Our Raised Bed Gardening Journey: Lessons Learned

Join us on our raised bed gardening journey as we share our experiences and lessons learned along the way. From the benefits of raised beds to the best bed height and shape, we cover it all. Don't miss out on our tips and tricks for a successful garden and be sure to subscribe for more gardening adventures!
0:00 Intro
0:39 Why Do We Like These Raised Beds So Much?
1:15 Does the Color Fade on These?
1:45 Do They Need Support Bars in the Center?
2:37 Does the Paint Chip on These?
3:26 Are Taller Raised Beds Worth the Investment?
4:35 What's the Best Raised Bed Shape?
5:46 Would We Change Our Raised Bed Irrigation?
7:47 What Type of Soil Should You Fill Raised Beds?
9:34 Do These Metal Raised Beds Get Too Hot?
10:45 Do You Need Landscape Fabric Between Raised Beds?
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[@dvrmte]

For those who have burrowing critters such as voles, moles, gophers, etc., I would definitely recommend placing half inch or smaller wire mesh under the bed to keep them from burrowing in and setting up home under your plants.

[@pilsplease7561]

I cant grow in my native soil unless its grapes or fruit trees or gophers eat it so i have a ton of raised beds with hardware cloth under it which will not rot or rust out for 30-40 years and then ill just replace the beds, also use redwood as its superior to metal beds

[@dvrmte]

@@pilsplease7561 I have problems with voles sometimes, they make a burrow under the crown of a fruit tree or grape vine. They eat the roots and raise their young there. LOL The damaged roots eventually get some kind of rot disease and the tree dies. I usually put a lot of large gravel/small rocks in the planting hole, it tends to lessen the chances of them getting to the crown and doing serious damage.

[@pilsplease7561]

Voles dont eat plant roots to my knowledge, we have moles as well that burrow in the vineyard surface level and eat all the insects which is okay. The gophers are frustrating. @@dvrmte

[@dvrmte]

@@pilsplease7561I don't make statements that aren't backed by science. Also, voles will use mole tunnels if they're useful. Voles are opportunists and eat almost anything. From Wikipedia:: "Voles often eat succulent root systems and burrow under plants and eat away until the plant is dead. Bulbs are another favorite target for voles; their excellent burrowing and tunnelling skills give them access to sensitive areas without clear or early warning. The presence of large numbers of voles is often identifiable only after they have destroyed a number of plants."

[@pilsplease7561]

We dont have Voles where I live but I have never seen nor heard of them destroying plants my sister has them where she lives. @@dvrmte

[@hillbillyshadetreefarm5732]

I love my Olle raised beds. In 2022 I started with 2 small ovals (4 n 1 kit). I loved them so much that I added 2- more beds (12 n 1 kits) with 2 months. In 2023 I added 2 more 12 n 1 kits. My beds are 17" tall. I'm 69 with a bum left knee but I don't have any problems working with the beds. Now if I am humped over the beds for 2+ hours straight my lower back will get stiff. So I have taught myself to take breaks, drink some water or ice tea, sit back and admire or dream about my garden. Also I set the beds up all by myself with an occasional offer to help from my husband! ❤ ~ Rhonda

[@valchris11]

I have 8 Birdies beds , 17 inch ( same colour ( and they haven't changed colour over two seasons . If I could have afford it , the taller bed would have been much better in the long run ( as I get older) Love my beds , and hope to get many more yrs from them.

[@bitsandbobs4082]

With the low beds dig a hole a foot deep fill that with the logs etc then backfill with the soil you dug up

[@roxannern9393]

A little science without any relationship to metal bed companies. If I understand correctly, zinc melting T-787F/420C and aluminum reflects heat. Have you ever cooked something on aluminum foil and noticed the the aluminum only feels too hot to touch where it is actually touching the food but can be comfortably handled around the edges where the food or pan are not touching the aluminum. The aluminum transfers the heat to other objects touching it. Thus, the powdered aluminum surfaces function as reflective deterrent. The beds stay cool because they are not absorbing or conducting heat. They are also long lasting for the same reasons. It all makes perfect sense that the price you pay is a little higher than you'd think aluminum and bolts should cost because you are paying for the scientific research necessary to make such an effective functional product. We are taking out one of our in-ground gardens this year and adding 15 raised beds. We've found many food plants grow much better in beds here in E TN zone 7a rock growing clay!

