VermiBag Ep 23 "Making a Raised Bed Garden with Concrete Blocks"

[@ml9633]

Thznk you. Really like your detailed explanation, no blah blah. Plus your in shape at 71. Judt turned 65, your encouraging, cheers :)

[@AllderHouse]

You have the Best videos!! Also, Luv-Luv your website!!!! Thank you for all you do for the viewers.

[@raceface_m2579]

Great! I was thinking of building s traditional wood planter and was reading some comments about people using bricks instead. I like the idea of it being able to expand, move it, and not have to worry about it rotting or termites.

[@eduardochavacano]

had the same thought... Bricks or blocks are the better option then.

[@longsnapper5381]

I recently had a landscaper give me a $4500 bid for a similar bed off of the patio at my dental office. I can dig with the best of them and bet I can do it for a fraction of that. Nice job!Thanks for the video.

[@LunarEquity93]

And using two plastic boxes to sift & separate the dirt away from the rocks that's pretty awesome I'll have to try that

[@produccionesroth]

You gave me an excelent idea.. fast and easy..you can even paint the blocks. Thanks and greetings from Olmué, Chile

[@brentsmith9967]

great idea, iwish you a lot of luck on your gardening and thanks for sharing it.

[@enriqueramos7374]

i love the idea of using hollow blocks for raised bed its almost a lifetime use and not like the woods its get rotten at certain time.

[@peachblossom7508]

Aphids don’t like marigolds so plant them in the holes surrounding your concrete bed and it will deter pests to eat your vegetables before you ! +:) Happy gardening 😊 good therapy :)

[@DigitalENCOM]

Aphids are good for Lady Bugs and Fire Flies, just saying if you want to attract any of those for your chickens. Do you all know what eats those insects? Frogs, Birds, Spiders, and DRAGONFLIES... Why does everyone in the south want to attract Dragonflies? Because we don't like Mosquitoes!

[@NolaGB]

I did a concrete block raised plant/veggie bed, but didn't remove the grass on the bottom. The grass, which was cut as low as possible, died and gave me no problem. Raised beds are wonderful, for me anyway, as I'm 70yo and getting down on the ground just isn't happening. LOL

[@WanderingNature]

That’s right the grass would just die and feed the worms no needs to remove it

[@kqdwills]

@@WanderingNature The grass will indeed just die off. However, dig the grass up and till the soil under the grass layer is better since you will make your raised bed much deeper as the plants ' roots will grow down much easier. When the layer of grass die, they will make a thick layer mat of dried fiber. When plants roots hit this layer, they will grow in circle and horizontal , not vertical, as it supposed to be. Dig up the grass layer, and dig down to till the under layer will help plant roots development, plus you can amend the under layer with fertilize. The grass layer will eventually rot away, but it would take years and the layer underneath stay dense and poor in nutrients,

[@nancywiltshire9919]

Instead of the plastic weed block, you could use cardboard or newspapers. Enrich the soil and keep weeds/grass away.

[@lovelife2186]

Smart

[@christinascleaning]

this is awesome, thank you so much for posting and making this video, I wanted to make a raised bed, and this is such a better way than I was trying to figure out, and I Love that I can plant flowers for pollination in the holes of the blocks! God Bless

[@CoolBreezeAnthony]

I like this a lot. Thanks for sharing your instruction video on a concrete barrier raised garden.

[@LunarEquity93]

Great video and footage I thought about doing this for my garden this year and get a bunch of cinder blocks for it and it sounds like a really good idea 😄😄😄😄

[@armaortiquin]

I LOVE THAT YOU USE YOUR HANDS TO DO THE WORK. VERY NICE VIDEO

[@titofrost958]

Looks like you have good backyard soil

[@DrewVerdin]

Man I would utilize those squares in the bricks to plant my herbs 😉 would make for a nice little border

[@mikeking7470]

I have two block beds one on my driveway and one in the yard. The one in the grass has a lot of earth worms, but I did not use plastic at the base of the bed, that would prevent the worms from moving in and out of the bed.

[@TheSunIsMyDestroyer]

that's kinda cool, the little cut outs in the blocks can be used to grow seeds to be transferred to the bed

[@cherylshipley7258]

Awesome idea!

[@debramurphy4295]

I grow herbs in wholes

[@seekthtruth]

oh ya i didnt think of that

[@4tressfortified]

That is a perfect solution to prevent creatures from nesting in there!

[@lowps5321]

Marcus Estrada dry

[@ThatsWhatWeCallTheGoodLife]

Great video, lots of ideas for us to use

[@maduro169]

I tried exactly what you have there and it worked like a charm and looked great . I started my fall garden no problem . But I live in the deep south I'm talking South East Louisiana .So when the summer came I tried growing tomatoes , zukine and bell peppers. It didn't work the summer heat on the blocks kept the soil to hot . Nothing made it, and watering only made it worst . So this year I'm going to have to go back to 2'' x 12'' wood boards . That fall it looked and worked great .

