Galvanized Steel Raised Beds

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farmingnoob
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Galvanized Steel Raised Beds

Post by farmingnoob »

There's a company called Birdies in Australia that makes a variety of raised beds. I picked up a few raised beds on Rakuten and they are about 30cm high. I watch a YouTuber called Self Sufficient Me who uses similar raised beds but they are around 1m high - so no bending over necessary.

Does anyone have any idea how to get tall galvanized steel raised beds in Japan? Alternatively, I've heard of people using water tanks and I've also seen people who use steel panels with wood posts to make raised beds.

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Re: Galvanized Steel Raised Beds

Post by Shizuman »

Gday mate

I havent seen anything like that myself but i was thinking at cainz you can buy the recycled plastic rice field liners, they are like corrugated 300 - 500 ish mm plastic things tried to find a link but couldnt you should be able to see them at your local home center, also found this while browsing cainz
http://www.cainz.com/shop/g/g4549509294030/

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gonbechan
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Re: Galvanized Steel Raised Beds

Post by gonbechan »

Not galvanized but also something to consider.
Check your local area railways to see if they are selling off lots of used railroad ties.
Buying these from commercial sources are rather spendy, but local railroads sell them a few times a year in lots and they can be quite affordable.
They are quite hefty and make great raised beds. The only thing is cutting them, its rather dangerous and difficult to cut them with a circular saw.

You could probably make your own raised beds with トタン ( corrugated galvanized steel sheets) for a more affordable price than ready made bed kits.
Set of 10 sheets on Rakuten for comparison
https://item.rakuten.co.jp/kenzai-stati ... 1_10000237

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Re: Galvanized Steel Raised Beds

Post by farmingnoob »

Shizuman wrote:
Mon Feb 25, 2019 10:24 pm
recycled plastic rice field liners, they are like corrugated 300 - 500 ish mm plastic things
Thanks. Is this what you mean?

http://www.cainz.com/shop/g/g4560172724549/

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Re: Galvanized Steel Raised Beds

Post by farmingnoob »

gonbechan wrote:
Tue Feb 26, 2019 6:16 am
Check your local area railways to see if they are selling off lots of used railroad ties.

You could probably make your own raised beds with トタン ( corrugated galvanized steel sheets) for a more affordable price than ready made bed kits.
Thanks. I've thought about railroad ties, but are they safe for gardening? I've heard that they are heavily treated to prevent weathering.

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Re: Galvanized Steel Raised Beds

Post by LeeB »

Over the past couple of years I was 'forced' to go from a normal vegetable patch to one of raised garden beds - the better half didn't like the 'messy' garden and as a result of an accident it has limited work in the garden.

With the raised beds I can sit on the edge and do lots of the work rather than standing and bending or kneeling.

I just got some 50mm x 200mm x 2400 and 50mm x 200mm x 1200 and with some bolts made 'boxes' and then stacked them to make it 400mm high. Put some braces on the inside to hold them together. Then proceeded to move the dirt from one area of the yard that I had taken out an old tree that fell down (What a bunch of work that was to get the stump and roots out - luckily that was done before the accident!!) and leveled that area.

That took a long time too.

We have those pre-fab galvanized steel ones here, but they aren't that high and I really don't know how long they will last as they are probably made with cheap Chinese steel.

Then I filled them up with compost and dirt from the hardware store a few bags at a time. Normally I''d would just order a cubic meter of 'garden mix', but there is now way I'd be able to move the stuff from the front of the house to the backyard now. Of course it cost more that way too.

They are much easier to keep clean and work in, but I do have one thing that is worrying me.

This year it seems that no matter how much I water them, they always seem to be dry on top. I wonder if there is something about raised beds that makes them hotter or more prone to dry out than normal type garden beds?

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Re: Galvanized Steel Raised Beds

Post by Shizuman »

farmingnoob wrote:
Tue Feb 26, 2019 9:24 am

Thanks. Is this what you mean?

http://www.cainz.com/shop/g/g4560172724549/
Yea mate thats the ones!

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Re: Galvanized Steel Raised Beds

Post by gonbechan »

farmingnoob wrote:
Tue Feb 26, 2019 9:26 am
Thanks. I've thought about railroad ties, but are they safe for gardening? I've heard that they are heavily treated to prevent weathering.
They are treated with creosote which has pretty much leached out by the time they are sold.The ones sold in lots have first been used for years and years and then left in the yard to accumulate enough to sell in lots every year or so.
I wouldn't use them inside a poly tunnel or something like that but I have used them for raised beds in the past.

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Eric in Japan
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Re: Galvanized Steel Raised Beds

Post by Eric in Japan »

Used bus/truck tires. Car tires also work.
Use a jigsaw to cut the sidewall out close to the tread, and you have a nice sized totally indestructible raised bed. Lay them on two layers of cardboard, fill with soil mix for a weed free bed.
I use them to plant my raspberries/blackberries/blueberries.
"... so, the cucumbers said to the cabbage, `Lettuce Go.`"

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Re: Galvanized Steel Raised Beds

Post by Zasso Nouka »

Eric in Japan wrote:
Sun Mar 03, 2019 9:01 am
Used bus/truck tires. Car tires also work.
That reminds me of an idea I saw on the magnificently named Bob Flowerdew's gardening tv show for growing potatoes. Place a couple of tyres on the ground and plant a few potatoes in the middle a cover with soil. As the potatoes grow keep adding more tyres and soil till you have a potato tower, when ready to harvest knock the tower over and you have loads of tatties grown in a small area.

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