[@jeffmartin693]

support bar may be needed when north enough that you get more deep freezing like 12 to 20 inches deep, as it freezes it expands the soil.

[@waynespringer501]

If you use good quality weed fabric like Dewitt, those issues don't happen. I've had my entire garden beds on top of weed fabric covering the entire area and have no grass growing through or on top of it for over 3 years going now.

[@jillismyname]

Same here! It was a great way to get started quickly on top of our tenacious bermuda grass. It does not come through it.

[@alph8654]

Agree !!!

[@waynephillips2777]

I think the soil inside the bed will act as a heat sink to keep the metal temperature from varying wildly. The height of the bed shouldn't make much more difference than a hill in a field. I think you have done a fine job with yours. As always you are diligent in your care for your garden! Well done!

[@2ponshomeplace132]

You are so right! You have to plan before you have to MOVE corrections to your garden plot.

[@davidward1259]

This is the video I've been waiting on!!!! We recently bought 6 of the 12-in-1 17" high Olle beds. Our wood beds from 2004 have pretty much had it and are disintegrating. And with pressure treated wood not being what it used to be with longevity, I decided to go with the Olle beds. We went with the 17" version for 2 reason. Price vs the taller bed, and amount of soil needed to fill the tall beds. Yes, we are aging and stooping down is not as much fun as it used to be, but the 17" beds are perfect for someone with one of those seated garden scooters or just a small garden stool. Just sit and it's almost at knee level. I've been using drip for 4 years, so moving and adapting that to Olle beds is no big deal. I can retask probably 90% of what is currently installed. I think I'm going to set up our 6 beds in the 80"x40" configuration as it uses all the panels and gives good volume. The bottom half of the soil will be the improved soil from the existing beds, but I'm topping that with a mix of 40-45% peat moss, 40-45% Soil3 compost, and 10-20% vermiculite. I'm also thinking of setting some PVC pipe about a foot into the earth below the bed that extends up to above the garden soil so I can put in row cover supports or trellis supports. I want to make all the beds the same so I can move a trellis from season to season as part of the rotation schedule. The balance of our garden will be low wooden raised "table" like supports (but 8" off the ground). On those we will place our wicking tubs, and some EarthBox clones I'm making. So 6 Olle beds is not our entire garden. Thanks for posting this Travis as it answered many of our questions.

[@kevindavis3841]

Interesting; those cross supports in raised beds were the thing when I started using them. They actually pull the beds in as it settles. I’ve seen no problems in two years of leaving them out.

[@davidkoba]

When you were talking about planning the logistics of your garden I thought you said, "grab a pen and a paper and do some drinking...." 😅😂😂😂

[@suzannemclelland9695]

Me too!😂

[@davidkoba]

great minds think alike.....@@suzannemclelland9695

[@katiem9644]

I have several of these and several of the round fire rings from Tractor Supply, and they were totally a game changer for me. As Ive gotten older, I just cant get down to the ground. With these I can drive my UTV right up to the beds and work right off of the UTV. I have the medium height ones. Total game changer!!!

[@Sunnylane02174]

I have several of these beds in my garden space & they’re fantastic! I top them off every year with our compost, agro thrive fertilizer, & I’m ready to plant. It does make it easy to turn a bed over for a new planting. Just remove plant, fertilize, plant the seedlings. No digging or anything like that. Thanks for the video! As always I find the info you provide very helpful!

[@widehead1234]

All these people that are talking about Putting mesh underneath your beds are really missing out on all of the benefits of having an exposed bottom bed.

[@HawkeyeTX549]

Oh no! If you have packrats or kangaroo rats, then you would totally agree with installing some sort of hardware cloth.

[@sharonousmankobo3602]

I absolutely love my 4 Olle beds!! I'm happy that I have the 17" beds because I don't have to get on my knees anymore when transplanting seedlings or direct sowing seeds.

[@mikemiller209]

I turn 60 this year and built my first raised bed last year.. asparagus in that one but i'll definitely be utilizing more raised beds in the garden soon

[@amyhood6562]

I love my raised beds. We have some drainage issues so in ground gardening isn’t for us in our backyard. My setup is more budget friendly but works well and we have slowly added to it over the years. I’m adding irrigation this year and I’m excited.

