This 1,500lb Self-Watering Raised Bed Is Absolutely Insane
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 มิ.ย. 2018
- Boy do I have a surprise for you! I was messaged on Instagram (go follow / epicgardening if you haven't already) by a company to see if I wanted to test out a bed. Usually I say no to these types of requests, but curiosity got the best of me in this case.
Jim from Eco Garden Systems, the company that makes the raised bed, drove it out on a truck and helped me install this monster. It's a wicking bed that stands at least 4' tall, meaning that you don't have to bend over to work in it!
It holds ~75 gallons of water and ~20 cubic feet of soil, so water usage should be much lower than a traditional raised bed where you top-water, even if you use drip irrigation.
I'm excited to grow in this system for the rest of the year to test it out and demonstrate fundamental gardening concepts for you all.
If you have any questions or suggestions on what to grow, PLEASE leave a comment down below. Your comments are what keep me growing and putting out videos :)
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It's much easier to mix soil by putting all of the components onto a LARGE tarp and raise one corner at a time to tumble it all together from one side of the tarp to the other. The larger the tarp the easier because you can pull a corner over the top and PULL the soil toward you (rather than LIFT the corner) and the mixture gets churned and mixed as you do. Just a little tip. :) Love your videos.
I love gardening and have done so since I was a child (now 68). Bending over has become a major problem and I love raised beds. But I'm still finding it difficult because they are usually on the ground. This one is the granddaddy of all raised beds. But aren't you worried by putting it in front of your garage? Moving this thing looks like a 12 man job.
Try using a tarp for mixing.... will make your mixing 10x easier and more thorough than just a shovel.
that but dug holes my tarp so have carful when do that.
Love this type of system! I have issues with my spine that make it difficult for me to do a lot of bending over or bending down. I have some raised beds but nothing as wonderful as this. Can't wait to see how all of the growing goes.
Awesome Tamara! If you ever want to pick one up, email me at kevin@epicgardening.com - I think I can get a discount for you
Is this type of raised bed still made?
Just put in some sweet raised beds! Can't wait to harvest! Yours looks excellent!!!
Thanks! Good luck w/ your harvests :)
It looks amazing! I'm too short for most raised beds, but I still want to avoid much time on my knees in the garden. Nice!
I have an SIP but its not nearly as beautiful. Mine is lined with black pipes and works sot of like Earth Box. Am going to cover it with green house cloth and wondering if I can still use it in the winter and if so should I continue to water it using the spout and not use the bed at all. Secondly is I have it covered will it freeze in zone 7b.
Omg I love it , how can I get one ?
looks awesome!!
Thanks!
I like the wicking method...but I don’t see a link???
So it has been a year, are you still using this raised bed and why the tubing on the top, thought the point was to water from below?
to be honest i would like to know also but some times i think it depends ion the plant
You have to water from the top in the beginning when the plant is tiny until the roots grow a enough to reach down to the water level.
Holla from Oz.
I'm a shorty looks good though.. wow heavy too
I'd love to see an update on this bed.
Great Video
Thanks my friend, always good to see you!
That sounds like a pretty well thought out raised bed. I say if you have the money , why not. 😊
For sure!
I think wicking beds are cool technology and frankly...I would love to have one. But the cost is WAY too high for the regular gardener. I also think that if the weight is so heavy as to need such support on the base of it...it will never work for the average person's situation. And thirdly I think it is too tall for most of us. Now aren't I a sad sack today! :) P.S. I must admit I was shocked at the affordability when I went to the website. It's still higher than a lot of people can afford...but not in the stratosphere :)
To be fair, I raised it about 1' higher by putting it on pallet and wheels so I can easily move it around my yard. But I hear you, the cost is quite expensive. It earns itself back over time if you're growing intensively in it, and for some the physical stress savings alone might be worth it. I can see it working really well in elderly homes, city projects, etc as well!
Very good points! May I say how much I appreciate your communication! It is one of the strong points of your channel!
I make a point to respond to 99.9% of people. You all humble me by watching me content, the least I can do is respond!
+Dolly....There's a MUCH cheaper and WAY BETTER way to do that. Using SALVAGED materials. Plz contact me at elistarr2222@gmail.com and I'll do my best to get you started. And NO, I'm not some 'internet creep'. I probably have kids older than you....
