G'day Everyone, if you are suffering a bit of deja vu in this video, it is probably because you saw my previous upload, where I also covered the subject of raised beds caving in. In this video, I explain the caving-in issue better in more detail and explain why I'm covering this subject again in the video. Thankfully, the bed caving-in issue is more straightforward to explain than why I'm doing it again... Cheers 😄
Thank you VERY much for doing this video. I saw the last one that included this subject, and I'm very glad you've made and expanded the topic in this dedicated video. I would've been devastated if this happened to me, and wouldn't have had any idea how to fix it. Now I can set up a couple of Birdie's beds so that this won't happen in the first place. In this case, it feels like an ounce of prevention is worth a million pounds of cure. I've been recommending the last video to lots of people, and I'll be recommending this one to them also. Thanks again, Mark! Good health and happiness to you and your family!
Hey Mark! If you are in touch with the Birdie's company, may I suggest that you contact them and ask them to watch this video. I think that maybe they can use your idea about the 2x4s, like at 6:09 in the video, and include something like that in their kits and offered separately also. Perhaps it can be made of metal that won't rust or collapse, instead of wood which will rot. Also, in future iterations of their beds, perhaps they can make the rods stronger to begin with, so that they'd be less likely to bend. Thank you for your time and effort!
I'm on a steep plot of land with 31m of difference (in altitude) between the bottom of the block and the back fence, in South Hobart, with 1381 sqm of area. We are on bare clay and have been spending more at Bunnings than we can fathom. I also produce 110 litres of compost per month with a few huge mounds of organic waste, two 80 litre hot compost bins, and mostly with help from your YT videos. I shred everything mildly organic (all cardboard, paper, veg waste, sticks, leaves, etc). We have some significant native trees growing (Huon pines, blackwood, myrtle, eucalyptus for land retention and stabilization). We've added around 20cm of top soil without spending for top soil using compost and shredded pizza boxes (my older lads love their fortnightly takeaway). We use your videos for instruction now that Peter Cundal is no longer advising us. Yep ... Mark ... you are next in line for the throne. ABC should head-hunt you for Gardening Australia. $0.02
Wow Matthew, you have been busy! It's great to hear about your gardening success despite some challenges. You've made me think I should be doing even more composting myself lol... Mate, I'll take the compliment, but I'm not in Peter Cundall's league. What a legend he was, and besides my Grandfather, Peter was probably one of the most influential food gardeners for me personally. Thank you and all the best with your property in 2023! Cheers :)
As an electrician in a past life, another solution I thought of when watching is to get some 1/2" (or maybe 3/4") EMT thin wall conduit, cheaper than black iron pipe as Bob below suggests, cut them to match the bed width, and slide over each internal brace rod, (preferably when first installing the bed), to keep the walls from bowing inwards. Since EMT is also corrosion resistant, they should protect the braces for years more than directly exposed to the soil. Great videos. Cheers!
Brilliant!! I came to the comment section for exactly a suggestion like this. The vertical method was problematic for our situation and this is a perfect solution. Thank you!!
Hi Mark I've been binge watching your videos and one that hit home was this one "End of Self Sufficient Me?" Your at 1.88 million subscriber's and this is not by accident. your personality, expertise, commitment are shining through. You have people world-wide watching and following. We all are very lucky you kept it going and fighting through the hardship's. We got about 3-4 feet of snow on our raised gardens in our yard and around mid May we can start growing our starters we are going to do come February. From Canada CHEERS
G'day Mike, thank you mate for your support! Yes, that was a difficult time for me trying to decide on the reality of making videos for the love of it (because I do love it) and perhaps getting a "real" job that pays so I could help Nina afford the bills. In the end, you guys made the decision for me by overwhelmingly supporting my Channel to the point where I now make a decent living out of sharing my self-sufficient journey through videos and posts. It's truly surreal, and I'm thankful for such a fantastic opportunity each day. Hopefully, the snow melts fast and brings an early spring so you can grow a ton this coming season there in wonderful Canada! Cheers :)
See? This is why I made my garden beds of concrete. No problems with rust, bowing out or any other problems. Love your channel, BTW, even if we don't have the same climate zone. I'm in 6B in the US.
