Whether you’re a beginner in the gardening space or already know you love tending and caring for plants, we all need suitable, durable places to grow our flowers and blooms. While many gardeners choose to build their own beds using wood, screws and other materials, there’s another option for those who aren’t as handy – stock tanks.
But you can’t use these tanks right out of the box to start your garden. You must construct and prepare them to make them the perfect raised garden beds for growing herb plants and flowers.
Why Use Stock Tanks to Make Garden Beds?
Stock tanks are primarily used on farms to store drinking water for animals and livestock. They can be made with durable, galvanized metal materials designed to hold up to elements, making these a perfect choice for your makeshift garden bed.
While you can use raised garden beds to grow all varieties of flowers, herbs and plants, the best type to grow in these planters are vegetable plants. Their longer depth and wider surface area are ideal for growing multiple fruits and vegetables at one time in a smaller gardening space. They can also be used for:
- Vegetables with larger root systems, including pumpkins and squash
- Greens, such as lettuce, spinach and kale
- Vine plants, such as tomatoes, green beans and cucumbers
Additionally, stock tank garden beds make it easier to map out exactly where plants are going to go with the square-foot gardening method, which uses markers, such as lattice strips, to separate soils into one-foot square sections.
Some people may also just want a metal stock tank to simply add a unique touch to garden spaces, especially if you’re looking to switch up their appearance this spring. Instead of worrying about building wooden garden beds and maintaining them to prevent rot and mildew growth, you simply prepare your stock tank, place it where you want it to go and add the soil you need before you start growing. Consider finding stock tanks with galvanized finishes and coatings, as this will prevent rusting and corrosion over time.
Steps for Building the Perfect Garden Bed
To build your ideal garden bed from a stock tank, follow these steps and tips:
Choose Your Style and Size of Stock Tank
Stock tanks come in many shapes and sizes to accommodate a variety of farming tasks, meaning you must evaluate your backyard or patio space to determine the size you need. If you have a smaller patio, consider purchasing a rounder tank setup, which is more compact to fit next to patio furniture, grills and other accessories. But if you’re looking to start a larger garden with multiple beds, you need stock tanks in larger, more oblong constructions.
Keep in mind that the larger and higher your stock tank is, the more lining and soils you need to put into it. So, alongside your backyard’s size, you must also think about your budget and how much you’re willing to spend on gardening materials.
Plan Where Your Garden Is Going to Go
Before preparing and filling up your stock tank, the next step is to plan out your garden space. Do you only have enough room for one stock tank? Or do you have enough space to create a whole garden setup with multiple tanks? Either way, you must look at your backyard area, its size and what you want out of your gardening experience to come up with the right plan.
You should also make notes as to the types of plants you want to grow in your garden bed. Certain vegetables will need plenty of space between plants and the bottom of the tank to allow for large root systems to grow and thrive successfully, while other plants, such as herb plants, can grow in compact conditions.
Different plants also need varying amounts of sunlight, from full sun to part shade to part sun to full shade. That’s why knowing the growth requirements for the plants you want to care for can help decide how many stank tocks you need and where they should go in your backyard to ensure they receive enough sunlight.
Install Proper Drainage
Now that you have your plan, it’s time to prepare your stock tank. Stock tanks aren’t traditionally used for gardening, and usually only come with one removable drainage plug. This means you must add adequate drainage holes to the bottom to make it suitable for growing plants.
Start by taking a 1-1/8-inch metal drill bit, one with a high torque to allow for easier and faster drilling into materials. Then, drill holes across the bottom of the tank, spacing them about six to eight inches apart. This provides enough room for water and moisture to escape the stock tank, keeping roots healthy and soils aired out.
Line Your Stock Tank
Before filling your stock tank, make sure to place it where you want it in your backyard, as it can be challenging to carry setups to their spot after filling them with soil. Once this is complete, begin lining your tank with organic fillers, such as leaves, sticks and rocks.
While you can completely fill stock tanks with soil, this may become costly, so consider using other organic materials to take up space before adding soils, compost and soil amendments. Plants will usually grow only in the top 12 inches of tank, meaning organic materials will work just fine and won’t disrupt your plant’s growth. Over time, these materials will break down and naturally become part of the soil.
Additionally, placing larger logs and rocks along the bottom can enhance drainage. You should fill stock tanks with organic materials about halfway, filling gaps between twigs and rocks with leaves or pine shavings.
Add Soil and Soil Amendments
After lining your stock tank, it’s now ready for your soil. When choosing soil for your garden bed, you should use one compatible with the type of plant you want to grow. This is because different plants will require varying soil elements and pHs, so you must have a suitable type to allow your plants to thrive. Prior to adding soil, make sure to research your plant and the type of soil it needs so you can be better prepared.
When mixing soil with compost and other soil amendments, be sure to do it in a wheelbarrow or tarp on the ground. This keeps the soils nearby and readily available, and avoids making messes elsewhere, such as on your driveway or patio. You should also be sure to hash out any clumping, maintaining the soil’s light and fluffy texture. Using a shovel, carry your soil mix to your stock tank, filling it until it completely full. Next, take your hand and wipe off excess materials from the top, leveling it to give a smooth appearance and get it ready for adding plants.
Caring for Plants in Your Garden Bed
Caring for your garden beds starts with the right watering system, with many people simply using traditional garden hoses to water their plants, which works well to keep them hydrated as long as you follow their set watering schedule. However, to allow for more consistent watering and to ensure moisture reaches deep into plant roots, consider installing a drip irrigation system. These waterers should be added after building and setting up your garden beds to allow for easy burying into soils and mulch.
You should keep in mind that raised garden beds require more watering than in-ground options, meaning you must check the soil every day to see if it needs moisture. If you find that soil is dry up to two inches deep, your plants need a good watering. But be mindful of overwatering, as this can cause roots to become waterlogged, leading to root rot development. Raised garden beds should be watered at least every other day to allow plants to grow.
When it comes to adding fertilizers, using them is optional and depends on your plant’s specific needs. Start by applying a granular fertilizer at the beginning of your plant’s growth cycle, and implement a liquid fertilizer into soils about halfway through the growing season.
Browse Our DIY Supplies for Building Your Raised Garden Bed at Tractor Supply
Life Out Here requires the proper tools and accessories, and you can find everything you need for your next DIY project in our store and online. Whether you want to grow fresh flower plants to add stunning colors and texture to your garden space or vegetables and herbs to give dishes even more of a homemade touch, turning a stock tank into a raised garden bed can be an easy and efficient solution. To learn more about the gardening supplies we offer, visit your local Tractor Supply store today or browse online.