[@chinfuzzchet3616]

It depends on your situation. Mt garden space is all red clay and it is also a bad runoff area from neighbors' yards. I don't have a choice.

[@Maria-ql3fc]

I don't have Ole's but I like the cheaper ones I have.

[@smokeytexx]

i am mid way through building my raised beds , i have 6 built so far and at least 6 more to do . i am using a product called colorbond roofing iron . i was going to make some tall and some short IE 16 inches half sheet high and 32 inches full sheet high , but i gave it a lot of thought and to me the high beds would be limited to plants that only grow short and not suit plants that grow tall , such as the peas i grow can grow well over 6 foot tall , tomatoes is another one corn is another and there are others , dont want to be picking on a ladder ,so that would dictate to some degree what i could plant in some beds so to keep it simple ( like me ) i decided to go all 16inch high beds which also means i get twice as much bed area are for the materials i buy .

[@HawkeyeTX549]

Micro climates are an issue for some people. You don't have issues here, but raised beds around the house can pose considerable issues due to seasonal sunlight in particular.

[@RestorationDream]

And I want some mater seeds. I like the determinate ones. Do you sell some? I hope you do next month, so i can get me some.

[@hazeysgarden]

I have the gray one (thank you again for that) mine did scratch when I was assembling it, but it doesn’t bother me one bit:

[@kaylaehnat4686]

I love these raised beds! Are you going to do a video of your favorite seeds soon?? I love your recommendations!

[@DeniseLSessler]

For those gardeners who are like us and have mostly rock under the thin topsoil, my husband did the back-breaking work of digging out the sod layer where the raised bed would be placed. I don't believe we would have been able to till the ground. I do wish we could have removed more of the grass - like the total area - so the weeks would have been removed between the beds.

[@livesoutdoors1708]

Landscape fabric works great but Bermuda is persistent we just weed whack it to the base and not allowing growth does a decent job.

[@shannonjayne605]

I like all the shapes too!!

[@wallybruns4035]

Thanks. A lot of good info there.

[@minime8048]

First thing you need to check for .. if you dont have worms in your Raised garden bed .. consider it a failure. if you do have worms you got a healthy bed. If they move out you got problems. The cover cloth will prevent worms getting into your raise beds

[@lauras5312]

Thanks Travis 😀

[@ManiacNation06]

Love your content bro!😊

[@samuelhenry9959]

Shorter bed just used a beach to get your job done 😊

[@linklesstennessee2078]

Looking good

[@randyman8984]

lazy dog,, before I started buying that irrigation tubing like you use I asked a few questions and this one woman in California said she's had hers about 11 years. That sold me and bought 500 ft and starting installing.. Going on season 3 and so far so good. I would love for you to use one of those beds as a test plot and just use wheat straw on the top of it and crushed up you can buy a baggie of it at tractor supply it should last you pretty good while if you're just going to do one raised bed. I'm willing to put money on it that you'll see a different better result. Don't hurt to experiment :) I'm up here in North Georgia about 45 minutes south of Chattanooga in chatsworth. I'm in a pretty big Georgia Facebook group and I've been sending a few people to your channel, you're welcome 😎

[@LazyDogFarm]

Thanks for not keeping us a secret!

[@cdburgess75]

Elevated height closer to the sun. Hahahahahhaha. Good one.

[@patriciawalz7022]

Perfection

[@hollynelson543]

Hey Trav😊

[@rwheeler4926]

Last year I had yellow jackets make a nest in one of my beds that were bottom filled with logs

[@priayief]

As I was watching your video, I looked out the window at my raised beds.I built mine out of wood, some treated, some not, and some are rotted and breaking apart. Sheesh!

[@HamiltonRb]

I personally wouldn’t use treated lumber in my beds unless you use some kind of liner on the inside of the bed touching the soil. I made a deal with a local farmer who I helped take an old barn down, and I keep all the barn boards I wanted, and had enough to build eight 4x8 raised beds. The barn was 60 years old, so pretty sure they will last quite a while as beds

[@51rwyatt]

Helpful video. I bought 4 beds last year and haven't set them up yet.

[@classicrocklover5615]

I have one Vego 32-inch bed. It is for my rhubarb. We have a corgi who loves to help himself to garden greens. The extra height puts poisonous leaves out of his reach!

