You are awesome!!! I have so many dreams that were tabled after my husband of 23 years left me and our 14 year old. The fact that I am a 55 year old female with no skills at all, had left me feeling vulnerable and incapable. I want you to know, your enthusiasm, ingenuity, and skillful talents, which you kindly share, are inspiring and you fill me with hope that I too can accomplish many of the tasks that you are teaching. I hope you know you are making a difference as I see your accomplishments and I really needed to see someone whose independent nature and ingenuity could tackle big projects. Thank you so Much.
I have been where you are, and I am so sorry that you and your child experienced that. After my divorce, I ran across the Ana-White site, and even though it had never even crossed my mind before, I began building furniture for my home! It is incredibly therapeutic, and the sense of accomplishment that you get when you stand back and look at what you’ve achieved makes it absolutely worth it. Wishing you all the best...
@@AprilWilkerson Thank you so much April. I have a certain philosophy, that helps me to see the bigger picture, it is that, "everything happens for a reason.". My experiences have made me completely reliant upon God. I see God's hand in everything. My Ex was abusive on all levels. God knew I would never leave him; so God made him leave me. It has been hard and difficult, on all levels, but I have learned so much. I learned a lot about the importance of healthy boundaries. I've learned to stick up for my daughter and myself. I also learned, if any person abuses you, they are unworthy of your love. I still get scared from time to time, but I get up every morning and care for my family and my chickens, and I work hard every day around my old home trying to fix the things that need repair. I hope and pray God blesses you for your kind and compassionate nature. People like you are a beacon of hope in a tired and over stressed world. May God's love be ever present in your life. May you never know what it feels like to Love in vain and may you always know peace, health, happiness and compassion💖Amen💖
@@NubianP6 That is so Awesome💖 I find that hard physical labour that I exert when I make household repairs is very therapeutic for me as well. I am glad you have found such a productive outlet. I hope you also make lots of money through the craft you enjoy. Thank you so much for your compassion and kind encouragement that you have shown me. God Bless you and keep you safe, happy and filled with inner peace. Thank you💖😍💖
@@catshoebags248 Thank you so much for taking time to share such a Lovely and generous hope with me. I hope your life is filled with the best that God has to give. You are so kind to send such sweet hopes my way. I was feeling so low the day I shared this information. It is people like you and the other kind people who showed such compassion that make our world a good place be. May God bless you and those you love in every way imaginableü. Thanks again for the encouragement.Amen💖
Protip: grow honeysuckle vines on your walls of the garden to encourage pollinators and to have sweet little treats in your garden. Bees love honeysuckle and it smells amazing.
Asian winged beans, they are a perennial taste really good, and grow beautiful flowers and frilly beans!! www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/beans/asian-beans/urizun-japanese-winged-bean
Alternatively, depending on you climate or plant choices, honeysuckle, wisteria and other vine perennials can be trained to grow along the top end of the fence. Add butterfly bushes in the four corners. They are deer proof and easy to grow. Great project thus far. Will you be using a gravity fed drip irrigation system to hero plants moist and minimizing evaporation losses?
I absolutely love this enclosed raised bed garden! I especially love that it can be moved, expanded or made smaller! This build is brilliant and magical all in one! It would be awesome to see it at full swing and full of green lush plants!
Thanks April, Patrick from north Idaho where the “deer and the antelope” eat everything...including rhubarb! Several features I loved about your project: 1) high walls and screened for animal prevention, 2) properly treated lumber so durability with no toxins into the food, 3) connectable pieces so that you can expand, change configuration and shrink as needed. Finally I realized that with just a few modifications I could enclose the whole system with a bit of full spectrum corrugated sun panels and actually re-purpose the garden idea to a fully functional green house. You are an amazing builder...and I have to say...very covetous shop!!! Thanks from your garden fans!
I was thinking the same thing! This would make a great green house alternative and hold up better in the wind. One day I'll have the skills to do it lol
I feel like slowly April is just teaching us how to be self sufficient and live off the grid. Cool video as always, would love to have an update once stuff starts growing.
@@monkeychicken27 gee thanks ever so much for correcting and educating me. So, just to make sure I have this straight.. All people that dont use Electricity to grow their vegetables are "off grid".? I gues the tools and shop she used dont count either? I have a lot to learn.
Nick Stefanyshin This is the first video of hers I’ve seen. I don’t see anything from her saying she’s off grid, did I miss it? We’re off grid and about an hour from Lowe’s, and they delivered or flooring and ceiling.
This would make amazing "accessible" gardening for seniors/disabled as long as you keep enough space under for wheelchair access. Love this concept! Thanks for sharing.
A cement foundation with thick mats and handrails would help too. There's a nearby high school that repurposed their tennis courts into a container garden with huge rain barrels in each corner.
Wow, I do many projects around the house and looking for a raised garden for my backyard I came across your video. My mouth is still open... and I don't get impressed so easily... YOu are intelligent, creative, a truly go-getter young woman!!! You got yourself a new subscriber!!!
Literally the best raised beds I've seen. I would never of thought about using metal roofing material but it makes the most sense. It will reduce rot on the wood base and make the unit much lighter if needed to move. Only one thing is I'm pretty sure deer are going to jump that when their hungry.
Deer are skilled at jumping, but this garden is safe. The fence is high enough. And deer won't jump when they see that they don't have a safe place to land.
@@idontthinkso666 Don't get me wrong, I really like April's design and you may be right as your deer are smaller. But I've seen 8 foot tall wrought iron, arrow tipped fence with deer hair hanging from it. When deer are hungry the do stupid really well. Cheers!
: ) Haha! Well don't be too envious yet....I figured out how to build the garden but now I have to figure out gardening. I might be horrible and not be able to get anything to grow!
@@AprilWilkerson , I've been a fan of your channel for years, starting with your small shop projects (I was envious of your shop even then) and now look at what you've accomplished and the enormity of your shop & projects! I doubt gardening will throw you too many curveballs. I look forward to seeing the progress.
Beautiful work! I did learn back in the 80's when I lived in Montana why ranchers had 15' to 20' tall fences around their feed storage yards because of the deer that can jump over 10' fences. I was in shock when I heard this.
Thats not overboard, thats brilliant! This looks great already and it will look glorious once its filled with plants. And you could even put some canvas on top as sun protection when needed!
