You can hot glue a small piece of fine mesh screen over the fill tube and drain hole(s) that not only blocks foreign debris but also mosquitos.

So well explaned and veiwed .Particularly enjoyed the part about your water catch tote,s water flow issue,been wondering about this since i picked up some totes to do exactly what you,re doing and being in southern Alberta ,Canada which is almost desert like . We did recently have a mandatory evacuation due to an intence prairie fire ,burning down several buildings and crops near our village.Keep it up and if you could do updates on you,re success rate that,d be good too . thanks

Tubs that are white/clear are more subject to algae buildup on the inside. You might want to think about painting the outsides of your tubs.

Definitely cover the filler tubes otherwise the slugs snails will hide in there. I dont use filler tubes any more I just water the soil and when the drain holes starts to leak I stop. The plant get a good watering too.

Great job guys. You can utilise pallet wood frames to tidy up and allow them to hook onto sides. To extend your growing season you could look at individual double skinned mini hoop houses that could be hinged to lift open for air flow during warmer period of day. You could plant out each one with square foot crops. Well done. Love to see a follow up video with your gardens once crops are grown.

@Goosenator636

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you Craig, We are definitely needing to look into options for the summer time. I have shade cloth that i purchased and i am thinking about making a frame that would extend over the entire area and cover it with the cloth. Winter his is pretty mild but we do have days normally in either January or February that will dip below freezing.

If you make these again, you might fill up the first couple feet of soil with just plain topsoil from lowes/HD. You could amend it if you want, but it should be fine, would be a lot cheaper, like under $2 a bag vs $6 or so for that garden soil. Neat video, I wish I could find a cheap source of those totes, they're pricey around here.

@karenmack2005

2 жыл бұрын

We found a guy reselling totes used once by his workplace for $50/each. You might try finding a business who uses them - some reuse I think and some don't.

Thanks for clear and simple explanation!

thankyou it was very informative, if you cut the neck off a narrow plastic drink bottle and then slide the bottle over the inlet pipe this should work to prevent things falling in it

Great video

@Goosenator636

Ай бұрын

Thanks!

Awesome job I can recycle the one I have instead of throwing it away ❤️

Wow ! A Cadillac for growing plants. Rain water storage. Those containers look like $330 each.

Our summers have been very dry; for you guys, a 4” basin reservoir may be great. Here in Arkansas, I’ve used 6”. I feel like I should have gone with 8”. Haven’t seen rain in 15 days now.

Thanks for the video. Wondering if you could do a 1 year update... -Were you happy with the results? -What are you doing differently this year? Thanks!

@jeffoakes4003

2 жыл бұрын

I wonder if it flopped because there’s no update. Looks awesome but expensive. Wouldn’t want to spend such time and money if it’ll flop. I wish There was an update. Looks very intriguing!!!

Thank great video. Any updates? Like things you would do differently or something that you’re still impressed with?

I’m not familiar with what IBC totes are yet or where to get them, but I like this concept a lot. Thanks for sharing!

@Goosenator636

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Its not an entirely new concept we took some ideas from a gentleman in Australia that uses this system and has several videos on ones that he has made. We wanted to go for more of an approach that we have better control over what goes in the ground, better maintenance for weeds, and when we go on trips for more than a few days that they will be fine without the need to water every day as they will have there own water source. Young plants still need to be watered above ground until there roots start to establish after which they will since the moisture in the soil and will not require the above ground water they once did. Stay tuned as we will i am sure continue to add a few more. This is our first year for these so there will be lots to learn and adjust from.

@stacyjcorder

3 жыл бұрын

You can get on Market Place they are water totes people use at hunting leased. Not for drinking water storage.

@doriedoremi

3 жыл бұрын

We had several suppliers we found on Craigslist and then they sold out so quickly we couldn't get them when we wanted them. I went on Facebook marketplace and found A supplier, we're in the Houston area and not only did they have the 275 totes that we wanted, we bought six but they delivered for a small fee. All in all the six totes and the delivery was less than what it would have cost us than any of the other three vendors we found and the U-Haul rental. Shop around. Look for the right deal and make sure their food grade. Most of them are soda syrup storage

Do you have ny updates? Curious how this has worked this past year. Take care 🙂 ❤

From doing research water only wicks up 30 cm or 12 inches. Buying a ton of potting soil must have been so expensive!

