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The retirement home where I last worked as a gardener removed the pea patch and replaced it with a group of horse troughs for the resident's gardening. The idea was that they would be easier to work than getting down and kneeling on the ground. Great in theory.....
But I hated it. Those things are ugly. There were a host of other problems as well.
Each trough had holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. A plastic liner was installed inside to prevent leeched contamination from the galvanized tin. The bottoms were covered with gravel and the remainder filled with garden soil.
Maybe it wouldn't have been so ugly if that shiny reflective tin had been painted in a landscape color, but that would have required some pricey primer and a couple of coats of paint. The whole project looks like a feed lot if you ask me.
In spite of looking large, the horse troughs really don't have much surface space. You might get a couple of tomatoes and a flower or two in each one. No longer do the residents have enough space to grow squash or pumpkins or corn or pole beans or potatoes or perennials.
And once the troughs are put in place and filled, that's it. They weigh about half a million pounds. Moving or getting rid of them is a bigger job than putting them in.
And oh, did I mention how shiny and ugly they are?
azoria,
That's funny.
The first thing I thought when I read this thread was,
Gee, that would be really ugly.
OP, have someone pick up some cinderblocks and garden soil
for you, and make a raised bed instead.
You can make it 2 cinderblocks high if you like, it's easy to do,
instant gratification and you can change it anytime you want.
Veggy plants need surface area, not neccesarily a 2 foot deep
root area.
Come to think of it, those troughs are probably deeper than that.
After all, they are for the water for horses.
Has any one ever heard of making a raised garden using horse trough (spelling) A friend of my daughters, who lives here has a bad back and so wanted a garden this years, so she decided to grow one using a couple of troughs. I thought it sounded like a darn good idea, what do you guys think? I have a bad back, so my garden is suffering, and when it is not suffering, my back is: I just can't seem to keep the weeds out: I would think the trough would help for that as well.
Go to YouTube search on a poster from Aus Name Rob Bob Look at his "Wicking bed" videos and it will show you the correct way to build the system so it also conserves water
The ones we used looked like these. And see how how much ground space would have been available except that there's a ten ton trough full of dirt parked in the middle of it. Oogly.
The ones we used looked like these. And see how how much ground space would have been available except that there's a ten ton trough full of dirt parked in the middle of it. Oogly.
I don't think they are ugly at all. If I can find some like that, I am all for it.. I know they won't be huge, but I do not have a huge garden now and I really am not ready to say; good bye garden, but my back and knees say, you better get ready to say bye or find some answer that works.
Why don't you, instead of horse troughs, build some raised beds?
Having said that, for a number of reasons I have my tomatoes in felt tubs filled with straight compost this year. I also planted cucumbers in the tubs to twine up the cages but a damned ground hog got them.
I hope you’ll follow pmmenn’s suggestion and consider wicking beds, also known as self-watering beds. They not only conserve water but deliver the correct amount of water to the plants 24/7. You can use the water to deliver nutrients. For some plants and designs, you can cover the entire top soil surface with black plastic; you cut a small opening in the plastic to insert plants. This completely eliminates weeds and soil splashing up onto leaves. As you probably know, some diseases are transmitted to plants through splashed up soil. I’ve grown tomatoes and annual flowers in large wicking pots and love it.
Here are two ways to make self-watering horse trough planters:
Creative watering techniques? (organic forum at permies)
Scroll down to see picture of corrugated plastic drainage pipe in bottom of horse trough. Use this picture with the instructions in pmmenn’s posted video and you’re in business.
Here is a link to a very attractive, IMHO, horse trough planter.
I also like natural ones shown by azoria. In all these pictures, I think the attractiveness of the surrounding garden is key to the attractiveness of the planters themselves.
You didn’t say if you’re committed to using a horse trough or are open to considering other raised-bed alternatives that will protect your back. If you’re open to other raised garden beds, especially wicking ones, just search "self watering raised beds images" for a great start. I couldn't get the link to work here.
Just for fun I also wanted to link you to “file cabinets for planters.” They kinda remind me of horse trough planters. I think they can be very attractive, but I don’t know about their safety for growing plants for food. You may have to line them with heavy plastic, or maybe not. They can be made into wicking beds and are much less expensive than horse water troughs. Old, used heavy ones are ideal. Again, I couldn't get a link for "file cabinets for planters images" to work, so here's just one:
I want to mention straw bale and hugelkultur raised beds, although I don’t think these will solve your weed problem and your back may be much, much worse if you build them yourself. However, they may inspire an idea that will work for you. I think it’s fun and somewhat amazing to see how raised bed gardening is developing.
Why don't you, instead of horse troughs, build some raised beds?
Having said that, for a number of reasons I have my tomatoes in felt tubs filled with straight compost this year. I also planted cucumbers in the tubs to twine up the cages but a damned ground hog got them.
I am seriously thinking about something like that, but pray tell: what is a felt tub? Someone suggested using cedar blocks to raise the bed off the ground for starters. That might work as well. We have those wonderful ground hogs also, but I have a 6 ft fence around part of the garden. They haven't figured out yet, how to open the gate.
My pepper plants are all in pots and doing well, though I doubt the peppers will get very large. I am hoping I am wrong about that.
Has any one ever heard of making a raised garden using horse trough (spelling) A friend of my daughters, who lives here has a bad back and so wanted a garden this years, so she decided to grow one using a couple of troughs. I thought it sounded like a darn good idea, what do you guys think? I have a bad back, so my garden is suffering, and when it is not suffering, my back is: I just can't seem to keep the weeds out: I would think the trough would help for that as well.
I think it would work very well depending upon how close to the ground you want to be. I believe that a sheep trough would be more convenient. You can put railroad ties or cinder blocks underneath to add height. This makes it much better if you're sitting. I'd paint the inside with a nontoxic paint because zinc can be harmful to some plants; it's definitely toxic to fish
You can also lay railroad ties from ground level to your chosen height. Then just fill it with soil starting with a good layer of gravel. This has the advantage that it's part of the ground so it won't feel the effects of early cold weather as much or as soon. I'd make it long and narrow so it doesn't require reaching. You could even put benches along the long sides and just scoot along.
I used to raise potatoes in a stack of tires. Cut out the sidewalls, then stack them and fill them with soil, You'll remove them one at a time as you eat your way down. This should work well in your climate.
I think it would work very well depending upon how close to the ground you want to be. I believe that a sheep trough would be more convenient. You can put railroad ties or cinder blocks underneath to add height. This makes it much better if you're sitting. I'd paint the inside with a nontoxic paint because zinc can be harmful to some plants; it's definitely toxic to fish
You can also lay railroad ties from ground level to your chosen height. Then just fill it with soil starting with a good layer of gravel. This has the advantage that it's part of the ground so it won't feel the effects of early cold weather as much or as soon. I'd make it long and narrow so it doesn't require reaching. You could even put benches along the long sides and just scoot along.
I used to raise potatoes in a stack of tires. Cut out the sidewalls, then stack them and fill them with soil, You'll remove them one at a time as you eat your way down. This should work well in your climate.
Now of course I have to decide how to pay for the troughs. I didn't realize how pricey they can be: I might set up a foundation for this; you can all send contributions to "the big old lady" that needs to continue to garden. I will give you more information later.
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Wicking bed hint
You can also lay railroad ties from ground level to your chosen height. Then just fill it with soil starting with a good layer of gravel. This has the advantage that it's part of the ground so it won't feel the effects of early cold weather as much or as soon. I'd make it long and narrow so it doesn't require reaching. You could even put benches along the long sides and just scoot along.