@@AprilWilkerson yeah, any plants that are partial sun to full shade will need something. Full sun plants to the south side and shade the northern side. I still like the idea of a future upgrade to green-house panels, screened ventilation for fresh air and to keep out floating seeds of weeds- etc., and if enclosed, a bee hive or two for pollination and Honey.
Every time I watch one of your videos I learn something incredible. Your and husband our truly awesome this is what my wife and I are going to build in our field. At the end of our field we have a cold spring that runs year around . This build will be perfect for us. Thank you
Haven’t seen such a wonderful and highly professional garden myself in my life. Can’t wait to order this work. She is just awesome and big thanks to Lowe’s.
Oh, that is glorious. I want to do this when I get into my own home. I've got mobility problems and bending to garden would be painful, so raised beds like these would be amazing. They look so good!!
If you are confined to a mobility scooter or wheelchair, these could be built with a diagonal undercut slanted service side walls, so that yo can maybe get your chair or scooter in closer to reach easier. Additionally, individual 4x4 beds with 2-3 foot gaps between then would help with mobility access. As my body deteriorates, I look at options to make things accessible from my scooter for when I am more or less confined to it in the future.
When I build my 12' x 22' C-shaped raised-bed garden I was not only concerned with the potential of whatever the pressure-treatment chemicals might do, but also the wood being wet all of the time. My solution was to line them with Delta MS foundation wrap to keep the wood from direct soil contact but also to allow airflow around the lumber.
who would put a thumbs down for this very inspiring video, my husband & I have a construction company ... this lady rocks with skills!!! & very organized too would hire in a minute 🔨🧰🪚 you rock April ! thanks for this awesome video & supply list ~ jill
I started a business, "Adams Garden of Eating" back in 1997 with Organic pesto and a pasta Line called,"Think of the Pastabilities". Right in the middle of startup, my mother suddenly passed away and my father needed care for 3 and 1/2 years. Needless to say my business fell by the wayside and after he passed away my health began to decline, so the name is out there.😊
This is such a beautiful project and video. Music, talkthrough, everything is just perfect. Will you keep updating how the garden goes? Id love to see the progression of plants growing, the raspberry plants and such. Beautiful
Wow nice I'm jealous. When building my raised beds with PT, I struggled with the fact that none of the PT was the same width. Not fun to rip this stuff on a lower powered TS. Perhaps Lowes is better than Home Depot in that regard. Each bed is the height of a seat so I can sit while weeding. I opted to have the bottom be the earth itself and put wire mesh on the bottom to keep burrowing critters from coming up from below. This also works well to allow earth worms to enter and leave as they'd like. In each garden, I partially bury a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled in it for my red wiggler worms. Dinner veg scraps, offcuts, and weeds go in there with layers of shreddings of paper bags or cardboard for bedding. Every spring I get an amazing "harvest" of worm castings to use in plantings. The worms aerate the soil around the tower. I also lined the inside of the bed with aquaponics plastic and wonder if that trapped heat and moisture. I think if I did it again, I'd try using a 1/4" drainage board material (like for siding rainscreen walls) and a layer of landscape fabric to separate it from the soil. The concept is similar to those fabric pots people love that causes the air pruning of roots. Good luck looks amazing. I desperately need fencing for the family of groundhogs living under my shed who eat for free.
I too live in an area infested with deer and we just built an enclosed, raised bed garden over the summer. This will be our first growing season since our last garden fence was destroyed in 2013. I’m so excited!!!
“Eden” would be a good name I think it is perfectly brilliant. I would just like one bed like this that I could sit at. I’m partially disabled and also don’t have a garden per say just grass and as I live in a rental a raised bed would be removable. Great job
What a very thought out garden. I love the huge doors, high fence and ease of accessing all planters. “April’s Whitetail Tease” is the name I thought of. They can only smell what they can’t have...
How nice, to have a work space like that to create. I'm having a hard time enjoying your video, because I'm too busy trying to control my envy. 😔 Awesome job👍
I was thinking that too. And easier to control birds dropping weed seeds or eating your harvest. Put a bee hive or two in there and you shouldn't have to go around with q-tips cross-polinating the plants. Bonus...Honey As well.
I am a ex truck driver who is permanently disabled. This inspires me to make a SMALL garden of my own. Living in South Carolina we are accustomed to the local wild life and they are many.. So this design will be incorporated in my small greenhouse build.. Thank you so much for the inspiration..
April, in my experience the staples you use to keep the plastic in place rust out in 23 minutes and leave two fine holes that create nice circular bits of rotted wood. Most of the time you do not really need them and when you do a dab of adhesive (one that does not eat the plastic) is better.
Fantastic build. I'm working on my garden this year and will be doing more; this is good inspiration. I love the modular and scalable design. Since I recently watched your deck series, I'm glad to see nothing changed about your definition of "going overboard". You do you! Aside from that, it is a very Texan thing how much your outfits changed between shots (from a heavy coat to shorts and a t shirt). I could not help but lol.
It was a lot then and would be a lot more now for sure. But unfortunately, as a woodworker, I have to have material so I'm stuck. No, contrary to popular belief, I do not get it free. I buy my plywood and 2 x 4's just like everyone else. Thanks for watching.
As someone who's been battling blackberries for years...stay completely on top of them or you're gunna have a large chore on your hands. amazing gorgeous garden!
Due to our area's wildlife, we would need a double layer of cement blocks (bottom half in dirt) surrounding the planters. Also, the top would require heavy duty fencing wire to keep mountain lions from jumping inside. Years ago a neighbor thought some teenager had snuck into his backyard pool. Turned out to be a good size mountain lion. He claims he nearly choked on his coffee when he saw it from his kitchen window. Keep up with your videos. Thank you.
@@spaceheavy1 the mountain lions are attracted by the deer, rabbits, raccoons, ducks, coyotes, etc. that also live in the area. Lately, the Wild Animal Park Zoo in Escondido, California are using non-lethal means to keep mountain lions out.
No need to envy, if you have followed April for a long time or even review her video history, you would find that she didnt know a lot about it in the beginning. She learned as she went, you can too. Good luck on your future projects.
@@welderman1221 What's so special about the woodwork in this video ? Except for the fact that she had to do a lot of the same unit, which simply require a lot of space, this is very basic assembly.