Thanks for the great video. I really like the design. How have they been working for you? I'm scared living in a cooler climate the soil would stay too wet.

@Goosenator636

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Daniel, We will have to do an updated video on these sometime this year. The beds seems to be working well. The wicking aspect is working as it should. We have Mulch in all the beds and i test them with a moisture meter from time to time to see how wet they are so far they seem to hold excellent moisture in the 5-6 range on a moisture meter from 3-8" after that the moisture levels start to spike. most of our plants seem to love it. I did mess up and not use good soil so fertility this year has been an issue i have used a couple methods to try and estabolish good fertility including a topical fertilizer that suppose to last 3-4 months as well as a liquid fertilizer of worm tea dilluted in water. We are also working on trying to make our own worm tea if successful will give me a sustainable way to continue to add liquid fertilizer to my plants from time to time as needed.

@DanSav76

4 жыл бұрын

@@Goosenator636 Thanks for the tips, looking forward to updates!

@davidwarren4569

Жыл бұрын

Are those plastic bed containers uv proof?

How did these wicking tubs workout? Anything you would change after doing this or are they still going strong?

@Goosenator636

2 жыл бұрын

Still going strong they have stood up well to the Texas sun and heat. I may paint them in the outside in the future if they start to show deterioration I have greenhouse hoops that I plan to install and add shade cloth to the area.

do you have an updated video.

Before you add water to the system, how far down is the water level in the fill chamber ?? Is it almost to the bottom, or do you find the plants getting a bit dry, even though the water level is only half way in the perforated tubes ?? I need to know how well the gravel and sand transfers the water up to the dirt.. I am in Canada..

@Goosenator636

4 жыл бұрын

The reservoir is about 4 inches deep I used 3" perferated tube and then the rock make a great drainage medium. after that we added the weed block and the sand to assist in the wicking process. I found our beds seem to all hold optimum moisture according to our moisture meter at 8 inches. the further down it goes the wetter it gets. after a year or two i may have to adjust the reservoir height and bring it down some. But for now first year of use i am happy with the over all design and use. I do not have to add water often. I am thinking about enclosing either then entire area or each individual one to assist in longer growing seasons or more important for me in texas to find a way to regulate the heat probably thru use of a shade cloth. Thanks for watching if you have any other questions let me know. We plan on doing an garden update video here in a few days.

@DocScience2

4 жыл бұрын

= @@Goosenator636 = Thankyou for replying... That was very useful. . I am in the process of making one of these, so I need to know this , to modify to make it fit my climate.. (1) When you say "optimum moisture at 8 inches", does that mean it is a bit too dry above that ?? (2) What do you mean by " enclosing the area" ?? Is it because it gets too warm, or too cold, or to keep moisture in ?? (3) Have you ever seen the water level in the bottom, go below 1 inch ?? -

@Goosenator636

4 жыл бұрын

@@DocScience2 1.) When i test it with a moisture meter the optimum level of moisture according to the reader was at 8 inches. Without Mulch it was around 12 inches so the mulch really helps keep things moist. Above 8" it starts to dry and by 2-3" it was to dry, with mulch it stayed moist almost to the surface. 2.) Enclosing i am just looking at making it an additional greenhouse. We have one greenhouse my wife uses for suculents and garden starts. I think if i enclose my raised bed area i can help maintain temperature in the winter when it does drop below freezing and in the summer when it gets to hot here in Texas. I also have trees in the area that part of my beds get full sun most of the day and other portions that get partial sun and are in shade more often than not which seems to effect the plants i have growing in them. 3.) I have not seen the water level go below 1 inch. we have been very fortunate so far with rains i was more concerned of the beds being to wet but they seem to all be draining as they are suppose to and maintaining water levels. We are just reaching the beginning of summer here so the test will begin in the next few months to see how often i will need to refill. It will depend on the heat, the wind, the rains, and how much water my plants are soaking up.