I am new to raised bed gardening. I did not even know that was a possibility. I have 2'x6' livestock water troughs and 5' & 6' rounds with a watering system in the base. I filled them with soil only and have had a 6" drop in the soil level. Now I'm concerned but forewarned when the remaining less sturdy beds go in. Thank you so much for the information. Always a pleasure watching you. A devotee from chilly SW Iowa.
When I built my timber raised beds I used M14 galvanised threaded bars and with a drill threaded them through 15mm pvc piping for more protection. 12 years later no problems and I removed one bar to examine and it’s suffered zero corrosion or bending. Reinstalled the bar for hopefully many more years to come . Love your channel Mark, watched every episode ( some more than once ) 👍 🇦🇺🇬🇧
Hi Mark, greetings from the northeast of America! Love your videos and other channels! Humor, insight and understanding of nature is fantastic! Keep it up mate! Cheers
I'm in a totally different climate for growing (this one was pertinent for my garden for sure), but I enjoy your content so much and your humor, I just keep coming back for the entertainment. Thanks.
I'm having a problem very similar to this with my own raised beds that my wife and I built last year, so this is extremely helpful. Thanks Mark! Love your content, all the best from Massachusetts, USA.
Thanks Mark. That’s exactly what happened to ours too. We fixed it in the same way. Thanks for demo-ing those raised garden beds, they make gardening life very easy. 👍
Yes, saw the first video just the other day and I loved it. This hasn’t happened with my Birdies but it is good to know there is a fix if it does. Lots of good information, however, I’m glad you did this one so it’ll be easier to find and straight to the point. Thank you for sharing from Northwest Florida😊
Thankyou for this. I've just bought three beds from Birdies and am yet to fill so perfect timing. I wonder if birdies will come up with something like an aluminium panel similar to the hardwood with holes you created, that comes with the larger beds upon purchase. If they did that these beds would be virtually flawless. Thanks again for all your work 👍
Dear Mark. Instead of using a 2 x 4 with holes drilled in it, try using a 2" PVC pipe that sticks up above the bed by about 10"s or so, with holes drilled in it. Then if you want to erect a structor for the plants to grow up you have a section of pipe to insert a rod into to build it from. When you no longer need the structure you can remove it from the pipe, and you are left with a small pipe to reuse in the future.
Thanks for the heads up! Garden is not yet ready for raised beds, but I am already preparing myself as good as I can with your videos :) I know someone with a welding machine, guess I will weld cross beams on both sides of the rods, that should be plenty of extra force to sustain the weight of the soil
These are great tips...thank you Mark!!! I've bought one Birdies Raised bed for when I move to a new property... I'm so keen to start my garden. In the meantime I've got pots and tubs and geofelt containers with vegies growing. Love your videos so much... they have brought me joy and peace! Cheers, Maria from Yeppoon Qld
Hey Mark, I'm fairly new to your channel (about two weeks) but have been binge watching and love all your content! Your personality and presentation make this channel such a joy to watch. :)
Oh wow one of my eight beds has done the same thing and I was not sure how to fix it! This has happened to my bed because the material has compressed and my soil level has dropped halfway down. Now it’s time a bulk compost haul. Gardening is expensive and rewarding at the same time. Thank you for sharing 😊
Good to know, thank you. I bought three of the Birdies beds because of your videos. I really hope they are compensating you or at least hooking you up with free products at this point. You absolutely deserve it. Thank you again for all the great info and stoke!
Just ordered a dozen of these based on your recommendation, and using your discount code. Thanks mate, we are very excited to start growing our own veges again. I appreciate the tip on the fix, I will do that before we add any soil.