@@furrane all tricky stuff was handled on planning stage (not shown), woodworking wise it is big but simple project (of course simple for owner of right equipment)
@@paveloleynikov4715 Yes indeed she did a great job planning it all with sketchup, but I don't include 3d modeling as woodwork, you can easily do the same with a pen and paper, especially for a simple project like this one. As far as hardware goes, you could do the same with a simple woodsaw, it would take just that much more time.
I grow my raspberries (similar habit) within a big cage and they do require real tending to keep them in control. Every year I'm clearing my walkways through the cage during the entire season. It is a chore I could do without. I grow strawberries in the same cage and the walkway between is a battle between the two, but the strawberries are so much easier to contain.
You are seriously amazing! I love everything you do. Thank you for sharing! I'm a gardener and woodworker and made my own planter boxes. I don't have much land, so my boxes are nowhere near as large as yours. Your project is my dream! Great job!
Omg im in love with this build. I wish I could do THAT!! I dug up a area 6'x12' last summer to do my garden. This yeah I plan to expand it 12.5' more feet. Need more space to plant stuff..lol I had big plans...lol
I totally agree with planning/drawing out your build virtually before you build it. My husband drew our house in that program you mentioned with ALL the details, so that when spring came we could just start building. It also gave us a huge advantage when figuring out the cost of the build (which the bank needed so we could take a loan) because we knew 100% what we needed to build the house 🙂
All I can say is 🤤❤️🤤 awesome setup! My husband gave me a garden for Christmas..... well... a fund for me to build my dream garden. I am the same as you in that I build all my own projects on my own for the most part. Last year I built my chicken coop (the chick mahal) this year a garden similar but a little different than yours, and next year my greenhouse (I saved all my old windows when we remodeled our house so I will have a glass greenhouse)
Wonderful space! I might suggest putting a small bench/work table for seedlings and repotting, as well as a covered area for tool storage. Can’t wait to see the garden flourish.
I love your design, there's only one thing I have started doing differently after having a few different gardens at the different houses I've lived at over time and that's having a small 12"-18" perimeter bed all the way around 2" outside of the main raised beds. The main reason is to grow beans, peas, and squash (that climb) or grapes, kiwi, or hops up the sides of the fence all the way around. It just makes picking the climbing plants all that easier and maximizes use of the space instead of having to reach all the way over the outer beds to pick your peas/beans/grapes etc. Really slick design and it's beautiful! can't wait to see it grow
You should dress your planted beds with a couple inches of straw or mulch to retain moisture in your soil. The automatic watering system is nice but it’ll save water and create healthier soil with a biodegradable mulch. I’ve used paper bags, straw and commercial garden mulch.
As a deterrant against small animals going under the doors, cut a section of your fencing to fit each door. Leave a "spike" of the fencing on the bottom of the section that will almost scrape against the ground.
My husband and I basically had the idea of dismantling our pool deck after we got rid of the pool. We kept the frame only and enclosed it with chicken wire and cheap pea netting. We have a 2 1/2 surround boxes and a large square in the middle. Its 14 x 16 ft and so far I like it. Between the door on each side we also put in boxes for a herb garden and asparagus bed. So far I love it. We used what we had, its super sturdy and was cheap. Next year I want to continue building to it by putting in various shelves.
OMG April this is amazing! I would love to do a collab with you in starting some seeds since you are in the same hardiness zone as us. Thanks for sharing
@@temujinkhan6326 She's in the garden bed, pulling, and he's stapling from the inside. Then when she's spraying (with a highly inefficient sprayer, btw) from the inside, she's definitely spraying the mesh on the inside.
Very nice...you and many others who makes these videos of growing your/our own veggies/food, tells us how the world should be in the future. Not only because of the virus these days, but as many did years behind us, we should all have a greenhouse, raised beds, to get closer to make our own stuff....to get a better life...thank you.....all the best from Denmark/Europe...Thomas
Something really effective is using a solid piece of sheet metal or wood around the top 18-24" that the raccoons can't climb. We used this trick to keep foxes out of a hen yard.
I was thinking that big open space in the center was perfect for a greenhouse and small tool shed. I've considered doing something similar to this around a greenhouse/sunshed, but the material costs are prohibitive.
That’s exactly what I was thinking. It would be easy to make it so the sides are roll-up-able and the top has vents or can be removed in summer. Like a really cool high tunnel.
I will definitely look at doing something like this when we move into our new home in a few months. Maybe not as big but I like it. And it would be better on our backs lol.
Right away, I could see that the deer can still get the foliage from through the fence. If you put the fencing a little further out any tomato vines or anything full would still be safe
were you thinking about throwing a fence lining for the "roof" to keep out birds and such? could even run some guttering along the perimeter of the roof to connect to your water collection? just a thought.
she used a pretty open grate for the outside, so any small birds can easily go through that way. If you have a bird problem, you easily could do that if you also incorporate a smaller mesh on the sides.
"The Fortress of Fertility" was the first thing that came to my mind. Also, check out Charles Dowding's channel on gardening because he's a master at gardening in general but also small space planting. You'll learn so much from him! Good luck!
Love the enclosed garden. My wife is asking for a “plant wall” on the side of our house where there is a narrow walkway and would like to see how you would tackle that. Just an idea for a future video.
How about the “Alaskan” garden... because it’s bigger than Texas!!! lol I plan on using this concept when I retire to Alaska in 3 years!!! Thank you!!!
got a name for your raised garden bed yet!!! thank you for the idea of building these as i am part of a Men's Shed and we have a massive space to now be able to have a community garden in which we would be able to maintain as we have a lot of people who could benefit from this, the team is going to love making this in the future and will have to send you some pictures when we get it all built and set up. Once again April, you are an inspiration to so many people, keep it up and we will see you on what ever you build next! ( had to put your line in it)
Major envy after watching this, your workshop is bigger than my house! Here's me excited about my medium vegepod and the fact I made a planter out of an old pallet. Life goals right there!
I just found this video today-first time I've seen anything by you. I am amazed-you are SUCH a talented woman-what a great example you are for young women today! I just love this walk in garden-it's fantastic!
You've done it again - that is fabulous! I can't wait to see how it comes together when all your plants are growing. Well done, April! High five, girl. ;)
April when stretching the fencing, sandwich the wire between 2x4s then apply tension by attaching chain, rope, cable etc. and pulling with your tractor, a come-along, block and tackle attached to an anchor point, etc. it puts consistent tension on the fencing top to bottom and frees up your hands.