Start with a wicking pot and go from there.
A wicking bed need not be expensive either.
You can make one with a fire ring, some branches, and peat moss topped with dirt.
About $75 for a 4 footer one including the peat moss. Dirt and branches you can get just about anywhere for free.
If no fire ring, then dig a pit, fill with branches and peat moss, then dirt. It can be that simple and cheap too;\.
I’m surprised you planted tiny pepper seedlings - how did they turn out? Here in Australia we tend to harden off our plants and let them grow around 3-4 inches before planting in full sun/wind.
Worked pretty well!
What I want to know is if you do not do well with hot peppers, why the ultra hot varieties. Yes, I know you can gift them or blend them but my feeling is only plant what you can use and enjoy. If you plan a market garden it is a different thing altogether.
Pretty cool. I wonder if, over time, one would find that the initial cost is worth the saved energy on the body...
What date were those veggies planted? Seeds or started before-hand?
These were transplants, some started from seed and some purchased at a local nursery :)
I have watched (and love) MANY of your videos, and I think you should change your name to "The Barefoot Gardiner"!!! 😁
I know you said it is about 4' height. What about the other dimensions?
Please disregard my question. I found the info on the website. Height: 39″ Width: 50″ Length: 74″ Weight: 233 pounds
If it is a wicking system, why do you need irrigation piping above the soil?
Great to see recycled products used to make it...
Thanks for the review.. 👍😃🌱
You're welcome, thanks for tuning in. Will be more in this bed in the future!
Can you list what the ingredients are for your self watering raised garden?
I'm asking for the potting mix
Any updates?
Where May these be purchased?
Was there a follow up on this?
I've got videos using the bed lately, + more coming!
ooooooo i like!
Me too!
I was interested in this raise before but once I tried to find the PRICE could not find it so am turned off I will look for different system when ready
Their website says it is $995. Definitely one of the most expensive raised beds around.
@@zimmejoc wow! I’ll stick to my homemade self watering sterilite bins!
@@LifeofDayy me too!
That would be a great one for tall like you but for us 5'2 and under it will be to large and high. Great idea especially in area like I live where there really isn't dirt, but sand and forested sail. Not growing friendly.
So thats where those peppers went!
You found out my secret!
Cool
Thanks!
What are the benefits of these Materials , that are recommended in Gardens , container potting gardens, ??
1) *Peat Moss* & *Coconut Coir* and its benefits ?
2) *Top Soil vs Native soil* and its differences and benefits ?
3) *Gypsum* and its Benefits ?
4) *Humates* and its benefits ?
5) *Bio Char_Pot Ash* and its benefits ?
6) *Crushed egg shells_powdered milk* and its benefits ?
7) *Rock Dust* and its benefits ?
8) *Dolomite lime* and its benefits ?
9) *Epsom Salts* and its benefits ?
10) *Kelp and liquid Seaweed* and its benefits ?
11) *Compost* and its benefits ?
12) *Worm compost_Castings* and its benefits ?
13) *Vermiculite_Perlite* and its benefits ?
14) *Manure* (Cattle,Hog,Bat Quano, chicken, fish etc) and its benefits ?
15) *Fungi ammendments* and its benefits ?
16) *Coffee Grounds* and its benefits ?
17) *Sand* vs *Clay* vs *Green Sand* and its benefits ?
18) *Mulch* and its benefits ? (Straw vs wood chips vs Chopped leaves vs Grass clippings vs weeds vs Pine straw vs Bark mulch... etc
19) *Fertilizers* _ *Plant Foods* =Compost Tea / Worm Tea / Leachates / Comfrey Tea / Manure Tea / Weed Tea / Granule Fertilizer / Stick Fertilizers fertilizers / plant foods and their benefits ?
20) *Gravel* vs *Cardboard* vs *Weed control Fabric* and their benefits ?
cheers
These are all amazing ideas for future videos my friend! I added them all to my list.
Each item in your list works according to where and how you do your garden.
Gypsum has sulfur and calcium in it which all plants need to dome degree. It does not alter pH usually.
Drywall is gypsum coated with paper. May contain fire or water retardants or mold retardants.