Thank you for posting this! We just set up outlook beds a few months ago, and noticed a slight bluging in the beds, we were able to remedy it quickly before out planting season started! Thank you again
Your videos are very informative and every one should appreciate but i am requesting forbit more information that is in which month which veg should be sown in Melbourne
Thanks for the video...this has happened to one of my beds. Sadly I'll have to wait till the spring when the snow has thawed to dig down but will be following your suggestions
Really enjoying the channel and content, mate. I love the old entrenching tool, too. Such a great bit of kit. It was a dark day when mine was stolen. Thanks for the awesome vids and info. 🤙
Also tamp the backfill -- I have the shorter beds and not near as wide, and I used metal tape to prevent bow out. Knowing cave in could happen, I tamped soil 2 to 3 inches either side of my bracing to prevent/minimize settling. Pulled tape up, knowing it would settle as well. Hoping the plan works. :-)
The idea of supporting the braces should be standard installation for any bed where this type of undersoil is being used. I'm looking at starting a garden and want to use raised beds with hugelkultur and will definitely be adding vertical supports to the braces. Given the price of lumber, do you think that a smaller piece of lumber (1x2 maybe) might work since it's just there to keep the braces from bending downward? Maybe with a small wider support at the bottom to keep it from being pushed down into the soil? I'm thinking a small (6x6) square of plywood nailed to the bottom of the vertical 1x2. Maybe even make the vertical long enough to act as part of a trellis or support for hoop.
As a, not quite spring chicken, I truly appreciate a raised garden bed. My roommate, also a not quite spring chicken, was trying to explain to me a raised garden bed in a stock tank with no bottom. I told him nobody was going to make a stock tank with no bottom. I stand corrected…
Thanks mate. I’m doing 12 raised gardens just like yours from Woombye Tanks. Mortified when the first brace tore through the corrugated iron. Had me stumped lol. Ta mate.
Hi Mark I had the same problem with my raised beds I dug up to the braces and slipped over a 25 mm galvanised pipe so the wire braces go through the middle of the pipe cut pipe same size as garden beds problem solved cheers happy 2023
I solved this issue by building a galvanized unistrut frame and then bolting the panels onto the frame. Every bolt goes through a vertical piece of 12 gauge hot dipped unistrut with unistrut horizontal stabilizers instead of the weak flimsy provided aluminum ones. The box is now a tank. You can flip it on its side and sit on it. I used the provided bolts and nuts but bought larger washers. Cost wasn’t minimal but having filled it, emptied it a year later and filled it again, I don’t ever want to do it again so very worth the cost.
I love the channel Mark, and Birdees do make a good product. But those rods through the center are just way to small to be an effective support. The will definitely stop most of the bowing outward but as you have found they will bend way to easily when the soil is pushing down on them. I have made my own beds and used 14mm all thread galvanized rod with panel washers inside and outside of the outter skin. Essentially tying both sides together to prevent any in or out movement over time.
Great video. I've not used the braces in my birdie beds. I use flat sided star pickets knocked in on the inside of the bed to support the sides. First Birdie Bed I built I found the braces got in my way whenever I dug the bed over. I've also started putting my veggie beds in cages (Igloo Pet Runs) Brisbane has too many varmints to contend with so I've locked my veggies up now. So far so good although I saw a possum ahead of me in the queue at Bunnings the other day buying a pair of bolt cutters, so we'll see I guess.
6:05 Do you think adding a wide foot to the brace would be helpful? I can imagine the same downforce on the rods would just drive the brace into the native soil.
Great video as always Mark. I was having similar issues with bowing and I am attempting to just add more rods, which can be purchased separately. This issue does seem like a design thing, the wood bracing if it helps seems to be a design flaw. Beds should offer more support to help the pressure issues.
I have 100 acres . I have one of these big raised gardens . I’m in the rain forest st Marys tasmania . I filled mine with fallen leaves rotten wood and branches . And it just keeps sinking . I think I might have snakes in it as it has holes . I don’t have any braces what a great idea . I have yet to put diol in as it keeps sinking
Morning, Mark! The round beds, I see they do not have braces. How are they working out? Any issues with bowing or caving with them? I'm GLAD you showed this. I have been on the financial fence, of whether to take the dive and get these beds. I really want the height, BUT, even with these simple looking fixes, I'm realizing that I probably won't be able to dig down and actually reach those bars, to straighten them back out. I am really glad we are getting to see a longer term use of these beds. THANKS!