I love this idea. I have a problem here though in that we get over 60"of rain annually. Do you think I could do the sides of the planters out of galvanized corrugated material or something else besides wood?
In Australia we'd usually place garden beds like these directly on the ground. Just wondering what the benefit of lifting them off the ground is? Seems like a lot more work, and the metal sheets won't last forever.
I imagine the benefits are that 1) animals that dig wont be able to reach it since its off the ground, 2) like the other person said, its easier on a bad back, 3) being higher gives it better angles to reach sunlight whilst laying against a tall wall, 4) you can see it from far away, honestly not a huge benefit but why not? lol.
I agree with you, Larena. Others, I believe she means why not build the boxes open to the earth below. That's what I would/do do. That way beneficial organisms can also more readily exist in the soil. Only positive is burrowing animals will not get in if they make it past the outer fence. For mine, I would bury chicken wire/hardware cloth at the main border.
Nicest raised garden set up Ive seen. When youre pulling fence like that, if you have a few inches extra at the end, sandwich it between to 2x4s with screws and use pry bars against the last post to pull it tight.
April: an additional item to consider, pvc rafters to allow for plastic roof and sides to allow for year round gardening. Since it could be easily converted to a green house in the colder months.
That would also help keep the deer out. Might be a different kind of deer, but the ones around here would be able to get over that fence (it looked to be about 8 ft, and some of them can clear a 12ft fence)
![ปฏิเสธไม่ไหว (Crush on you) - LIPTA feat. No One Else [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NBw1jF342vw/mqdefault.jpg)
You are awesome!!! I have so many dreams that were tabled after my husband of 23 years left me and our 14 year old. The fact that I am a 55 year old female with no skills at all, had left me feeling vulnerable and incapable. I want you to know, your enthusiasm, ingenuity, and skillful talents, which you kindly share, are inspiring and you fill me with hope that I too can accomplish many of the tasks that you are teaching. I hope you know you are making a difference as I see your accomplishments and I really needed to see someone whose independent nature and ingenuity could tackle big projects. Thank you so Much.
I have been where you are, and I am so sorry that you and your child experienced that. After my divorce, I ran across the Ana-White site, and even though it had never even crossed my mind before, I began building furniture for my home! It is incredibly therapeutic, and the sense of accomplishment that you get when you stand back and look at what you’ve achieved makes it absolutely worth it. Wishing you all the best...
Thank you for your kind words. I'm sorry for what you're going through. Best of luck in all you pursue. Find a passion and chase after it.
@@AprilWilkerson Thank you so much April. I have a certain philosophy, that helps me to see the bigger picture, it is that, "everything happens for a reason.". My experiences have made me completely reliant upon God. I see God's hand in everything. My Ex was abusive on all levels. God knew I would never leave him; so God made him leave me. It has been hard and difficult, on all levels, but I have learned so much.
I learned a lot about the importance of healthy boundaries. I've learned to stick up for my daughter and myself. I also learned, if any person abuses you, they are unworthy of your love. I still get scared from time to time, but I get up every morning and care for my family and my chickens, and I work hard every day around my old home trying to fix the things that need repair.
I hope and pray God blesses you for your kind and compassionate nature. People like you are a beacon of hope in a tired and over stressed world. May God's love be ever present in your life. May you never know what it feels like to Love in vain and may you always know peace, health, happiness and compassion💖Amen💖
@@NubianP6 That is so Awesome💖 I find that hard physical labour that I exert when I make household repairs is very therapeutic for me as well. I am glad you have found such a productive outlet. I hope you also make lots of money through the craft you enjoy.
Thank you so much for your compassion and kind encouragement that you have shown me. God Bless you and keep you safe, happy and filled with inner peace.
Thank you💖😍💖
@@catshoebags248 Thank you so much for taking time to share such a Lovely and generous hope with me. I hope your life is filled with the best that God has to give. You are so kind to send such sweet hopes my way. I was feeling so low the day I shared this information. It is people like you and the other kind people who showed such compassion that make our world a good place be.
May God bless you and those you love in every way imaginableü. Thanks again for the encouragement.Amen💖
Protip: grow honeysuckle vines on your walls of the garden to encourage pollinators and to have sweet little treats in your garden. Bees love honeysuckle and it smells amazing.
Asian winged beans, they are a perennial taste really good, and grow beautiful flowers and frilly beans!!
www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/beans/asian-beans/urizun-japanese-winged-bean
that would just encourage deers to eat it duh
@@pamelabratton2501 On that page it says it only flowers before frost
@@TheBombson Just build a second fence, set back a foot from the outer one.
Alternatively, depending on you climate or plant choices, honeysuckle, wisteria and other vine perennials can be trained to grow along the top end of the fence. Add butterfly bushes in the four corners. They are deer proof and easy to grow. Great project thus far. Will you be using a gravity fed drip irrigation system to hero plants moist and minimizing evaporation losses?
I absolutely love this enclosed raised bed garden! I especially love that it can be moved, expanded or made smaller! This build is brilliant and magical all in one! It would be awesome to see it at full swing and full of green lush plants!
Thanks April,
Patrick from north Idaho where the “deer and the antelope” eat everything...including rhubarb! Several features I loved about your project: 1) high walls and screened for animal prevention, 2) properly treated lumber so durability with no toxins into the food, 3) connectable pieces so that you can expand, change configuration and shrink as needed. Finally I realized that with just a few modifications I could enclose the whole system with a bit of full spectrum corrugated sun panels and actually re-purpose the garden idea to a fully functional green house. You are an amazing builder...and I have to say...very covetous shop!!! Thanks from your garden fans!
I was thinking the same thing! This would make a great green house alternative and hold up better in the wind. One day I'll have the skills to do it lol
I feel like slowly April is just teaching us how to be self sufficient and live off the grid. Cool video as always, would love to have an update once stuff starts growing.
Off the grid but within range of Lowes right
Yeah, she is amlong waymaway from being off the grisd.
Off-grid, just means not reliant on the public power services. In no way does it have to be primitive or disconnected from society.
@@monkeychicken27 gee thanks ever so much for correcting and educating me.
So, just to make sure I have this straight.. All people that dont use Electricity to grow their vegetables are "off grid".?
I gues the tools and shop she used dont count either?
I have a lot to learn.