[@TheMurlocKeeper]

Sorry about the super lateness of this reply - I just found it, lol! What you'd need to do in blistering summer heat is to surround your blocks with something like haybales (or even pull biscuits off it and just cover the brick wall areas with those) You then need to shade your plants from above, with shadecloth, or if you can't get that (it can be expensive) even some stakes with an old bedsheet over it will help. I live in SE Queensland, Australia, so I totally get what it's like. This is what you need to do if you don't want your plants to fry. Keep the roots cool, keep them covered, and keep them watered....and they will survive. :)

[@sandracockrum17]

Thanks, I could sit here all day and watch you be productive! 😁

[@susanarodriguez5710]

😂😁😂😁😂

[@inhibited44]

I had two layers of brick and sandy soil beneath the bricks. It looked great at first, but the walls started leaning because when I dug down the soil couldn't support the bricks. Good job on your part.

[@camilleyounger3443]

Use rebar to stabilize your cinder blocks, cheap fix.

[@Texas-Chris]

I like your digging partner

[@Kiwi403]

Well done. It is all worth it. Like the sound of the birds.

[@chocolate001able]

Ooooh!!! I love this idea. Could plant herbs in the larger pockets of the blocks. Thanks for sharing😍

[@snoopylyn9065]

Wow that’s a huge fat worm 😳!Those bricks are good idea to keep my compost temporarily 👍🏼

[@amandaantoinetteshort946]

It is an Earthworm ... they are worth their weight in gold ... makes your garden soil rich and air-rated ... You are lucky! to have them :)

[@charlietaylor4277]

Nice looking soil!

[@JDavilaDavilaDVP_Productions]

That there my friend is a n earth worm. They live in our soil. and are good for the eco system. Nice video!

[@prettypothos4me290]

I was going to use blocks, but just discovered I have voles in the raised wood beds that I had planned to redo. Now I have to go wood again so I can mount hardware cloth on the bottom.

[@sonastainbrook]

I have the same miserable problem with the shrews, and voles. They wreck havoc on everything I plant with their digging of tunnels. I had to put wire mesh under mine. I ;m looking at block but I would have to make them two tall , using a total of 32 blocks.

[@beebob1279]

Simple solution. Buy 1/2 inch hardware cloth and put it on the ground and then put the block on top of the hardware cloth.

[@Mario7p]

those concrete blocks will be a paradise for snails unless filled with something!

[@joanlizzy9236]

Great idea and demonstration. Am gonna try it, Thanks!

[@beebob1279]

For those of you who worry about reports of cinder blocks leaching chemicals don't. Cinder blocks don't break down like pressure treated wood which can leach chemicals (even though the leachate is only next to the wood). But if you're still worried start collecting field stones as you travel. They are everywhere you look. Use these if you're concerned. They are natural and can look very nice.

[@SQWIB]

The only reason I am replying to this is because it got 9 likes and your information is not accurate and adds to fear mongering. Cinder blocks can leach, however what was used here was concrete blocks, not cinder blocks. Concrete blocks are made using Cement. Cement is made from lime, which is highly caustic and alkaline. PT wood, and Concrete blocks are perfectly safe to use. PT wood 2003 and prior used CCA, the newer stuff after 2003 uses ACQ. (For folks concerned about using PT, here's the time to do your homework) Even if any of these did leach any potentiality hazardous chemicals, the chance that the plant would take up any of these chemicals in "hazardous to health" amounts is near impossible. At the worst, concrete blocks could make the soil that is in close proximity to the block more alkaline and this could be, "less or more", depending on the type of rain in the area and fertilizing/watering methods. Plants that are used for Bioremediation would be the only plants that would take up toxins and heavy metals, like sunflower plants, water hyacinths and black mustard. The only plants that could POSSIBLY be subject to concern would be root crops that would literally need to be planted up against the concrete or PT. So after all this, what should I use... Use whatever works best in your area, you will be fine. I use PT and as Bee Bob suggest, start collecting stones, this is what I use in my front gardens and around some of my fruit trees.

[@momacouscous]

Blocks increase the temperature of the soil, leach, and I'd only grow flowers in a block bed. Non pt bed can be made at an affordable price so replacing it after 3 years is no big deal.

[@beebob1279]

@@momacouscous They don't raise the temperature that much if at all. Think about it. How hot do you think the blocks are going to get? I've picked up block sitting in the sun for hours. They are just as cool as anything else in the yard.

[@mikewong5888]

Smart choice. Cinder blocks are cheap and last forever!

[@clareswares1]

Nice job. I use a weed block FABRIC I have never seen plastic weed block.