For a really large round bed bracing might be needed to prevent the bed from bowing one way at the top and a different direction at the bottom. For the smaller ones braces probably aren't needed because the pressure from the contained soil will push out equally in all directions, maintaining the round shape.
feed the rod through a length of steel tubing as the tubing will prevent the rod from bowing or flexing. you could also use a metal or wood plate on each side of the tube as additional reinforcement for the tin sides
Very interesting that you have three rod braces across your beds. My Birdie beds only came with 2 each. Did yours come with 3 or did you make the third and add it to them?
I think if the manufacturer wanted to address the issue they would replace that threaded rod with a vertically oriented piece of flat bar. It has a lot of strength in the dimension you need but not a lot of surface area for the soil to pull down on. Threaded rod is very easy to bend in comparison in this application.
Mark, how would it work on the initial installation, to add some 3/4 black iron pipe cut to length as spreaders? Of course actual size would be determined by the size of the coupling used with each threaded rod. As the outer nuts on the rods are tightened to lessen outward spreading of the side walls, a pipe spreader with its additional thickness could act to lessen the inward collapse of the outer wall? Just trying to think of a solution that wouldnt require an annual or semi-annual redo of each container. -Bob...
It's certainly a design issue, or more precisely a cost issue. We're building our own from recycled materials. For bracing we use angle iron, much stronger. The angle iron is from old style pallet racking system, so quite cheap.
Love your work Mark. I'd be inclined to try to minimise the bowing effect in the raised garden beds with a thicker gauge threaded rod. On another note, I see you use Birdies raised garden beds. Are they your choice of brand ?
G'day Everyone, if you are suffering a bit of deja vu in this video, it is probably because you saw my previous upload, where I also covered the subject of raised beds caving in. In this video, I explain the caving-in issue better in more detail and explain why I'm covering this subject again in the video. Thankfully, the bed caving-in issue is more straightforward to explain than why I'm doing it again... Cheers 😄
OH! SMART!!! It's easier to find now that it's got its own video!!
Awesome mate - Thank you for doing this.
Thank you VERY much for doing this video. I saw the last one that included this subject, and I'm very glad you've made and expanded the topic in this dedicated video. I would've been devastated if this happened to me, and wouldn't have had any idea how to fix it. Now I can set up a couple of Birdie's beds so that this won't happen in the first place. In this case, it feels like an ounce of prevention is worth a million pounds of cure. I've been recommending the last video to lots of people, and I'll be recommending this one to them also. Thanks again, Mark! Good health and happiness to you and your family!
Hey Mark! If you are in touch with the Birdie's company, may I suggest that you contact them and ask them to watch this video. I think that maybe they can use your idea about the 2x4s, like at 6:09 in the video, and include something like that in their kits and offered separately also. Perhaps it can be made of metal that won't rust or collapse, instead of wood which will rot. Also, in future iterations of their beds, perhaps they can make the rods stronger to begin with, so that they'd be less likely to bend. Thank you for your time and effort!
you could also use angleline as braces instead..
Always a pleasure to have Mr. Russell Crowe teach me to be self sufficient. Thank you nature's gladiator!
I'm on a steep plot of land with 31m of difference (in altitude) between the bottom of the block and the back fence, in South Hobart, with 1381 sqm of area. We are on bare clay and have been spending more at Bunnings than we can fathom. I also produce 110 litres of compost per month with a few huge mounds of organic waste, two 80 litre hot compost bins, and mostly with help from your YT videos. I shred everything mildly organic (all cardboard, paper, veg waste, sticks, leaves, etc). We have some significant native trees growing (Huon pines, blackwood, myrtle, eucalyptus for land retention and stabilization). We've added around 20cm of top soil without spending for top soil using compost and shredded pizza boxes (my older lads love their fortnightly takeaway). We use your videos for instruction now that Peter Cundal is no longer advising us. Yep ... Mark ... you are next in line for the throne. ABC should head-hunt you for Gardening Australia. $0.02
Heck NO, I wish he would go into politics he has a good head on his shoulders for normal decision's. Better than any politician I know
@@mikevp5303 #Truth
Wow Matthew, you have been busy! It's great to hear about your gardening success despite some challenges. You've made me think I should be doing even more composting myself lol... Mate, I'll take the compliment, but I'm not in Peter Cundall's league. What a legend he was, and besides my Grandfather, Peter was probably one of the most influential food gardeners for me personally. Thank you and all the best with your property in 2023! Cheers :)
Bro- you’re my hero!!