Nick Stefanyshin This is the first video of hers I’ve seen. I don’t see anything from her saying she’s off grid, did I miss it?
We’re off grid and about an hour from Lowe’s, and they delivered or flooring and ceiling.
I have deer and rabbit problem . Wish I had seen this 20 years ago! What a fantastic idea and project. You are one talented lady.
My wife just said, “i want her to be my best friend...” you are ridiculously talented!
I agree 100% with your wife.
@@heatherwilliamson9232 yea
Guy North got it now. Yeah I was just excited about her talents. She is legit.
@@michaelbarrett1504 Thank you for your kind words and support. Glad you and your wife enjoy my channel. :)
April Wilkerson Keep that smile on your face, and continue doing what clearly you have passion around and were born to do!
This would make amazing "accessible" gardening for seniors/disabled as long as you keep enough space under for wheelchair access.
Love this concept! Thanks for sharing.
A cement foundation with thick mats and handrails would help too. There's a nearby high school that repurposed their tennis courts into a container garden with huge rain barrels in each corner.
I was thinking Boxy Betty
Wow, I do many projects around the house and looking for a raised garden for my backyard I came across your video. My mouth is still open... and I don't get impressed so easily... YOu are intelligent, creative, a truly go-getter young woman!!! You got yourself a new subscriber!!!
Literally the best raised beds I've seen. I would never of thought about using metal roofing material but it makes the most sense. It will reduce rot on the wood base and make the unit much lighter if needed to move. Only one thing is I'm pretty sure deer are going to jump that when their hungry.
Deer are skilled at jumping, but this garden is safe. The fence is high enough. And deer won't jump when they see that they don't have a safe place to land.
@@idontthinkso666 Don't get me wrong, I really like April's design and you may be right as your deer are smaller. But I've seen 8 foot tall wrought iron, arrow tipped fence with deer hair hanging from it. When deer are hungry the do stupid really well. Cheers!
Crazy thing is, I never knew that enclosed garden envy was even a thing...
Clyde Cox haha I feel you I’m jealous af 😂
Clyde Cox I didn’t have a clue that I would have to have a boxed garden.....
: ) Haha! Well don't be too envious yet....I figured out how to build the garden but now I have to figure out gardening. I might be horrible and not be able to get anything to grow!
@@AprilWilkerson , I've been a fan of your channel for years, starting with your small shop projects (I was envious of your shop even then) and now look at what you've accomplished and the enormity of your shop & projects! I doubt gardening will throw you too many curveballs. I look forward to seeing the progress.
@@AprilWilkerson I don't know, you figure out things pretty easily. You figured out chickens, I'm actually jealous of that!
I hope to use your design one day! Big kudos for never letting anyone's "that's too much" hold you back! This is perfect.
Beautiful work! I did learn back in the 80's when I lived in Montana why ranchers had 15' to 20' tall fences around their feed storage yards because of the deer that can jump over 10' fences. I was in shock when I heard this.
Thats not overboard, thats brilliant! This looks great already and it will look glorious once its filled with plants. And you could even put some canvas on top as sun protection when needed!
Yep yep! Some sort of shading will be added but I'll have to think about it's design and function first.
@@AprilWilkerson yeah, any plants that are partial sun to full shade will need something. Full sun plants to the south side and shade the northern side. I still like the idea of a future upgrade to green-house panels, screened ventilation for fresh air and to keep out floating seeds of weeds- etc., and if enclosed, a bee hive or two for pollination and Honey.
Every time I watch one of your videos I learn something incredible. Your and husband our truly awesome this is what my wife and I are going to build in our field. At the end of our field we have a cold spring that runs year around . This build will be perfect for us. Thank you
Haven’t seen such a wonderful and highly professional garden myself in my life. Can’t wait to order this work. She is just awesome and big thanks to Lowe’s.
YOU SOUND LIKE HER BEST FRIEND
This is probably the coolest raised bed design I've seen on TH-cam
The world is blessed to have you in it. Thank you for sharing all your videos.
Oh, that is glorious. I want to do this when I get into my own home. I've got mobility problems and bending to garden would be painful, so raised beds like these would be amazing. They look so good!!
i was thinking that this may be modifiable to do a roll in garden as well!
@Shirley Ross I currently rent an apartment in the city, so there isn't much space for woodworking or gardening, sad to say...
If you are confined to a mobility scooter or wheelchair, these could be built with a diagonal undercut slanted service side walls, so that yo can maybe get your chair or scooter in closer to reach easier. Additionally, individual 4x4 beds with 2-3 foot gaps between then would help with mobility access. As my body deteriorates, I look at options to make things accessible from my scooter for when I am more or less confined to it in the future.
Great to see strong women staying
strong and using there strength to
better there lives and the world ! ! !
🌹🍀🌹
Most women do this.
What are you saying?
Your skill and craftsmanship is second to none. Thank you so much for sharing your talent.
When I build my 12' x 22' C-shaped raised-bed garden I was not only concerned with the potential of whatever the pressure-treatment chemicals might do, but also the wood being wet all of the time. My solution was to line them with Delta MS foundation wrap to keep the wood from direct soil contact but also to allow airflow around the lumber.
who would put a thumbs down for this very inspiring video,
my husband & I have a construction company ... this lady rocks with skills!!! &
very organized too would hire in a minute 🔨🧰🪚
you rock April !
thanks for this awesome video & supply list ~ jill
Probably people who don’t have $5k for all this treated lumber, but then again not sure why they are watching in the first place
April i am so glad you keep striding for more,
Every since we met at northern tools at 1604 & 281
I have been so proud,
"The Garden of Eat'n"
Great job April another class "A" project to drool over!
That is such a good name. I hope she picks it.
Hey you beat me to it
Yes.. heard of this name.. only it was "The Garden of Good Eat'n"
Perfect!
Call it:
"The Garden of Eatin'"
Nan Ese I love that
YESSSSS
Good one lol
I like the way you think.
I started a business, "Adams Garden of Eating" back in 1997 with Organic pesto and a pasta Line called,"Think of the Pastabilities". Right in the middle of startup, my mother suddenly passed away and my father needed care for 3 and 1/2 years. Needless to say my business fell by the wayside and after he passed away my health began to decline, so the name is out there.😊
You can call "Gardenia". And l love all your videos. You are talented Mrs Wilkerson.
This is such a beautiful project and video. Music, talkthrough, everything is just perfect.