Chinese drywall contains too much lead.
SKIP the powdered milk. Bad idea.
Lime not needed if soil pH is withing the range the plants you choose need.
Biochar is great but must be added before building your garden. Give soil microbes a nice condo to live in.
Potash is for plant health and disease resistance.
Epsom salts contain sulfur and magnesium and is usually mined. Plants need both of those but amounts depend on the soil test and the plants chosen.
Compost is 'black gold'. It usually contains everything bioavailable for just about any plant.
Kelp seaweed has trace minerals plants need. Same with rock dust. Rock dust may contain lead though. Kelp/seaweed may be radioactive if you get it from certain areas like the Pacific ocean. (Thanks Japan sheesh)
Most manure is high in nitrogen but can include weed seeds.
Ancient Egyptians used to use blood as a fertilizer (sometimes human blood too). Plants do need a little iron.
Fungi amendment and bio amendments. If using native soil it already has *some* in it. Mykos is supposed to be a good additive. The fungus brings in water and minerals to the plant's roots and the plant in turn feeds the fungus carbohydrates. A symbiotic relationship. Trivia: the largest living organism is supposed to be a single fungus in Oregon. It covers 4 square miles, weights 100 tons, and is believed to be 8,000 years old.
PLAIN coffee grounds (USED and not flavored) are a good source of nitrogen and trace minerals. New ones are acidic but used ones are generally pH neutral.
Sand for faster draining and clay for both holding moisture and some minerals. Look up 'sandy loam' and 'clayey loam'.
Mulch - keeps hot sun off the dirt and slow the dirt from drying out. Also keeps many weeds from sprouting and those that do are very easily removed. The sun will evaporate water from the soil VERY QUICKLY. Never have bare soil anywhere.
Fertilizers - good and bad here. Chemical fertilizers (nitrogen component) can burn and kill a plant. They also can sterilize the soil.
But if you can't get organic fertilizer then use chemical ones sparingly. Plants cannot tell the difference between the two except that organic usually won't burn (exception - chicken poop and similar)
All those 'teas' are what you get when you mix in compost or plant material with water. That is usually bioavailable for the plants.
You did not mention Human urine for some reason. 10 parts water to one part of 'clean' urine (meaning no drugs in it). Immediately bio available to the plants. Has most everything any plant needs.
Worm castings are excellent too. They contain what is left over after the bacteria in their system breaks down organic matter. Expensive too.
Gravel reduces evaporation and retards weed sprouting. It can add in trace elements depending on the kind of gravel. It also is heavy and can compact the soil if used on top. Helps drain away excess water if on the bottom.
Cardboard is like a prime steak for us to the worms. They LOVE IT. Good as a short term root/weed block.
Not sure about green sand. Never used it.
But do NOT use 'play sand' (aka silica sand). It is sharp and can cut roots.
Note about Comfrey:
It sends a tap root down nearly 12 feet to draw up minerals and water. Great compost activator and feeding mulch.
A common name for it is 'knit bone'.
Ancient Greeks/Romans used to use it. Some people still do.
It was called knit bone because it could heal a broken bone in 1/3 the time.
Cuts can heal in 24 hours. Too fast sometimes because the skin can heal faster than infection can drain out.
The US FDA only approves it for external use only. The claim is that is can cause cancer and tumors if taken internally.
Some dental remineralizers contain small amounts of comfrey. The claim is that it can heal cavities.
Once comfrey is established (about 2 years from planting), it is dang hard to kill and get rid of. But it can be done.
Bocking 14 seeds are sterile. Heirloom Comfrey seeds have a 20% germination rate at best.
Root/crown cuttings will grow a whole new plant and the original one will still grow.
Cofrey is in the Borage family. Borage can have medicinal uses. Borage is an annual and seeds itself VERY WELL.High germination rate. It is also a honeybee magnet. Bee gets nectar goes to hive returns and nectar is there that quick. Most plants take hours or a day to replenish. Honeybees generally won't eat the pollen from Borage but bumble bees will. Borage attracts beneficial insects.
Borage does not have a deep tap root like comfrey does. Both can be used as a feeding mulch (chop and drop and it provides minerals and nitrogen to plants. Fruit tree farmers sometimes plant it next to their trees)
Hope this answers most of your questions.