As an electrician in a past life, another solution I thought of when watching is to get some 1/2" (or maybe 3/4") EMT thin wall conduit, cheaper than black iron pipe as Bob below suggests, cut them to match the bed width, and slide over each internal brace rod, (preferably when first installing the bed), to keep the walls from bowing inwards. Since EMT is also corrosion resistant, they should protect the braces for years more than directly exposed to the soil. Great videos. Cheers!
Genius 👍
Brilliant!! I came to the comment section for exactly a suggestion like this. The vertical method was problematic for our situation and this is a perfect solution. Thank you!!
I was thinking steel but conduit pipe definitly makes sense since it's also meant to be buried. Thank you!
Pretty surreal sitting up here above the Arctic Circle in Norway and being inspired by a guy in Australia living his dream (it seems).
Hi Mark I've been binge watching your videos and one that hit home was this one "End of Self Sufficient Me?" Your at 1.88 million subscriber's and this is not by accident. your personality, expertise, commitment are shining through. You have people world-wide watching and following. We all are very lucky you kept it going and fighting through the hardship's. We got about 3-4 feet of snow on our raised gardens in our yard and around mid May we can start growing our starters we are going to do come February. From Canada CHEERS
G'day Mike, thank you mate for your support! Yes, that was a difficult time for me trying to decide on the reality of making videos for the love of it (because I do love it) and perhaps getting a "real" job that pays so I could help Nina afford the bills. In the end, you guys made the decision for me by overwhelmingly supporting my Channel to the point where I now make a decent living out of sharing my self-sufficient journey through videos and posts. It's truly surreal, and I'm thankful for such a fantastic opportunity each day. Hopefully, the snow melts fast and brings an early spring so you can grow a ton this coming season there in wonderful Canada! Cheers :)
About to go to sleep and this is the first video I'll be listening to as I drift off. 399 videos in the hopper!
See? This is why I made my garden beds of concrete. No problems with rust, bowing out or any other problems.
Love your channel, BTW, even if we don't have the same climate zone. I'm in 6B in the US.
I am new to raised bed gardening. I did not even know that was a possibility. I have 2'x6' livestock water troughs and 5' & 6' rounds with a watering system in the base. I filled them with soil only and have had a 6" drop in the soil level. Now I'm concerned but forewarned when the remaining less sturdy beds go in. Thank you so much for the information. Always a pleasure watching you. A devotee from chilly SW Iowa.
So glad I saw this Mark as I am about to fill my Birdies beds and it will allow me to avoid this issue
When I built my timber raised beds I used M14 galvanised threaded bars and with a drill threaded them through 15mm pvc piping for more protection. 12 years later no problems and I removed one bar to examine and it’s suffered zero corrosion or bending. Reinstalled the bar for hopefully many more years to come . Love your channel Mark, watched every episode ( some more than once ) 👍 🇦🇺🇬🇧
Hi Mark, greetings from the northeast of America! Love your videos and other channels! Humor, insight and understanding of nature is fantastic! Keep it up mate! Cheers
I'm in a totally different climate for growing (this one was pertinent for my garden for sure), but I enjoy your content so much and your humor, I just keep coming back for the entertainment. Thanks.
Nearly 2 millions ! Amazing!!! You are unique !!!
Blessings +++!!!
It's so nice to see so much green when it's SO cold and gray and brown in the US (Indiana)! Love your channel.
lets... GET INTO IT. dude I laughed out loud the look on your face. this channel is so wholesome and fun. cheers from NC, USA
I'm having a problem very similar to this with my own raised beds that my wife and I built last year, so this is extremely helpful. Thanks Mark! Love your content, all the best from Massachusetts, USA.