[@randyman8984]

I hate how these raised beds settle like that. One of mine settled 7 inches. However what I've learned there's a benefit when it does it because it creates a ideal spot as the crown isnt exposed to the elements and seems to grow better? Almost like creating an ideal microclimate imo

[@LazyDogFarm]

Yeah settling is inevitable, but it kind of like it because it provides room for amending and topping the beds with a little compost.

[@brucemullis479]

I have both type raised beds two that I built myself which are big. And one like you have. A regular normie with no dirt sponsors will cry when they fill them with Promix or the frog type dirt the first time. I do have some massive onions in my raised bed similar to yours. They should rival yours of last year. Onions are my favorite fall/winter garden cause I use them and they last so long. Enjoy your videos.

[@LazyDogFarm]

I couldn't imagine using bagged potting soil to fill one of those big beds. It would take an entire pallet, if not more for one bed. Buying bulk loads of stuff like we did is the way to go if you can find it.

[@brucemullis479]

@LazyDogFarm need to look into that option.

[@graceholland4853]

Hey Travis, can you please tell me where I can get Tree Collards seed from. I always admire the look in your garden, and my family loves collards. I always plant Georgia collards

[@LazyDogFarm]

Not sure. I've never grown "Tree Collards." We always plant the Flash variety.

[@almostoily7541]

Tree collards are usually sold as cuttings. I bought purple ones from Etsy. I know someone who bought some from eBay. After they get established you can take cuttings and expand your crop as much as you like.

[@francostacy7675]

I have two raised beds that I built. Two feet high and 4 feet wide and 8 feet long. I’m curious if you have done any measuring in how much water you use for your above ground as you do inground? For me, my raised beds require more water. My in ground I use mulch, grass clippings homemade, compost, and weed fabric and I do not till my ground but my above ground I use mulch but it still requires more water, a lot more. Not sure if the benefits are any greater other than weed control and the height saves my backs and knees…. Between the extra water, and the more difficulty irrigating and the resources of the materials that you buy or build you raise beds with, and then the materials if he decided to reclaim the land, it seems like Ray’s beds require a lot more resources , which then hurts your cost if you’re the type to be concerned, more resources on planet earth

[@LazyDogFarm]

They do require more water, but I think that mostly has to do with the soil consistency.

[@wwsuwannee7993]

I agree with everything you said, with one exception. You did not address the wood chip base of your raised bed area. I leave enough space between my beds to get a mower around them and just let the grass be. This eliminates the need for the extra expense, and also eliminates weeding of the wood chip base. Just mow around them and weed whack if if need be...much cheaper...much simpler...much better looking.

[@LazyDogFarm]

After weed-eating ponds for days on end while working at a golf course in college, I now try to minimize my time on the weed-eater. lol

[@wwsuwannee7993]

I feel the same way about waffles :)@@LazyDogFarm

[@hacc220able]

My garden is next to an older growth wood/nature preserve. My raised garden space would be within 10 feet of this wooded lot. In the past, my raised beds in this area soon had a lot of root material coming in through the bottom of the raised bed and had to be cut out every 2 to 3 years. Is there any way to block this root intrusion if I go with the Olle raised bed? Thanks for sharing.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Roots are probably always going to be a problem that close to the woods. If you can't cut the trees, you might have to move the beds.

[@Angela_Alaimo]

Did the recent weather qualify as an Arctic Blast?

[@LazyDogFarm]

For some areas maybe. But not here.

[@RestorationDream]

My comment went missing. I said i wanted your advice about raised beds,i live on a hill in zone 8b. South miss. I am on the spectrum, so i can't afford expensive beds. Do you think i ahould do in ground or raised beds? Thank you. If i could id get the olle blue ones.i love blue. My plotis 40x25 feet.thats in sun the rest is pine trees and stuff. I was going to fence it in from deer. Is this big enough to feed me and my two dogs and a rabbit? I have been so hungry all last year. Food costs too much.

[@LazyDogFarm]

I'd probably go with raised beds.

[@dachsymom5232]

I am interested in these beds. Does anyone know where the beds are made? I can not seem to find that info on their website. USA?

[@LazyDogFarm]

They're made overseas. I think all the metal beds like this are. I don't know of a USA manufacturer of them.

[@LReno-di9cm]

What about water lines in winter?

