyne243]

I always put mulched leaves on top as my mulch. I also never had issues with the grass clippings. I'm sensitive to smells and it never smells bad.

[@casperscorner4757]

We make 3x3ft raised beds with untreated fence boards and 2×2 in. It's super cheap and easy to work around. We start with our bottom box layer, then our home compost and wood chunks. A 3 inch layer of soil and another 7 inches of compost and perlite. Our tomatoes and cucumbers are currently both over 15 ft with no signs of slowing down.

[@Petalumination]

Lots of good advice! I made the paths around my raised beds a little wider than the width of my garden cart, to make it easier to haul compost and mulch in and weeds and other debris out.

[@john1boggity56]

Great vid!! Thank you for producing this. I use 3m by 1.2m beds, similar to yours and they are the perfect size for a back yard vege garden (in my view). I have twelve of them and two small poly tunnels. I love my garden as I think everyone does who have responded to your channel. I saw a youtube vid about a guy from Israel who grows all of his calories on 1000 meters. He grows a grain crop, an oil crop, a bean crop for protein and vegetables. He doesn't go to the grocery store at all.

[@johnanderson3405]

Good advice for sure. I made raised beds using 2x4’s and metal roofing. Framed them with the 2x4’s and the metal roofing was on the inside so the lumber has no contact with the soil. We love them because they’re 4’ high and no bending over to pick the strawberries.

[@PLNK2024]

Your video on winterizing raised beds was so helpful

[@Bloody_River]

I'd like to know about watering system you have there. Is it automatic one? How does it work? How much water per day does it put (also water pressure) and is there any filters etc...? We suffer using hosepipe everyday and I really don't want to water manually losing hours per day (literally). Thank you in advance!

[@ronaldthoms2147]

1I added 2x6 on my 2x6 this / to help with getting ri d of it if bindweed i was given a roll of cardboard so put over existing bed then added my boards an soil hoping it kills out some of the bindweed this year

[@kubotaman100]

I love raised beds since I started doing them. I will say that after 6 years my cedar frames started to get weak and rotten so with my next version I went with cinderblocks. Like everything it has pros and cons. I like the sustainability aspect of them but they are much wider so you need more space. Thanks for the videos!

[@lisag.392]

So glad I discovered this video and channel. I've seen a lot of gardening channels that offer really helpful advice. But this one (Next Level Gardening) is the BEST I've come across on KZbin. Great tips, concise to-the-point info and I love how he also tells you what to avoid. I checked out another of his videos on how to grow squash/zucchini vertically, something I had no idea you could do. Great channel!

[@GGsGarden]

Thx for sharing that that 12 inches above hardware cloth is sufficient. Something (gopher, mole, vole ???) digs holes in areas of your I want to convert to garden. Thinking hardware cloth under raised beds is how I need to go and been concerned about enough depth for plants.

[@kimdoolin3002]

I'm broke so we use material we already have from other things. Reused materials are not only to save the planet 😂

[@fanceeist]

😂 very true.

[@mamawolf8484]

EXACTLY! I built my potato patch with boards left behind by previous tenants and a demolished single wide trailer house.

[@Rattogilberto]

But this is not nice to see 🥲 .

[@cellmediated]

Absolutely, nothing wrong with that! Save $$$ at every chance!

[@aniketpatil1452]

I use screw driver instead of drills

[@VikingVigy]

Excellent ! Never had so much practical and useful information in such a short time. I am going to use it. Thanks.

[@GeoWhiz287]

Good advice! Except I take issue with your statement at 6:44 that you could never just dig your hands into the ground. I have been using "piled up" raised beds for years, double-digging the,m, never ever walking on them, and adding compost every year, plus mulch. My native soil is heavy clay, but by the time a bed is a couple years old, I can just dig my hands into the soil. Even in my ornamental gardens, which don't get the nearly the TLC I give the soil in the vegetable garden, the soil gets pretty loose after a few years of repeated mulching. This year I am expanding my vegetable garden, changing the layout, and adding wooden sides to the beds. I'm filling the new beds with excess "nurtured" soil from the established beds, plus lots of compost made from yard and kitchen waste. I mulch vegetables with grass clippings (or shredded leaves in the early spring) and I mulch ornamental gardens with purchased wood chips.