Great info!! Didn’t need to know it the first time, didn’t need to know it the second time, however I watched both and enjoyed both. Keep it up Mark!!
Thanks Mark. That’s exactly what happened to ours too. We fixed it in the same way. Thanks for demo-ing those raised garden beds, they make gardening life very easy. 👍
I bought one of these beds after binging your videos. This is great to know since I will now be implementing this from the beginning.
Hey Mark,
I am glad you got to the root of the problem! 😆 good job!
Yes, saw the first video just the other day and I loved it. This hasn’t happened with my Birdies but it is good to know there is a fix if it does. Lots of good information, however, I’m glad you did this one so it’ll be easier to find and straight to the point. Thank you for sharing from Northwest Florida😊
Thankyou for this. I've just bought three beds from Birdies and am yet to fill so perfect timing. I wonder if birdies will come up with something like an aluminium panel similar to the hardwood with holes you created, that comes with the larger beds upon purchase.
If they did that these beds would be virtually flawless.
Thanks again for all your work 👍
Dear Mark. Instead of using a 2 x 4 with holes drilled in it, try using a 2" PVC pipe that sticks up above the bed by about 10"s or so, with holes drilled in it. Then if you want to erect a structor for the plants to grow up you have a section of pipe to insert a rod into to build it from. When you no longer need the structure you can remove it from the pipe, and you are left with a small pipe to reuse in the future.
pvc seems to get brittle over the years, galvanized steel pipe would be better no?
Edit: or stainless?
@@EC-dz4bq You're probably right.
I love this channel!!! 🥰You are so fun and informative to watch!!
about 2 years ago at my parent's garden we put wooden sticks to maintain the distance between the walls. simple solution and works well.
Great video Mark. Maybe a collaboration bed design with Birdies is needed. The Self Sufficient Me standard bed……
Thanks for the heads up! Garden is not yet ready for raised beds, but I am already preparing myself as good as I can with your videos :) I know someone with a welding machine, guess I will weld cross beams on both sides of the rods, that should be plenty of extra force to sustain the weight of the soil
These are great tips...thank you Mark!!! I've bought one Birdies Raised bed for when I move to a new property... I'm so keen to start my garden. In the meantime I've got pots and tubs and geofelt containers with vegies growing. Love your videos so much... they have brought me joy and peace! Cheers, Maria from Yeppoon Qld
We used parts of old rainwater tanks for ours. Looking forward to seeing many more of your videos this year! :)
Hey Mark, I'm fairly new to your channel (about two weeks) but have been binge watching and love all your content! Your personality and presentation make this channel such a joy to watch. :)
Oh wow one of my eight beds has done the same thing and I was not sure how to fix it! This has happened to my bed because the material has compressed and my soil level has dropped halfway down. Now it’s time a bulk compost haul. Gardening is expensive and rewarding at the same time. Thank you for sharing 😊
Mark I hard pruned my lime and it seems to be dormant. It’s spring in Sydney and no regrowth, I did spray it with soapy water to kill stink bugs too
What a brilliant video. Did not think of this issue - was only concerned about preventing bow-out. Thanks Mark!
Good to know, thank you. I bought three of the Birdies beds because of your videos. I really hope they are compensating you or at least hooking you up with free products at this point. You absolutely deserve it. Thank you again for all the great info and stoke!
Just ordered a dozen of these based on your recommendation, and using your discount code. Thanks mate, we are very excited to start growing our own veges again. I appreciate the tip on the fix, I will do that before we add any soil.
Oh boy. I'm going to the beach.... but seriously. Mark was my 1st yt subscription 4+ years ago, looking for sweet potato information. Ty hugely, Mark.
Fascinating -- thanks for amplifying the info presented in the wood chip video. You are a fabulous explainer!!!
Thank you Mark. I've been with you from the start. I have yet to buy any raised beds and will make note of this. I will set them up with supports.
Always great info on here! Thanks.