Will you keep updating how the garden goes? Id love to see the progression of plants growing, the raspberry plants and such. Beautiful
Wow nice I'm jealous. When building my raised beds with PT, I struggled with the fact that none of the PT was the same width. Not fun to rip this stuff on a lower powered TS. Perhaps Lowes is better than Home Depot in that regard. Each bed is the height of a seat so I can sit while weeding. I opted to have the bottom be the earth itself and put wire mesh on the bottom to keep burrowing critters from coming up from below. This also works well to allow earth worms to enter and leave as they'd like. In each garden, I partially bury a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled in it for my red wiggler worms. Dinner veg scraps, offcuts, and weeds go in there with layers of shreddings of paper bags or cardboard for bedding. Every spring I get an amazing "harvest" of worm castings to use in plantings. The worms aerate the soil around the tower. I also lined the inside of the bed with aquaponics plastic and wonder if that trapped heat and moisture. I think if I did it again, I'd try using a 1/4" drainage board material (like for siding rainscreen walls) and a layer of landscape fabric to separate it from the soil. The concept is similar to those fabric pots people love that causes the air pruning of roots. Good luck looks amazing. I desperately need fencing for the family of groundhogs living under my shed who eat for free.
I too live in an area infested with deer and we just built an enclosed, raised bed garden over the summer. This will be our first growing season since our last garden fence was destroyed in 2013. I’m so excited!!!
“Everybody else is saying I went overboard. I think it’s fine.” 😂 that’s all that matters. Btw I think it’s awesome!
Anything worth doing is worth OVERdoing!
Overboard.....No.....you did it "your way".
And that's just right...,!
They, can build their own....
just jim
Hey its your garden, the grandest place of Earth, I have a "Beer Garden" with a mini-waterfall and creek! (Fairy Garden)!
“Eden” would be a good name I think it is perfectly brilliant. I would just like one bed like this that I could sit at. I’m partially disabled and also don’t have a garden per say just grass and as I live in a rental a raised bed would be removable. Great job
What a very thought out garden. I love the huge doors, high fence and ease of accessing all planters. “April’s Whitetail Tease” is the name I thought of. They can only smell what they can’t have...
How nice, to have a work space like that to create. I'm having a hard time enjoying your video, because I'm too busy trying to control my envy. 😔
Awesome job👍
💔
Same.
Great job April ! In Time it could be a Year round green house with roof and polycarbonate panels.
murray andru I was thinking the same.
I was thinking that too. And easier to control birds dropping weed seeds or eating your harvest. Put a bee hive or two in there and you shouldn't have to go around with q-tips cross-polinating the plants. Bonus...Honey As well.
I am a ex truck driver who is permanently disabled. This inspires me to make a SMALL garden of my own. Living in South Carolina we are accustomed to the local wild life and they are many.. So this design will be incorporated in my small greenhouse build.. Thank you so much for the inspiration..
Awesome! I'm so glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching.
April: cuts 10 sheets at the same time perfectly aligned
Me: cuts 10 sheets in a zig zag and ruins 10 sheets of metal panels....😳😳😆😆
You inspire me!
: ) Ha, well I had clamps on them to hold them aligned as I cut.
April, in my experience the staples you use to keep the plastic in place rust out in 23 minutes and leave two fine holes that create nice circular bits of rotted wood. Most of the time you do not really need them and when you do a dab of adhesive (one that does not eat the plastic) is better.
Stainless steel Staples
Fantastic build. I'm working on my garden this year and will be doing more; this is good inspiration. I love the modular and scalable design. Since I recently watched your deck series, I'm glad to see nothing changed about your definition of "going overboard". You do you!
Aside from that, it is a very Texan thing how much your outfits changed between shots (from a heavy coat to shorts and a t shirt). I could not help but lol.
Yes, large builds take more than just one day so it's not uncommon to see different outfits. Thanks for watching.
That's an amazing setup. I can only imagine what the wood alone would cost.
Lowe's either paid for it or she has money to burn.
It was a lot then and would be a lot more now for sure. But unfortunately, as a woodworker, I have to have material so I'm stuck. No, contrary to popular belief, I do not get it free. I buy my plywood and 2 x 4's just like everyone else. Thanks for watching.
As someone who's been battling blackberries for years...stay completely on top of them or you're gunna have a large chore on your hands. amazing gorgeous garden!
Who ever told you, you went over the top...was MISTAKEN! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this. Thanks for sharing!!
“For the birds” because you are going to be feeding them, instead of the deer :) I love your garden space!
6butterflywings6 couldn’t she just use more of the wire across the top and have it big enough for bees but not squirrels or birds?
Maybe she can put a fake owl and eagle on each post 😉🌱
a lot of gardeners I know have said those don’t work; the animals aren’t outsmarted for long 😞
@@GM_____ Well then, make an animatronic owl that reacts when shes not around lol. That would be funny to test.
Some monofilament fishing line strung across will keep them out. It's hard for them to see and freaks them out when they fly into it.
Due to our area's wildlife, we would need a double layer of cement blocks (bottom half in dirt) surrounding the planters. Also, the top would require heavy duty fencing wire to keep mountain lions from jumping inside. Years ago a neighbor thought some teenager had snuck into his backyard pool. Turned out to be a good size mountain lion. He claims he nearly choked on his coffee when he saw it from his kitchen window. Keep up with your videos. Thank you.
Roy Faust i wouldn’t call a mountain lion a critter but hey maybe he just a big one lol
@@mythologicalnomad6520 , Elly May called them "critter's!"
I don’t know of any mountain lions that want to eat vegetables.
@@spaceheavy1 , I wouldn't normally eat leather or bark but if starving...
See " Donner Party Exhibition," for reference.
@@spaceheavy1 the mountain lions are attracted by the deer, rabbits, raccoons, ducks, coyotes, etc. that also live in the area. Lately, the Wild Animal Park Zoo in Escondido, California are using non-lethal means to keep mountain lions out.
This is absolutely beautiful. A great idea for anyone even with limited space.
I’ve been waiting this is incredible! As a beginner female woodworker I admire and envy you so much. Love u 😁
No need to envy, if you have followed April for a long time or even review her video history, you would find that she didnt know a lot about it in the beginning. She learned as she went, you can too. Good luck on your future projects.