[@ambiy05]

I read a lot that you should rotate crops. How do you go about crop rotation with raised beds? Would adding new compost and soil be enough to amend it? I only have a couple beds so rotating crops doesn't really work for me because I plant such a variety in the small space that I have. What do you suggest? Thank you as always! Your videos have given me so much confidence to try and build my first large garden this year 😊

[@absunshine6906]

I live in Alberta with cold winters so all my beds are Wood 4' x8' with weed cloth stapled to the bottom. I made them 12" high using 12" wide planks and they are 2 feet in spacing as I'm 5 feet tall. I have sandy soil and it works just fine just add some vermiculite and peet for water retention.

[@mmeszmurrized7872]

My 3 raised beds are 4x40 ft. I don't go around the length of the raised beds to get to the other side because I put STEPPING STONES in the garden about every 8 feet so I can easily cross the bed. It's basically the same approach but requirees less lumber.😊 If your raised beds are higher than a foot, my idea is less logical.

[@deancoburn9352]

What is the best mulch to use in the summer...alsobest cover crop in winter?

[@LLjean-qz7sb]

A good time of year to start your raised beds, IMO, is in the fall if you have access to fallen leaves, yours and your neighbors.( run the leaves over with a lawn mower to break them down smaller) Layer leaves, soil, leaves, etc and end with leaves. Leave it all winter, and start your garden in the Spring as things break down. You can use white clover as a cover crop and it will act like a mulch. God Bless!😊❤

[@privatedata665]

We just filled a new 12x3 foot , 18inch deep bed . The first 8 inches of fill was millings from the local lumber mill . It is basically mulch you get at Lowes but it is not bagged . You may want to check the price of mulch at Lowes and get the stuff without the dye . It is usually $2 a bag so 40 bags is very reasonable in price . We then added P-15 Planting Media and a mixture of manure and mushroom soil we bought from a local Amish Plant Nursery .

[@StonesJones]

Wooden shipping crates are perfect in all sizes and lengths. I jacked em up on stumps, filled with drainage rocks, leaf litter, worm dirt and mulch. Learning lots from you! Teach on my friend! #onelove

[@jerryarnold4583]

Sooooo glad I saw this!! I was about to make a couple of these mistakes!!

[@tedthornton7791]

I use treated lumber. However I covered the bottom with fabric paper. I covered the sides and the top edge with plastic. I used the bags the mix came in. I split the bags from the sides so that they're longer. Covered the top edge and interior walk sides with it. The bottom edge is about 2 or so inchs under soil inward. Overlapped ends. Tacked down with roof tacks. White side of bag/plastic toward soil. Then, I used furring strips on top edge and trimmed excess plastic off on the outside for clean edge. This helps ensure the lumber isn't next to soil to block leaching. And helps nutrients and moisture stay put as well. Yet bottom fabric paper allows drainage. 13:16

[@GreenPastures-TV]

I absolutely love the container gardening tips! 🌿 It's perfect for small spaces. I can’t wait to try it on my balcony! 🏡

[@lilal3753]

Brian, it was great seeing your old garden beds. I had forgotten how blue they were. Thanks for another informative video.

[@jerrycochrun4444]

Not cheap, but I used 2’ tall stock tanks for my raised beds, no bending over, this 66 year old loves them!

[@GGsGarden]

Thanks for timely tips. Have 4 ft diameter grow bags left over from when renting. Have 1 newer 4x8x1 metal bed. I am now challenged with rolling/slopped ground & aging joints. I’m moving to smaller beds to make reaching middle & leveling a bit easier on this old body. Have 7 galvanized 3x4 beds to put together asap & fill with home compost and 48 cubic ft of bagged soil. Have to haul bags in trunk of small car so every trip to town getting 6 bags.

[@carbonbased5041]

A very good summary of all that concerns, thank you. I recently combined raised bed concept with hugelkulture, and the result is marvelous. I always use crap boards with garden pond lining inside.

[@rachelgreengfgarden5467]

Another topic that I’d like a video on please is how to keep track of what you have done and plan to do in the garden. By this I mean, I planted X seed on Y date, so should expect to harvest on Z date. And I need to fertilize A bed on B date. And recorder experiments - I tried C amendment and got D outcome. Please share how you suggest keeping track of this.