@DocScience2

4 жыл бұрын

= @@Goosenator636 = Thankyou. . That was precisely what I needed to know.. I am planning on covering with plastic.. We had 3 inches of snow here, last night, on May 7. A bigger snowstorm is forecast for tomorrow.

I like it all except that crappy soil

What are these IBC containers and where can you buy them? How much do they cost a piece? You say you cut them in half. What do you use to cut them.?

@Goosenator636

2 жыл бұрын

I would suggest just searching places like Facebook Market Place for them. I found mine at a local truck car wash. You want to make sure they are food grade and did not use chemicals for transport. I believe ours were 330 gallon when cut in half it made 2 containers. to cut I used a skill saw for the plastic to help maintain a straight line. For the metal I used a saw zaw with a blade designed for metal. The cost of them really varies you should be able to find good containers for less than 40 dollars each. These were purchased a few years ago at 25 dollars a piece.

Wondering how does the water get wicked up?

@Goosenator636

2 жыл бұрын

It has a reservoir of water in the bottom 3-4 inches of the tote as the dirt dries up top it will naturally pull water up which the plants will use for nutrients. You can either water from the top and water will leech down to the reservoir or our tubs have a place they can be filled. I’ve noticed the dirt tends to stay at optimal moisture content from 8-12 inches any lower and there is a higher moisture content.

Do you need the metal cages left on? I’m about to cut mine

@Goosenator636

2 жыл бұрын

I left mine for support, The totes fill kinda of flimsy without.

@kingskings1013

2 жыл бұрын

@@Goosenator636 I’m cutting my cages now. Just did the first one. We plan on covering them over later with either cedar or maybe colored corrugated metal with wood posts. First one is gonna be for my Jerusalem Artichokes!!! Thank you so much!

What should I look for when buying a ibc tote?

@Goosenator636

3 жыл бұрын

something that did not house toxic chemicals is what i was told. Around our area there is a lot that were used for iodine which is a water soluable dip used in the dairy industry. I found mine near Waco, Tx at a truck wash shop they were used for soap. There are several different sizes of ibc container available i can not remember what size we used but the cage has 6 rings of support around the outside made a great place to cut them in half and reuse the entire cage and container.

@farfan

3 жыл бұрын

@@Goosenator636 I found some that where used for soaps. Can I use that ?

@Goosenator636

3 жыл бұрын

@@farfan Yes mam that should be fine.

@farfan

3 жыл бұрын

When I comes to the dirt and the stone, can you use any type of dirt and stone/ rocks? Or it has to be a certain type? I ask because I am about to buy a IBC tote that is a good graded that was used for lemon and orange fructose. Excited to start

@Goosenator636

3 жыл бұрын

@@farfan We used 1.5"-2" rock from homedepots gardening area which filled the crevasse nicely, Then we added our weed block and sand, As for dirt do some research they offer dirt for above ground planting you may be able to resource dirt from local suppliers. Compost and some manure get you started well the first year. I made the mistake of using regular gardening soil which did not have much nutrients in it so i worked all year trying to improve the nutrients in the soil. I am hoping this year will be better.

Why add mulch under? I would think that would be too much nitrogen

They didn't put mulch on top of the sand.

Do you have any follow up videos?

@Goosenator636

Ай бұрын

Hello!! Thanks for reaching out we did do a follow up video you can see it from the attached link. Raised Wicking Bed Update!!! kzread.info/dash/bejne/ood_raqcocKzlNY.html

A for effort

What are ibc totes

@Goosenator636

2 жыл бұрын

Intermediate bulk containers are industrial-grade containers engineered for the mass handling, transport, and storage of liquids, semi-solids, pastes, or solids.

Did it work or not?