@@welderman1221 What's so special about the woodwork in this video ? Except for the fact that she had to do a lot of the same unit, which simply require a lot of space, this is very basic assembly.
@@furrane all tricky stuff was handled on planning stage (not shown), woodworking wise it is big but simple project (of course simple for owner of right equipment)
@@paveloleynikov4715 Yes indeed she did a great job planning it all with sketchup, but I don't include 3d modeling as woodwork, you can easily do the same with a pen and paper, especially for a simple project like this one. As far as hardware goes, you could do the same with a simple woodsaw, it would take just that much more time.
@@furrane Get along little doggie.
April, that is one big garden. I can see how it will be easy to work with it, since everything is almost waist height. Great project.
I just want to know when she would find the time to garden! Its not like she has so much leisure time (at least that's what it looks like)
OMG I love this...and I don't think you went overboard. Its beautiful and functional. So well done.
Amazing! You inspire me! Can't wait to see how you do the irrigation.
That would be a good next project.
I think you'll regret blackberries in the center bed. From my experience they don't like being restrained. It will be a constant battle.
@Benjamin Suntrup the berries I have seen like to creep out and up, good luck with them
I grow my raspberries (similar habit) within a big cage and they do require real tending to keep them in control. Every year I'm clearing my walkways through the cage during the entire season. It is a chore I could do without. I grow strawberries in the same cage and the walkway between is a battle between the two, but the strawberries are so much easier to contain.
You are seriously amazing! I love everything you do. Thank you for sharing! I'm a gardener and woodworker and made my own planter boxes. I don't have much land, so my boxes are nowhere near as large as yours. Your project is my dream! Great job!
That’s absolutely beautiful, I wish I have a backyard that big so I can build one myself. Nicely done!
Omg im in love with this build. I wish I could do THAT!! I dug up a area 6'x12' last summer to do my garden. This yeah I plan to expand it 12.5' more feet. Need more space to plant stuff..lol I had big plans...lol
I would name it...
Cajas de la vida or Caja de Vida
Boxes of life or Box of life
I totally agree with planning/drawing out your build virtually before you build it. My husband drew our house in that program you mentioned with ALL the details, so that when spring came we could just start building. It also gave us a huge advantage when figuring out the cost of the build (which the bank needed so we could take a loan) because we knew 100% what we needed to build the house 🙂
wow you do more in one project than i've done in my life!
😆😆😂😂😂😂
Thanks for the laugh Frank
All I can say is 🤤❤️🤤 awesome setup! My husband gave me a garden for Christmas..... well... a fund for me to build my dream garden. I am the same as you in that I build all my own projects on my own for the most part. Last year I built my chicken coop (the chick mahal) this year a garden similar but a little different than yours, and next year my greenhouse (I saved all my old windows when we remodeled our house so I will have a glass greenhouse)
Wonderful space! I might suggest putting a small bench/work table for seedlings and repotting, as well as a covered area for tool storage. Can’t wait to see the garden flourish.
I was going to suggest "The Happy Place," but another viewer suggested "The Garden of Eatin'" & I just can't beat that! 😄😋
I love your design, there's only one thing I have started doing differently after having a few different gardens at the different houses I've lived at over time and that's having a small 12"-18" perimeter bed all the way around 2" outside of the main raised beds.
The main reason is to grow beans, peas, and squash (that climb) or grapes, kiwi, or hops up the sides of the fence all the way around. It just makes picking the climbing plants all that easier and maximizes use of the space instead of having to reach all the way over the outer beds to pick your peas/beans/grapes etc.
Really slick design and it's beautiful! can't wait to see it grow
💚April Wilkerson, you amazing woman! Thank you for sharing your design, build & results! Can’t wait to see how your garden grows!💚
You should dress your planted beds with a couple inches of straw or mulch to retain moisture in your soil. The automatic watering system is nice but it’ll save water and create healthier soil with a biodegradable mulch. I’ve used paper bags, straw and commercial garden mulch.
As a deterrant against small animals going under the doors, cut a section of your fencing to fit each door. Leave a "spike" of the fencing on the bottom of the section that will almost scrape against the ground.
My husband and I basically had the idea of dismantling our pool deck after we got rid of the pool. We kept the frame only and enclosed it with chicken wire and cheap pea netting. We have a 2 1/2 surround boxes and a large square in the middle. Its 14 x 16 ft and so far I like it. Between the door on each side we also put in boxes for a herb garden and asparagus bed. So far I love it. We used what we had, its super sturdy and was cheap. Next year I want to continue building to it by putting in various shelves.
OMG April this is amazing! I would love to do a collab with you in starting some seeds since you are in the same hardiness zone as us.
Thanks for sharing
This is great, but I would've put the fencing on the outside of the frames so any animals can't push it in.
I see that mistake often....thanks to TH-cam I learned before last fence we built!!!
I think that she has it in between both boards, so it can't move either direction.
I beleieve her fencing wire is sandwiched. Should be safe
She has them on the outside, look again.
@@temujinkhan6326 She's in the garden bed, pulling, and he's stapling from the inside.
Then when she's spraying (with a highly inefficient sprayer, btw) from the inside, she's definitely spraying the mesh on the inside.
Very nice...you and many others who makes these videos of growing your/our own veggies/food, tells us how the world should be in the future. Not only because of the virus these days, but as many did years behind us, we should all have a greenhouse, raised beds, to get closer to make our own stuff....to get a better life...thank you.....all the best from Denmark/Europe...Thomas
That looks great -- for my area, I'd need to modify your design by adding a wire-mesh roof to keep out the raccoons.
and deer can jump...
Something really effective is using a solid piece of sheet metal or wood around the top 18-24" that the raccoons can't climb. We used this trick to keep foxes out of a hen yard.
@@TheRavenWithoutWings Good tip!!
Or a shade cloth (Texas) would also consider a chute for a chicken coop - let the girls in between seasons to do your tilling and bug control for you.
That’s just a couple of steps away from being a greenhouse.
Oh what an idea! She could totally make it that for half of the year if she wanted to!
I was thinking that big open space in the center was perfect for a greenhouse and small tool shed. I've considered doing something similar to this around a greenhouse/sunshed, but the material costs are prohibitive.
Or a good place to grow things like corn or vine plants like watermelon or pumpkins. Or you could put a chicken coupe in there.
You are so right. In winter one could put up a shade to protect and also to make a head start.