Thank you for posting this! We just set up outlook beds a few months ago, and noticed a slight bluging in the beds, we were able to remedy it quickly before out planting season started! Thank you again
Great video! We are buying the same raised garden beds soon. Thanks for the advice.
Your videos are very informative and every one should appreciate but i am requesting forbit more
information that is in which month which veg should be sown in Melbourne
Thank you for the forewarning. I plan on getting this type of raised beds for my garden and I will definitely put braces on the supports.
That's really interesting. Amazingly, I would never have thought of that
You have such a nice garden setup!
Mate your 2023 channel trailer was awesome.
Thanks for all the awesome videos and community Mark!
Good job mate, see you on the next one
Thanks for the video...this has happened to one of my beds. Sadly I'll have to wait till the spring when the snow has thawed to dig down but will be following your suggestions
Thanks for doing this video! I have a bed doing this now! Blessings
Really enjoying the channel and content, mate. I love the old entrenching tool, too. Such a great bit of kit. It was a dark day when mine was stolen.
Thanks for the awesome vids and info. 🤙
Also tamp the backfill -- I have the shorter beds and not near as wide, and I used metal tape to prevent bow out. Knowing cave in could happen, I tamped soil 2 to 3 inches either side of my bracing to prevent/minimize settling. Pulled tape up, knowing it would settle as well. Hoping the plan works. :-)
The idea of supporting the braces should be standard installation for any bed where this type of undersoil is being used. I'm looking at starting a garden and want to use raised beds with hugelkultur and will definitely be adding vertical supports to the braces.
Given the price of lumber, do you think that a smaller piece of lumber (1x2 maybe) might work since it's just there to keep the braces from bending downward? Maybe with a small wider support at the bottom to keep it from being pushed down into the soil? I'm thinking a small (6x6) square of plywood nailed to the bottom of the vertical 1x2. Maybe even make the vertical long enough to act as part of a trellis or support for hoop.
As a, not quite spring chicken, I truly appreciate a raised garden bed. My roommate, also a not quite spring chicken, was trying to explain to me a raised garden bed in a stock tank with no bottom. I told him nobody was going to make a stock tank with no bottom. I stand corrected…
Very interesting information. Thank you.
Thanks mate. I’m doing 12 raised gardens just like yours from Woombye Tanks. Mortified when the first brace tore through the corrugated iron. Had me stumped lol. Ta mate.
Hi Mark I had the same problem with my raised beds I dug up to the braces and slipped over a 25 mm galvanised pipe so the wire braces go through the middle of the pipe cut pipe same size as garden beds problem solved cheers happy 2023
How did you put them through the pipe with the beds already assembled?
I solved this issue by building a galvanized unistrut frame and then bolting the panels onto the frame. Every bolt goes through a vertical piece of 12 gauge hot dipped unistrut with unistrut horizontal stabilizers instead of the weak flimsy provided aluminum ones. The box is now a tank. You can flip it on its side and sit on it. I used the provided bolts and nuts but bought larger washers. Cost wasn’t minimal but having filled it, emptied it a year later and filled it again, I don’t ever want to do it again so very worth the cost.
Thanks love your videos your garden is so beautiful
I love the channel Mark, and Birdees do make a good product. But those rods through the center are just way to small to be an effective support. The will definitely stop most of the bowing outward but as you have found they will bend way to easily when the soil is pushing down on them.
I have made my own beds and used 14mm all thread galvanized rod with panel washers inside and outside of the outter skin. Essentially tying both sides together to prevent any in or out movement over time.
Great video. I've not used the braces in my birdie beds. I use flat sided star pickets knocked in on the inside of the bed to support the sides. First Birdie Bed I built I found the braces got in my way whenever I dug the bed over. I've also started putting my veggie beds in cages (Igloo Pet Runs) Brisbane has too many varmints to contend with so I've locked my veggies up now. So far so good although I saw a possum ahead of me in the queue at Bunnings the other day buying a pair of bolt cutters, so we'll see I guess.
Hello from Kansas, USA!
Thank you for sharing this video!
I really enjoy these videos.
6:05 Do you think adding a wide foot to the brace would be helpful? I can imagine the same downforce on the rods would just drive the brace into the native soil.
