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I bought the Gronomics 3’x4’ cedar elevated box this year as it is my first year living in town & using container gardening. It is very shaky after you put it together we put 2”x6” leg supports all the way around then cut 2 of them to use as supports from front to back underneath. We also put heavy duty casters/wheels so the box can be moved more easily. Since it was made out of cedar we glued scrap pieces of 2”x6” piece on each leg then screwed the plate that holds the wheels into that. Much safer & studier I did put a layer of stones in the bottom as the only drainage was tiny cracks between the bottom slats. They provided a weed cloth & I used six or seven 40# bags of organic soil which over the summer two more bags got added after the settling. Only problem tomatoes didn’t do well as it is only 10” deep. Bell peppers, kohlrabi, chives have done OK we’ve just had to much rain for them to do great. Cucumbers I'm using trellis upwards on string runners. Trial & error but I know better for next year now and hindsight with 20/20 vision I would have had somebody make me this box using 4"x4" posts for the legs and other boards to construct it for much cheaper keeping the wheels on it though.
I wouldn’t use railroad ties they have Creosote on/in them that have been linked to cancer & respiratory problems. I try to keep chemicals out of my food supply whether growing my own veggies or not buying processed foods at the grocery.
The silver livestock tanks, in any size, pose a variety of problems many can be rectified. Must have drain holes drilled in them, layer of gravel for better water retention & drainage, inside does need to be coated so zinc does not leach into your soil. Biggest problem I know of if left silver in color on outside it will absorb more heat from the sun thus drying out your soil faster causing more water usage. Depending on how far you can bend down I’d look into setting them on cider blocks to raise them hip or waist height.
I don’t get how folks can lay out a section of 1”or 2”x6” boards or a single layer of cinder blocks to encase your garden & call it raised gardening. To me it is not solving any back problem or leaning over issues. As well as so many others in my area having learned that the hard way after all the expense. Then still not able to garden.
Nita if you do some kind of raised bed directly on top of the ground you can put some type of heavy duty wire fencing on the ground then your stone then soil. This will ward off the gophers/groundhogs, moles etc from trying to pull up at your veggie dinner table.
Container veggie gardening is good for mostly non vining plants, real bushy or ones that don't need deep root systems. In ground gardening is more successful for me but I can no longer do that so at least I get to keep getting dirt under my nails with this waist high box.
thanks, I hope to get the soil deep enough that my tomatoes will work, that is the gardening I love the most, that and squash. I will have the raised beds ut off the ground; we are going to put a layer of plywood over the slightly raised area we have. Luckily our garden is inside a chain link fence, so we have no problems with our 4 legged creatures. We do not have gophers here. I had my share of them growing up in California.
I saw you mention railroad ties. In NM that is what our raised garden was all about. We bought our house from a guy who retired from the railroad and had access to ties. It was the best garden I have ever had.
thanks, I hope to get the soil deep enough that my tomatoes will work, that is the gardening I love the most, that and squash. I will have the raised beds ut off the ground; we are going to put a layer of plywood over the slightly raised area we have. Luckily our garden is inside a chain link fence, so we have no problems with our 4 legged creatures. We do not have gophers here. I had my share of them growing up in California.
I saw you mention railroad ties. In NM that is what our raised garden was all about. We bought our house from a guy who retired from the railroad and had access to ties. It was the best garden I have ever had.
I love Campari and San Marzano tomatoes, both small varieties. You can grow them upside down in a pot or hanging basket. All you need is a strong support and good sun. Google.
They are called raised beds only because theoretically you don't have to till up the soil or plant directly into the earth but I agree that kind of raised bed gardening is not very helpful as we get physical limitations.
BTW I am growing cherry tomatoes in two pots only 10 inches deep and having a terrific harvest. Wonder if it has to do with what variety of tomato you are trying to grow? My other pots are only 12 inches deep and we have more tomatoes than we can handle.
Jaxson what do you coat the inside of the silver tanks with? and what kind and color of pain do you paint the outside with?
They are called raised beds only because theoretically you don't have to till up the soil or plant directly into the earth but I agree that kind of raised bed gardening is not very helpful as we get physical limitations.
BTW I am growing cherry tomatoes in two pots only 10 inches deep and having a terrific harvest. Wonder if it has to do with what variety of tomato you are trying to grow? My other pots are only 12 inches deep and we have more tomatoes than we can handle.
Jaxson what do you coat the inside of the silver tanks with? and what kind and color of pain do you paint the outside with?
We have several friends here that grow tomatoes in pots and they are beautiful, the only problem, they don't get a huge harvest. Your cherry tomatoes sound like our yellow cherries this year. Ours are in the ground, and yes, they are everywhere. I keep giving them away, we have them almost nightly, I even put them in our omelet this morning and I still have a huge amount to harvest.
RustNeverSleeps: we have a few varieties this year but can't tell you what kind that are really small but oh so good!!!
I don't want to get too sciency on this but the solar reflectance index (SRI) for bare (shiny) galvanized steel
is about 46. Painted white, the same tank has an aprox. SRI of 72 to 82.
Spoke with a relative I don't get along with, Rust-Oleum - 206194T, who said you need - Rust Removers & Corrosion Inhibitors Type: Zinc Cold Galvanizing Compound primer and of course he says Rust-Oleum is best on galvanized metal. You need to clean, prime, undercoat, and finish coat for pro results.