@Goosenator636

Ай бұрын

Hello!! Yes we have been very happy with our beds. If you’re interested in the follow up video I have included it in the following link. Raised Wicking Bed Update!!! kzread.info/dash/bejne/ood_raqcocKzlNY.html

I'm guessing you guys ended up top watering, sand does not wick and your sand level is above the drain hole. Great system otherwise, well done. thx for sharing.

@Goosenator636

3 жыл бұрын

They have actually work very well for us for 2 years now. I need to show a follow up video on how they are producing.

@rwind656

2 жыл бұрын

@@Goosenator636 I just found your video... We are about to put in a set of 10 wicking beds just like yours of IBC totes. (January 2022) Any update you can give would be greatly appreciated. I will subscribe and check out to see if you have posted. Meanwhile, about the assertion that sand is poor at wicking, I found and watched a video in the past few days of someone who had tested and measured different wicking media and found sand was the best at wicking. Gravel was poor -- but I am thinking as I see your design and others like it, your gravel area will be compensated for by the middle well of sand. That sand in the bottom should wick up to the same above, which should wick into the soil above. Right? If you reply to this I will be able to come back and leave a link to the video when I find it. Might be in my history... One of my concerns is that the bed might go anaerobic at the bottom after a couple of years. Trying to learn from other's experience first. Thanks!

@Goosenator636

2 жыл бұрын

@@rwind656 Hi Thanks for watching. We have had our beds in for a few years now and they are doing good, My wife and I need to make a follow up video on how things are going. The only think I would do different if I make these again would be buying the dirt from Home Depot. I have found this was really expensive at the end of the day and I could source dirt locally at a local compost yard which I could get by the truck bed load at a much more reasonable price. We also added a hog panel to a few of our beds for our climbing items which helped make more room for vine production items such as cucumbers, and beans. I have not had any issue in the wicking system. WE live in Texas and sometimes see 105-110 degree days I normally top the beds off once a week and it does not require much water. As to the anaerobic issue. I have not had any issues at this time. Thanks for the input and watching. We are new to making videos but appreciate all the comments.

@rwind656

2 жыл бұрын

@@Goosenator636 thanks so much for posting this video on wicking beds. Y'all did great on making the video, if you're wondering. Thumbs up. Very watchable. And for the reply. I had to look up "hog panel" - like a cattle panel. ( Did you arc it over the top between 2 beds? (I see it's avail in 16ft at Tractor Supply.) Will have to consider this. I also saw mention somewhere of "planting shelves" mounted above for watermelons, cantelopes... but have not seen a photo. We are trying to decide on putting in a gravel underlayment around the whole garden, or something else. Years ago we used roll roofing (asphalt) under my kid's play set and it held up surprisingly well for many many years. If you live in the South, you know weeds are a major problem. The landscape border would prevent us tractoring around the perimeter. Mulling over ideas. Thanks again for the info!

@Goosenator636

2 жыл бұрын

@@rwind656 We used 2 panels 1 per bed and arc them over the top attaching to the sides of the metal cage our beds are inside. My wife had planting shelves for a while but our were more for decretive purposes she planted things such as marigolds in them to try and naturally protect our plants from bugs that are prone to eating them and to promote pollination with some of our local bees by bringing in color. Our base is something we need to rework, We used weed block and mulch. If i did it again I would either use gravel or more than likely a roofing felt paper or something similar that works better as a weed barrier. We have had grass issues in the base for quite some time. I actually bought some second hand greenhouse hoops are thinking about installing in the area to extend growing seasons thru the winter months. Thanks for the compliments I will make sure to tell my wife.

Now I know who was hogged all garden soils in Costco... 😄

Looks like a very expensive project.

@Goosenator636

Ай бұрын

It was not the cheapest project my wife has dreamed up but we love our projects.

suggestion...next time DO NOT buy bags of soil...u are wasting money big time...best to buy cubic yards of potting soil, compost and make your own soil...separate buy bale of peat moss and 2 big bags of perlite ...some bone meal, slow release fertilizer and you are in business...cheap cheap cheap...

@Goosenator636

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely agree it was a lesson we have learned from for future projects