What did you need all this information for anyway?
Remember, there is no perfect garden. Just ones that work well if done right.
Cool. To rich for my blood too. But what was the "Willy Wonka looking, crazy hot pepper"?
That's a 'Loco' - really nice ornamental, is edible but the flavor is more PURE HEAT than anything nuanced.
Cost ?????
Oh my Kevin.... You guys need a wheelbarrow /cart and an auger for a drill. Like you said every movement counts. I mean I even seen a girl do this in a kiddie pool and just did the stingray shuffle.... Even that is better than what you're doing right now. Save your back!
It looks nice but it is too high, too expensive and it needs to be on wheels that can be easily moved around. It would have to be something that I can put together myself. My raised beds (Earthboxes) in their stands are 30" high which is perfect for most people. I am short (4'9") and 74 years old. I have peppers and determinate tomatoes in my boxes. The indeterminate tomatoes are in the Earthboxes that are for root vegetables. If they were any taller I would need a ladder to get to the top. My sugar snap peas I need a stool to get to the top :) WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for demonstrating it. You do an awesome job. Thanks again.
Hahaha, my grandma is the same way (4'11"). Earthboxes are pretty awesome though...would love to see them!
I would post a picture if I knew how. P.S. I used to be 4'10" :)
@@barbaradumler6503 dangit. That means I will get shorter as I get older....
@@crazysquirrel9425 :)
Hi youtube. I was trying to look at the vid creatore when the que insisted onscreen instead of giving me theoption to come baqck to it
1500 pounds isn't that much. We built a hugelgarden. Took 5 1/2 months (by hand) and a whopping 17 TONS of material. And ours is not a big one either.
Whoa! Amazing. Love that growing method
@@epicgardening Too bad I can't upload some pictures. About 1/2 GB of them!
We built it about 1/2 the height of what was required. Used very little logs but used wood chips to make up for the deficiency. 4 TONS of that material was used coffee grounds alone!
Bad thing is that it hot composted and soil tems were a whopping 130F just 4-6 inches below the surface. I can only imagine hot hot the center of the hugelgarden got. Stayed that way nearly a year too.
Baked potatoes anyone? lol (Yes I planted them too not knowing that it would get that hot)
But the weeds LOVED all that heat for some reason.
This year no hot composting!
But now we get far too much rain. So much that the hugelgarden is completely saturated. We just got 4 INCHES of rain in less than 1 day. More on the way too over the next 4 days. At least plants aren't sitting in water only and the moisture will drain away slowly. Wood and chips soaked up all they can hold. Should buy me some no watering time next month or maybe longer.
Oh and my Hugelgarden shrank 35% in one year too. That is to be expected on a new build.
I am considering adding some DIY OLLAS on the top later on and a water reservoir to keep them filled automatically.
Depends on if we get regular rain this year.
I have nearly 500 gallons of rainwater in tanks too.
And a well for backup.
Note: never use tap water on your garden. It can kill beneficial bacteria and beneficial fungus.
Most cities and such add ammonia to the chlorine and the mix is deadly to soil life and fish.
Who know what it does INSIDE you.
Some add fluoride too. That is also BAD stuff (poisonous).
Want a cheaper hugel?
Get a horse watering tank (oval preferred). Make sure the drain is open in the bottom or make a 2" to 3" drain hole.
Fill 1/3 to 1/2 with oldest rotten wood you can find except walnut and a scant few others. Maple is the gold standard! PERFECT STUFF unless you want a very long life then use a decent hardwood (again with a few exceptions).
Toss in leaves, branches, sticks if you can. Lawn clippings so long as they haven't been treated wit any chemicals).
Preferred is an assortment of types of woody material both in size and species. Rots at different rates.
Just leave 8"-12" of good soil on top for the plants.
Less or no bending, less watering, easier harvesting, less critters getting in, etc. But a banquet table for deer though....
Takes 1 year for it to situate itself. But you *can* plant things right away (just not taters lol)
You can buy a 4 foot 'fire ring' as most hardware stores for around $50.
Has no bottom. Just a 12" or a little taller metal 'ring' that people build fires in. Stackable if you want to make it that way.