[@LazyDogFarm]

We don't have to worry about it down here because it doesn't get that cold. But a simple flush valve like we have on our in-ground tubing should solve any issues.

[@Jellett01]

So I didn’t have time to plan far enough ahead and till my area for weed prevention. Would you think placing degradable cardboard down would aid in this?

[@LazyDogFarm]

I think it would certainly help. Better than nothing. And at least the cardboard will decompose.

[@SystemLost]

Where are these beds manufactured?

[@LazyDogFarm]

Olle Gardens is headquartered in California, but I believe the beds are made in China.

[@ahabthecrab]

Your raised bed garden is mulched just like mine but I have a horrible problem with those gross stinkhorn mushrooms. They love to grow from the mulch and I have dug up close to 1000 of them since the summer. Have you had issues with these nasty fungi? Do you know if there is anything I can do about them? Ism in Northeast Florida.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Haven't had any of those. We get the basic white mushrooms when it gets wet around here, but that's about it.

[@blueplasma5589]

So many turning overs for a new garden you don,t worry about worm killing?

[@LazyDogFarm]

You can always add worms back after the weed/grass issue is handled.

[@AnenLaylle7023]

I have one raised bed that is 4x8x4. I filled the bottom 3 feet with sticks and it cost me $150 dollars worth of compost and $200 dollars worth of potting mix to fill. With materials one of these beds cost me about $500 dollars. If I were a rich man, I might farm in raised beds, but alas, I am not. I like the Hollis homestead approach better than this one. They grow many of their crops on tables in pots. This has a much lower startup value, and you can reuse the soil for several years. After those several years you can dump the soil onto one of your in ground pots and improve the tilth of your soil. I market garden and grow a lot of plants in containers (coco/compost mix) and after three years of growing three unrelated crops in the soil I dump all the pots onto one of my beds. I have like 20 50ft beds that are all like potting mix now after years of doing this. I don't even have to till anymore. Anyways, that is how I do things. A little less overhead and I'm building my garden soil at the same time.

[@pilsplease7561]

I have 8 raised beds, half of them are 4 feet wide by 10 feet long, the rest are 4 feet by 8 feet and they are a full like 16 inches tall and filled from ground up with good soil

[@bartsexton1652]

How about fire ants has anybody has trouble with them getting into there beds . The reason I’m asking I have ground cover in my greenhouse and it don’t stop the fire ants.

[@LazyDogFarm]

Yeah we do get them from time to time, but only in the corners of the beds.

[@Josef_R]

You keep saying 5/8" mainline, but the company you suggest doesn't have 5/8".

[@LazyDogFarm]

Sorry. Some companies call it 1/2", others call it 5/8". Same thing. Some refer to the inside diameter while others use the outside diameter. It is confusing, and I didn't help. lol

[@Chris-op7yt]

this has to be about aesthetics more than anything else. the total dollars spent on your setup, including the beds themselves, fill material, additional cost to irrigation setup and the amount of hours (multiplied by hourly rate for work) adds up to some pretty significant figures....that you'll never recoup. you could probably buy premium veggies for the rest of your life, with the money spent. talking actual prices for home owners. i still fail to see any reasonable amount of benefit of any kind, that would justify such expenditure in money and time. especially that the raised beds require ongoing top-up with expensive mix, which is required for raised/container growing, as opposed to in ground.

[@LazyDogFarm]

If you grow food in them year round, you can recoup that expense a lot faster than you think -- especially with the price of groceries nowadays. Yes, in-ground gardening is cheaper. But not everyone can easily wrap their head around all that goes into a successful in-ground plot.

[@Chris-op7yt]

@@LazyDogFarm : the complexity only multiplies manyfold when doing raised beds. how much would your entire setup cost initially to a home owner? if the answer is something about starting small, then we're crossing purposes.

[@LazyDogFarm]

@@Chris-op7yt Different folks have different budgets. Believe it or not, I've had quite a few folks locally ask me to come duplicate my setup at their place. I've told them I'm not in the landscaping business, so I just direct them to the videos. lol

[@Chris-op7yt]

@@LazyDogFarm : wow, that much. you have no problem making video about it, and referals. cheers, i understand.

[@kaz1388]

Haha, "multiplied by hourly rate for work". Do you charge yourself for watching TV of an evening? Not everything is for the dollar - sometimes just for love and enjoyment 😊