[@debbiedowers3927]

If you use concrete blocks, consider the width of the blocks when calculating the bed's dimensions. I didn't, and the center of the bed is very hard to reach. The holes in the blocks are also good pest hidey-holes. I have scorpions living in mine.

[@darcypotterpotter6214]

I live in Northern Alberta Canada I’m 62 and had everything broken when hit by a Truck legs hips lower back I walk but not well and I built my raised beds 42” and 36” wide so I can reach across them side to side . I used Galvanized Roofing sheet metal as sides and Playground safe lumber as outer frame and then a 6” wide 1-.25” Thick double radius plank as top edge cap so you can sit or lean on the edge . I did this all around the perimeter of my property as a Perimeter. Fence I filled them Hugleculture

[@gregdoh]

"You want a light, fluffy texture that you can just dig your hands down into. You'd never be able to do that in the ground." No raised beds here, and our soil has a lot of clay, but after gardening for 13 years, adding compost every year and mulching in the fall, we can dig almost a foot into the ground in our garden with our bare hands. We'll be digging up the soil to take to our next home where we plan to build raised beds! I didn't follow rule 7 for the first 10 years though, and since we started mulching in the fall gardening has gotten SO much easier!

[@coreysue3451]

the last advice on avoiding weeds...need to mow BEFORE you see flowering because those little monsters keep 'ripening' even when cut so it may put out seed when laying in piles.

[@annapawww12568]

Can't wait to finally buy a house in the next few years and return to gardening as I used to do with my parents :)

[@AngelaM-y4e]

Good afternoon, that was exceptionally helpful, answered so many questions even though i do not have the ability to have a raised bed, at the moment, that might change in the future. It is nice to know where to go for answers to my questions. Have a lovely day!

[@RRCRDA777-55]

My beds are 10feet long, 4 feet wide & 28 inches deep. I don't need to bend over too much to work on it. I use organic mulch provided by my city, from branches & small trees brought by residents to a recollection place. This mulch sits on the site for over a year and becomes partial compost, that goes at the bottom to about 15 inches deep, then I use my own compost to about 6 inches and the rest is topsoil mix with finer organic mulch. Total success.

[@leahunt]

LOL, "lovely sewage smell" ... gotcha. Now, I know why my genius idea to do this with a few 1/2 barrel-wicking containers smelled so badly last season. Great video and tips as always so helpful.

[@antonioalonso2474]

thank you very very much for your useful tips :) the most important for me was the fact to not mix the new annual soil/potting soil with the old from the last year, to avoid spores, deseases or other bad things..this year i will only get rid of the weeds and then put the new soil on top :)

[@mebymyself2816]

Thanks, there is nothing like the voice of the experienced yo help.

[@omarra6781]

Awesome video! I'm a beginner and this was thorough and easy to understand. I also have a ton of trees so it's great that I can use branches in raised beds rather than burning, etc.

[@thomasmalcolm110]

Brian, I was thinking about using 5/4 x 6 x 8 composite decking boards & know would have to add at least 2 dividers for side support. what are your thoughts, i know it's more expensive than wood but won'r rot over the years & looking for long term beds & cost of those corragated metal beds is way too much $ Appreciate your comments & learning so much from ALL your videos 🤗

[@revecarodriguez709]

I’ve got a small place behind my apartment, I want to plant tomatoes 🍅, my first thought was getting pallets ( clean ones) , you mentioned everything but that ! My landlord sends people to cut yard & even if they see my wire fences , they’ll get weeder & cut down 😮! They’ve done that to my plants more often than I care to remember! All I want are 2-3 plants of tomatoes to make hot sauce ! What do you suggest?

[@thevocalcrone]

About 35 years ago now a geriatric old farmer told me how he got his vege patch to be amazing. As I recall its outline the bed area with newspaper and top if with hay/straw.. to the height you THINK you want it to be (because its going to sink). You don't add soil, just for a year before you plant you are throwing your vege scrap s on it including the eggshells from your chickens. You do sprinkle the straw with a mix of blood and bone, and you layer sheep/cow or chook poop on top.. and water it well. you hae to be careful with the chook poop, so there was a 44 gallon drum and you just threw it in there and added water and let it sit for four weeks before adding it to the patch. at the time I was using it, the patch was about fifty years old and was literally no effort, also didn't have logs because it raised naturally after years of use. Bumper crops.