Set it in the ground. Dig down if you want it to work well. Fill as described above. Deeper the better as when it rains, it acts like a water storage area much like a saucer under a pot.
You do not have to dig at all if you do not want to then you would either have a raised bed garden or a hugelbeet instead of a hugel garden. But with no storage area for excess water.
You could plant up to 3 tomato plants or some combination of plants.
Toss in an OLLAS in the middle (real ones cost about $35 and up) and watch things grow like crazy. DIY ones cost between $8 and $16 plus adhesive cost. Maybe $20 to make one. I made 6 for $60 and still have adhesive left over.
Ollas (pronounced OH Yas) have been used over 4,000 years! Various types around the world too.
The fire ring is not very tall but works very well for melons, strawberries, all sorts of things.
Nice thing about fire rings is you can remove them and put them elsewhere if you have to.
Fire ring gardens would be a feed table for goats. You have been warned!
Oh and do not forget wood chips as mulch. Store bought ones are chemically treated and BAD.
4" to 6" of wood chips is recommended. Look to your local yard waste dropoff where you live.
New or raw wood chips won't draw down nitrogen if only on top. And if you make a pathway out of them, less or no weeds there either.
Everything should be OMRI stamped or rated.
Interesting tidbit: organic Humus (OMRI RATED and read the bag carefully - Scotts (sold under walmart Earth Gro) says organic but if you READ the bag it says not for organic gardening, can last a whopping 1,000 YEARS!
You put OMRI rated Organic Humus on top of the wood but below the soil. Don't mix it in to the soil!
And never use it for trees. The trees will not send roots out past the humus - it is that good.
Result: trees can fall over in a strong wind.
Hope this helps everyone.
PS look up floating gardens. Some cultures (Mayans for example - nice story about them too) make rafts that float on the water. They top them with aged manure and plant them. Then tow them out to the middle of a pond or lake & anchor in place (but NOT a river).
Most insects will not cross open water. Most critters won't swim out to eat.
Perfect sub irrigation system (pond water is clean, fish pee or etc, minerals, oxygenated...)
Harvest time just take a boat out or tow it back in. Oh and NO WATERING NEEDED!
Yikes that’s like a pool table weight and size.
It's definitely a "put it in a spot and don't move it" type of bed!
so irrigation came bed saw top? do fill like rain barrow or as water goes black layer fill tank with water used from water can. like when water baby plants use little bite water till get big. all extra water tank by time fill tank up. plants big have roots get stuff?
Btw vermiculite should be always be mixed with a mask, unless you like lung cancer :(. Better safe than sorry
Expensive😶😐😓😔
Over 1650.00 $$$$ can buy a lot of food .. a real farmer would shake his head at this rip off . If I got it free LIKE U OK ,,BUT NO THANKS I'M NOT A MILLIONAIRE ..
We all have our own amount of $ that is 'too much' - I have plenty of videos on free and DIY beds too :)
I live in the desert and we have horrible Rocky soil this bed would be great for someone like me who lives in the desert. Also being older with old physical injuries the height would work well for us. I will be looking into buying this we will save water because of the wicking beds and most of the critters will stay out of it.
Yeah, someone in your situation is the EXACT type of person I could see this being valuable for as a home gardener. Let me know if you end up getting one!
@@blissfulacresoffgridhomest2098 look into making or buying some Ollas.....saves up to 90% of the water you need.
@@crazysquirrel9425 That's a great idea As most of my gardening will be container gardening. We've also started using a small kiddie pool with potted plants in the pool. So far that is working too. Our fruit trees are in the ground finally. We are hand watering them, maybe a few Ollas here as well?
Too tall for me.
"Water is about 8.3 pounds per gallon" or in the normal world. 1kg per 1 litre.
That’s the most ridiculous cost and complicated wicking bed. I would never purchase this! I do wicking bed made easy and more cost effective than this contraption!
It's ugly as sin.
"Water is 8.3 pounds per gallon" lol. Water is 1 kilogram per litre. Be sensible, use the metric system.
Oh trust me, I know the metric system is better. But most of my audience is in the USA ;)
I hate the metric system. Too hard to convert from US to metric.
that's the imperial system's fault 😭@@crazysquirrel9425