[@downbntout]

foo manchu The fabric is plastic.

[@CF-yc2bm]

You have to line the block with plastic otherwise the block will suck the moistute out of the soil. Could never get anything to grow in my block planter until I lined it with plastic. Now its been great for years.

[@CygnusOrb]

I was thinking line with plastic or felt then coconut husk over the plastic to keep it apart from the soil.

[@luismatta1357]

hello i have a concrete raise bed can you tell me why the water is coming from the outside based the raise bed. I don't think i am putting lot of water. advise please. I can send photos so you can tell me what am i doing wrong.

[@scribetechnical]

Good job. It looks very neat.

[@sarathw5740]

Thank you, the best idea ever.

[@blue_moon6490]

Could set out marigolds and geraniums in the brick holes to prevent bugs.

[@71160000]

About a decade ago I built two large raised beds using concrete blocks stacked two high. Filled it in with sand and compost. It grew nice plants but I eventually gave up on it. Why? The concrete blocks allow the soil to dry to rapidly and too much. I would suggest either a sealer on the inside of the blocks or a less draining soil mix. Mine are still there after all the years with one still having large clumps of elephant garlic that seems to thrive on hot and dry conditions there.

[@71160000]

Another suggestion, fill the blocks up with soil or gravel or concrete to prevent weeds from growing from the original ground level making it hard to remove them.

[@YSLRD]

I grow flowers in one with great results.

[@merian_d]

I actually did this instead of using woods because I thought the woods you have to eventually replace, these blocks, they’ll last for years! And I use the small pockets for herbs 😁

[@merian_d]

Oh... But I didn’t use plastic. I used card boards

[@4tressfortified]

The card boards surprisingly hold up well, they prevent weed and are very environmentally friendly.

[@tessdizon8563]

Good job 👍

[@cg7494]

Thanks for sharing. I have a Westie that supervises me on my projects too. I like the idea of using the blocks. You could expand up with wood and delay any rotting of the wood box.

[@commess1]

Looks like what we call an "earthworm". Good for the soil

[@rassley1967]

Best thing to use for Florida weather. Deffinetly will do this.

[@bhagyalaxmisirupuram9046]

Your native soil is really good, beautiful black like compost Where do u live?

[@Iceveign]

Mr. Portelli is correct, remove that plastic...my neighbor made the same mistake and all his vegetables were stunted. Also you absolutely want worms in your growing soil. Worm casting help provide nutrients to your soil. I like this Idea with Cinder Blocks and think I'll do the same as I'm replacing my cedar board raised beds due to deterioration and warping.

[@jksatte]

How long did the cedar boards last? Janice

[@edschneidmuller9496]

the "plastic" he laid down is a woven ground cloth that allows water to pass through.he'll be fine.

[@jerrybenes8625]

Once you find worms you’re suppose to say “ we’ll take a little break now while I go fishing!”

[@juanastellato837]

thank you Sir, I have a large area in my backyard....I am also going to paint it too

[@jacquelyn515]

This is a Great Idea....Don't have to worry about those cider block rotting like wood does...I would use cardboard or black and white newspaper on the bottom instead of that plastic...Plastic will hold in water and will never drain well and also smell after awhile and the roots of your veggies will rot away...That large worm you held is a Blood Worm....My Brother would dig these up and go fishing with them....They are good fish bait...

[@valilucifer9356]

Thanks for the helpful video I'm definitely making a few in my back your😀

[@jophillips2868]

Needs another row of blocks.

[@foojoy6352]

NICE!!! Thanks for sharing. Love the "Helper".

[@bryon5284]

Great work!

[@susanelliott1216]

Where did you get those blocks?. We cant get them here In Washington..not with 3 wholed

[@lillydavi4420]

It looks great I love it I’ll try to do it myself

[@A-V]

1 million views! Nice!!! 👍🏻

[@charlescoker7752]

European Earthworms, are the best soil builders.

[@niky7625]

Molto bello

[@426superbee4]

Only bad thing is should put roofing tin or concert the bottom KEEPS GOPHERS AND MOLES OUT

[@rickster348]

- or metal screen.

[@426superbee4]

@@rickster348 that will work galvanized, or aluminum screen> Plain carbon metal will rust out

[@npast1]

Unfortunately, fly ash is still being added to the concrete and cinder blocks these days, so over the years they will leach cancerous heavy metals into the soil. The also tend to make soil more acidic over time, but that can be easily fixed. Galvanized steel seems like the best choice overall for the raised.

[@ksa4979]

Hi thank you for video, I wonder should we cover all over basement with plastic, because of using less water, and is this not a problem for drenage? thank you

[@downbntout]

This is what worked for me. The cost could be paid a bit at a time. I put 2" thick pavers on top, no hornet nests. Just wish I'd put down rodent barrier first.