[@ChrisMusante]

God Bless you... a million times God Blessed 'us' and used 'you' to do it!! In his mouth was no deciet!! It takes a special kind of 'agent' to save someone (else) from the goofs that come along as 'great ideas' while our efforts seem to be for 'not' because they didn't 'work'; and then because we are ashamed of admitting how we learned through suffering... we don't serve the purpose of humbling ourselves, that we could help others to know what to do - by telling them what NOT to do. I don't have time to garden much these days - saving the world from itself is a big job... and you certainly did your part here. There are some laws that I can tell are written on your heart... instead of in a 'book'. Says the man who has read less than 10 of 'em cover to cover across nearly 6 decades of my time here. Thanks again, and keep up the great works! "White Rabbit"

[@oktayosmanov100]

The best explanation ever.. I used red cedar to build. Nice for me to know I have been doing all the recommendations. 👏 Covering my beds pays off well. Mulching -great .

[@sandrajohnston9745]

Question: when you plant seeds directly into raised beds when should you mulch? At the time you plant the seeds? Or after the seeds have sprouted and are tall enough to poke through the mulch.? This year I am having a terrible time with some kind of critter eating my transplanted seedlings AND digging up and eating the seeds I have directly sown. Probably a raccoon because it can get into my 2.5' high bed. Best suggestion for stopping this?

[@TunaSoda]

I made a 4'x8'x2' bed sunk in 6" with hardware cloth, bye bye mole problem :)

[@CelticCadence]

I just clicked on the link for winterizing beds and it said video is private and won't play. Is there any way to watch it? I LOVE your videos and have learned so much. Thank you!!

[@NextLevelGardening]

Thanks for the heads up. Should be fixed now but you may have to refresh the page to see it

[@CelticCadence]

Thank you Brian.

[@petanisukses_garden]

A very inspiring way of gardening

[@marcw8428]

Thank you for this video on bio char. I just found your channel here on KZbin and all your videos stand out because you get right to the point you don’t waste my time. I have a question about bio char, I currently started about 60 pounds inoculating. I’ve got quite a mixture, compost, lake water on a ranch with cows poop in i,t deer antelope cow and chicken manure.. The slurry it’s inoculating in it’s pretty hot stuff meaning it would burn plants if put directly into the garden. Do you rinse the bio char when done? What do you do to recently inoculated bio char before applying to the soil?

[@queserasera7395]

I'll be making my raised beds out of 3 or 4 drawer metal file cabinets next year. Drill holes, fill with dirt and install some sort of lattice and tada, privacy fence and garden planter all in one.

[@SpeakTruthBeKind]

Just found your channel. I have raised beds and they work for me. My question is pathway around the beds…I’ve been using mulch, but it is breaking down now and the weeds are coming up. Suggestions? Should I have put something underneath it? Good video. 👍🏻

[@bijou737]

Question: I think I know the answer, but am going to ask just in case. Regarding mulch, should as much of the mulch be removed before adding new top soil? I am wondering if mulch has been on top for a growing season, will it have broken down enough so that it won't rob nitrogen and can therefore just have new soil layered on top? Or should I still scrape it off before adding the new top soil? Thanks!

[@ConflictedSwitch]

A neighbor of mine used plastic kiddie pools as raised beds in his front yard with five gallon buckets in the center as a worm tower.

[@xandrios]

How about using porous/aerated concrete building blocks for beds? Like YTONG or something similar. Relatively cheap (2 bucks for 2ft x 1,5ft x 2 in) and once constructed (Glued) they will last a very very long time.

[@GardenDocSC]

Great video. I can relate to the comment about "feeling lazy in the fall". I often neglect my raised beds after summer, much to my chagrin....

[@debbieblakley9761]

Brian...What do you find is the best mulch for your garden? Also, you said not to put it back into the garden.....so....what do you do with it?

[@antonrr90]

Have you ever considered torch treating the inside of your raised beds. I heard it can increase the life of your untreated wood for years. They used to do it in basement framing lumber to prevent moisture from rotting the wood... Just Curious.