It really is s great looking project
That’s exactly what I was thinking. It would be easy to make it so the sides are roll-up-able and the top has vents or can be removed in summer. Like a really cool high tunnel.
Wow... This isn't gardening, this is just pre-gardening... Awesome !!!
I will definitely look at doing something like this when we move into our new home in a few months. Maybe not as big but I like it. And it would be better on our backs lol.
Right away, I could see that the deer can still get the foliage from through the fence. If you put the fencing a little further out any tomato vines or anything full would still be safe
Your setup is incredibly nice and the design is on point. You have the best day ever!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.
Looks like it will be a wonderfully productive garden. I would call it the “VEGTANGLE”. 1 large rectangle of vegetables...
Now I know the real reason why there‘s a shortage of pressure treated wood :)
hahaha no kidding! I couldn't find any of the ones she ordered
😃
I 100%LOVE your garden. I have a large empty yard and I've been researching for a garden . Thank you!
were you thinking about throwing a fence lining for the "roof" to keep out birds and such? could even run some guttering along the perimeter of the roof to connect to your water collection? just a thought.
I like that. Thin row cover also works beautifully as a roof, since it keeps birds from seeing the food and going after it.
this is a good idea and you could run shade cloth over the top in the summer
she used a pretty open grate for the outside, so any small birds can easily go through that way. If you have a bird problem, you easily could do that if you also incorporate a smaller mesh on the sides.
Yeah, who needs sunlight in a garden?
Shade cloth is good for keeping your lettuce from bolting in the summer heat
"The Fortress of Fertility" was the first thing that came to my mind. Also, check out Charles Dowding's channel on gardening because he's a master at gardening in general but also small space planting. You'll learn so much from him! Good luck!
I really like to watch Charlse Dowding too
Brilliant name! Fortress of Fertility!!
I second this garden name!
This is by far THE BEST raised bed garden I’ve seen.
Love the enclosed garden. My wife is asking for a “plant wall” on the side of our house where there is a narrow walkway and would like to see how you would tackle that. Just an idea for a future video.
How about the “Alaskan” garden... because it’s bigger than Texas!!! lol
I plan on using this concept when I retire to Alaska in 3 years!!! Thank you!!!
got a name for your raised garden bed yet!!! thank you for the idea of building these as i am part of a Men's Shed and we have a massive space to now be able to have a community garden in which we would be able to maintain as we have a lot of people who could benefit from this, the team is going to love making this in the future and will have to send you some pictures when we get it all built and set up. Once again April, you are an inspiration to so many people, keep it up and we will see you on what ever you build next! ( had to put your line in it)
I just wanted to learn how to build an elevated garden bed....so do I still need to rent a tractor? LOL amazing work, April as always!
Look at lowe's sponsoring a huge garden. mammoth.
It's Texas. Everything's bigger in Texas. I'd say the garden is fairly proportional to size of the shop. 😉
Major envy after watching this, your workshop is bigger than my house! Here's me excited about my medium vegepod and the fact I made a planter out of an old pallet. Life goals right there!
Ever not know that you need something until you see it? Yeah, this is one of those things!!
“State Pen”, you can have “yard time”
Looks great - I have similar problems in my garden
I just found this video today-first time I've seen anything by you. I am amazed-you are SUCH a talented woman-what a great example you are for young women today! I just love this walk in garden-it's fantastic!
"April's Showers" garden. Not cheap but well worth the cost and effort!
"Ponderosa", because you can have a bonanza of fresh vegetables from that garden. I know, that's corn-y.
I’l call it “The Beast(massive) Garden”. So huge and powerful but very elegant. Great project..Inspiring
You've done it again - that is fabulous! I can't wait to see how it comes together when all your plants are growing. Well done, April! High five, girl. ;)
: ) Thank you! High five back
“Fort Crops”
Bret Bartz best name so far 😆
***Ding Ding Ding Ding***
This is it!!!
Like it!
Yup!
April when stretching the fencing, sandwich the wire between 2x4s then apply tension by attaching chain, rope, cable etc. and pulling with your tractor, a come-along, block and tackle attached to an anchor point, etc. it puts consistent tension on the fencing top to bottom and frees up your hands.
I love this idea. I have a problem here though in that we get over 60"of rain annually. Do you think I could do the sides of the planters out of galvanized corrugated material or something else besides wood?
Use stone, rocks, etc.
I've seen raised beds with wood frames, lined with corrugated metal. They looked pretty decent, if not what I'd prefer in my yard.
Depends on how hot it gets. I'm in Coastal Louisiana and corrugated metal will get so hot that it will burn the roots.
Idk if it works but I like “Wilker Groves”
How bout Milker Boves
OMG! I JUST FOUND THIS PAGE. YOU ARE SO TALENTED. THIS IS MY DREAM GARDEN. JUST ON A SMALLER LEVEL. WHAT A GARDEN. I LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.
@@AprilWilkerson Sure thing!!
In Australia we'd usually place garden beds like these directly on the ground. Just wondering what the benefit of lifting them off the ground is? Seems like a lot more work, and the metal sheets won't last forever.
Less bending over so easier on the back and harder for animals that burrow to get into the bed.
saves your back a bit.
I imagine the benefits are that 1) animals that dig wont be able to reach it since its off the ground, 2) like the other person said, its easier on a bad back, 3) being higher gives it better angles to reach sunlight whilst laying against a tall wall, 4) you can see it from far away, honestly not a huge benefit but why not? lol.
I agree with you, Larena. Others, I believe she means why not build the boxes open to the earth below. That's what I would/do do. That way beneficial organisms can also more readily exist in the soil. Only positive is burrowing animals will not get in if they make it past the outer fence. For mine, I would bury chicken wire/hardware cloth at the main border.
@@PeterMayIV Yup, that's what I mean
April, Call it “The Garden Of Eaten”. Lol.
That's a good one!
Nicest raised garden set up Ive seen. When youre pulling fence like that, if you have a few inches extra at the end, sandwich it between to 2x4s with screws and use pry bars against the last post to pull it tight.
April: an additional item to consider, pvc rafters to allow for plastic roof and sides to allow for year round gardening. Since it could be easily converted to a green house in the colder months.
Good idea
That would also help keep the deer out. Might be a different kind of deer, but the ones around here would be able to get over that fence (it looked to be about 8 ft, and some of them can clear a 12ft fence)