Interior, that same black poly, spray glued around the top edges, then trim with a box knife.
It's a constant battle between Rust-Oleum and me . . . I'll win because I never sleep.
If Rust-Oleum shows up in this thread. Please report the attack to the Moderator at once. He's the snitch & baich of my world, trying to get me banned!
They are called raised beds only because theoretically you don't have to till up the soil or plant directly into the earth but I agree that kind of raised bed gardening is not very helpful as we get physical limitations.
BTW I am growing cherry tomatoes in two pots only 10 inches deep and having a terrific harvest. Wonder if it has to do with what variety of tomato you are trying to grow? My other pots are only 12 inches deep and we have more tomatoes than we can handle.
Jaxson what do you coat the inside of the silver tanks with? and what kind and color of pain do you paint the outside with?
I think first time raised bed gardeners don't always investigate the method enough hopefully somebody reading this thread might get a light bulb moment with all the ideas.
Friends here have had success in container tomato growing but not this year we've just had to much rain and fluctuating extreme temps & humidity.
Me personally I have never used a galvanized tank for food gardening I weighed the risk & costs then decided against it for my family. I'm sure in larger areas there are more options but in my rural area there was no non toxic primer or paint choices at the time. We looked into a liner but only found rubber which could emit toxins as well so we chose not to use one. I do use galvanized wash tubs to plant flowers in hence the tip I gave about the sun drying out the soil quicker than other types of containers sooner.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nmnita
I saw you mention railroad ties. In NM that is what our raised garden was all about. We bought our house from a guy who retired from the railroad and had access to ties. It was the best garden I have ever had.
[color="Blue"]I think first time raised bed gardeners don't always investigate the method enough hopefully somebody reading this thread might get a light bulb moment with all the ideas.
Friends here have had success in container tomato growing but not this year we've just had to much rain and fluctuating extreme temps & humidity.
Me personally I have never used a galvanized tank for food gardening I weighed the risk & costs then decided against it for my family. I'm sure in larger areas there are more options but in my rural area there was no non toxic primer or paint choices at the time. We looked into a liner but only found rubber which could emit toxins as well so we chose not to use one. I do use galvanized wash tubs to plant flowers in hence the tip I gave about the sun drying out the soil quicker than other types of containers sooner.
The great thing about this is people have options. If everyone thought the same it would be boring and somebodies wouldn't be thinking. Here, in ranch and farm land country, those stock tanks are normal and were not nearly as expensive as they've become now. With surrounding port works, industrial plants, machine services with everything from barge pilots and heavy equipment service & operators to welders, are trades with the skills to make set-back steel pipe gates to custom BBQ pits. You name it , it's somebody's friend, Dad, whatever.
Consider the yellow squash, it's approx. $1.50 to $1.75 pound now. In reality, three good plants will provide enough for a family of four all summer. As usual the stores want to sell the big (old) squash which are poor, imo, to make more money. Wanting to sell okra in sealed plastic cartons so you can't pick.
I wasn't too concerned about money I wanted good, fresh food, and some of it right out the kitchen door.
Chilies, tomatoes, and cilantro were fresh of the plants and fresh fertile eggs with tangerine yolks. Pork fed on acorns, in pecan bottoms, that's not another white meat. Wild boar is a delicacy in Florence Italy and we're surrounded with them in Texas. WTH, polenta is "grits" - Alabama Ice Cream, depending on how you were raised or experimental you are.
Such a great idea and they're so long lasting. As has been mentioned, drilling the holes about 2" from the bottom (on the sides) is the way to go. You can fill the bottome 8" or so with something. Pumice or lava rock make great additions, because they're lightweight and porous. The sheer weight of a 2' x 6' planter is huge and soil that deep can pack pretty tight. Most garden plants don't require more than 12" of soil, so no need to waste all that money on potting soil, when you don't need it. Gosh, that's like 2 bags worth, right there. LOL
Of course, sawdust and straw make good fillers too, but they will decomp and shrink away, as the season wears on. Good luck! I went to a whole lot of raised beds this year and that's why. With work and all...and um, you know....wearing out!!!!!!! LOL, those things are a Godsend!
I am really excited about this just thinking about next year. Our garden started out so good this spring with all the light rainy days we had, but between weeds, not enough rain, up and down temps it looks pretty crappy right now. I just think, for us, the raised bed, in containers is the answer.
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& using container gardening. 
It is very shaky after you put it together we put 2”x6” leg supports all the way around then cut 2 of them to use as supports from front to back underneath. We also put heavy duty casters/wheels so the box can be moved more easily. Since it was made out of cedar we glued scrap pieces of 2”x6” piece on each leg then screwed the plate that holds the wheels into that. Much safer & studier I did put a layer of stones in the bottom as the only drainage was tiny cracks between the bottom slats. They provided a weed cloth & I used six or seven 40# bags of organic soil which over the summer two more bags got added after the settling. Only problem tomatoes didn’t do well as it is only 10” deep. Bell peppers, kohlrabi, chives have done OK we’ve just had to much rain for them to do great. Cucumbers I'm using trellis upwards on string runners. Trial & error but I know better for next year now and hindsight with 20/20 vision I would have had somebody make me this box using 4"x4" posts for the legs and other boards to construct it for much cheaper keeping the wheels on it though. 