That’s a good point!
I like the 2x4 support board idea, "an ounce of prevention...".
You probably hear this every day, but you could be the twin of Russel Crowe for real!
I wonder if prior to filling, if you added some t-posts attached to the rods might help with sagging.
I am using 2 in pvc pipe to help keep the shape. Works great
Great video as always Mark. I was having similar issues with bowing and I am attempting to just add more rods, which can be purchased separately.
This issue does seem like a design thing, the wood bracing if it helps seems to be a design flaw. Beds should offer more support to help the pressure issues.
Legend! Cheers.
Perfect video exactly what it needs to see I'm investing in them
Very helpful 🙂👏
I have 100 acres . I have one of these big raised gardens . I’m in the rain forest st Marys tasmania . I filled mine with fallen leaves rotten wood and branches . And it just keeps sinking . I think I might have snakes in it as it has holes . I don’t have any braces what a great idea . I have yet to put diol in as it keeps sinking
Yet to put dirt in
I'm just a new Subscriber to your Channel and my first expression is awesome and Wonderful 💖🎉 Keep a healthy life 🥰
Yes, his videos are very helpful, BTW I also have a small garden channel! 🌱🌱
What do you do about tree roots growing up into your raised beds and robbing the nutrients from your garden plants?
Perhaps having a pvc or steel pipe to cover and brace the bars to prevent bowing in or out of the sides.
Morning, Mark! The round beds, I see they do not have braces. How are they working out? Any issues with bowing or caving with them? I'm GLAD you showed this. I have been on the financial fence, of whether to take the dive and get these beds. I really want the height, BUT, even with these simple looking fixes, I'm realizing that I probably won't be able to dig down and actually reach those bars, to straighten them back out. I am really glad we are getting to see a longer term use of these beds. THANKS!
For a really large round bed bracing might be needed to prevent the bed from bowing one way at the top and a different direction at the bottom. For the smaller ones braces probably aren't needed because the pressure from the contained soil will push out equally in all directions, maintaining the round shape.
I give a new year thumbs up!
You’re a Great resource. Thanks.
Mark would that be called middle age spread? 🤣 Great video thumbs up.
Great video
feed the rod through a length of steel tubing as the tubing will prevent the rod from bowing or flexing.
you could also use a metal or wood plate on each side of the tube as additional reinforcement for the tin sides
Always good information.
Very interesting that you have three rod braces across your beds. My Birdie beds only came with 2 each. Did yours come with 3 or did you make the third and add it to them?
Thank you. Good video. Did you see any of the caving in with the rounds? I haven't bought any yet.
I think if the manufacturer wanted to address the issue they would replace that threaded rod with a vertically oriented piece of flat bar. It has a lot of strength in the dimension you need but not a lot of surface area for the soil to pull down on. Threaded rod is very easy to bend in comparison in this application.
Wonderful video.
We use 12inch wide boards in place of the braces and it works well
Hello I'm from the Garden Josh channel and I'm here to follow your channel
Yo man happy new year
Thanks Mark!
G'day Mark - from one vet to another! USN here. What branch were you in?
Nice one mark. Thanks mate
what are some of the the fastest fruits/vegitables to grow? from planting to harvesting? im curious
Mark, how would it work on the initial installation, to add some 3/4 black iron pipe cut to length as spreaders? Of course actual size would be determined by the size of the coupling used with each threaded rod. As the outer nuts on the rods are tightened to lessen outward spreading of the side walls, a pipe spreader with its additional thickness could act to lessen the inward collapse of the outer wall? Just trying to think of a solution that wouldnt require an annual or semi-annual redo of each container. -Bob...
Good on ya marko, 👍😊
It's certainly a design issue, or more precisely a cost issue. We're building our own from recycled materials. For bracing we use angle iron, much stronger. The angle iron is from old style pallet racking system, so quite cheap.
Love your work Mark. I'd be inclined to try to minimise the bowing effect in the raised garden beds with a thicker gauge threaded rod.
On another note, I see you use Birdies raised garden beds. Are they your choice of brand ?