[@holaramirez]

Worms air the ground. Good creatures to have in garden

[@ladywovenu]

Great idea

[@rebeccazody1278]

Looks great

[@karren8764]

I'd like to see the flowers in it

[@dreamergirlbaby]

What’s your pick? Wood or Cement Blocks: comment below

[@bridgettewood1713]

How about landscape fabric instead of plastic to dround your plants! So the water can drain properly.

[@desertsnakezerke1042]

Great video, very informative. Thank you.

[@vessmachineen193]

concrete blocks! nice way to use them. we produce concrete block machines if you are interested

[@ss-nu8xx]

Thanks for sharing! Excellent

[@costelsirbu5500]

It is good to have raised bed , but you need more water for plants .

[@QUIETSTORM-xj4ux]

I was looking for a video that showed a single layer of blocks being used. The others I've watched use 2 o 3 stacked. Mine are 8x8x16 what did you use?

[@lifeanin3847]

Чудесная грядка 👍👍👍

[@richardportelli1983]

You should remove the plastic from underneath, all it does is block the roots from travelling deep and prevents soil life and good drainage.

[@vermibagcompostinggardenin5815]

Richard Portelli I wasn’t really sure if I should put it in or not...but you’re probably right....it may be better without...I might pull it out before I plant. It’s simple enough to due right now. Tom

[@richardportelli1983]

VermiBagg Composting Systems you can use newspaper or cardboard as a sheet mulch on top of you want to suppress weeds. Always best to use organic materials that will feed the soil.

[@marymary8019]

Richard Portelli that just i thinking

[@BooneeXCdad]

Shows no understanding of how plants grow.

[@danachernault84]

Eric Roth aaaand here you are again with your worthless comments. What did this guy do to you? Stalker.

[@bbughtiful]

Why is it necessary to put in a landscape liner? Why not just let the roots grow into the ground?

[@vermibagcompostinggardenin5815]

No..it was not necessary...I should have just placed a thick layer of cardboard in the bottom...that would have worked fine and by now it would have decomposed into nice compost ..... live and learn. 😀

[@sashathejamaicangirl8263]

Easy! 😊

[@JoseFlores-xh5cj]

You might want to plant some natural bug/slug/fly repellents on those cinder blocks.

[@silvagool9031]

In Mexico that is used as a deep pit to. BBQ

[@manglagardens]

Great tip good.

[@zahrabidgoli3581]

I made veggie bed exactly like you one week ago but I scared make veggies inside , because when i bought concrete blocks and delivered to us one paper was inside concrete blocks .they wrote can maybe makes cancer.what do you think ?

[@kevinnguyen8612]

You should also fill those holes for strength and additional planting space.

[@murrayzuckerman123]

Great video & info.

[@pauletteclough1002]

Thank you for sharing I will it this way 😘

[@TheSeedsower107]

Great idea here. Can you please tell me what size blocks you used . Thanks

[@zenonk3743]

Good job

[@mikedoingmikethings702]

Makes me wanna move to Florida with that kind of weather you have...

[@simonbridges3835]

Thanks for the video. My only question is; standing breeze blocks straight onto soil? Won't they shift, sink or collapse with time and the onslaught of the elements? Would a solid foundation not be advisable?

[@bigwooly8014]

Not really enough weight to be an issue unless you start stacking higher levels on top.

[@michealnelson5179]

You can anchor with rebar or rod if needed for taller walls

[@user-Mycamping_vegatable9]

Nice.🌷💐🙏🏻

[@OldTimerGarden]

Definitely a perfectionist.

[@Miguel195211]

I am planning on starting a raised vegetable garden. Can I use pressure treated wood safely? Will it lech chemicals and if they do leak, are these chemicals harmful when I eat the vegetables? TIA

[@bigwooly8014]

Most modern treated lumber is treated with copper and IS safe for raised beds. The old stuff was treated with arsenic (I believe) and is highly toxic. I've got one built from treated 1x6 deck boards and it's just fine.

[@charlescoker7752]

Good looking dirt!

[@honeychahal1]

What about drainage?

[@trichairelan9799]

I missed hearing what the narrow blocks are called??

[@qik3300]

I don't see the point of the barrier plastic when the whole point of the raised bed is to give plants access to the unlimited deep earth while having raised soil for the top level "air roots" to have better ground level drainage

[@HeritageFarmsTexas]

Nice job.

[@mikeharrington5593]

Is it worth filling the blocks with builders sand for better moisture retention, especially if topsoil is in limited supply? I would imagine the blocks "wick out" or evaporate a lot of moisture?

[@barbwojciechowski391]

So how do u find out if there is flyash in cement blocks. I live in Minnesota do they use fly ash in making blocks locally