We’ve been looking for a good option for raised planters that were taller than some of our raised garden beds made with wood.
After plenty of scrounging around on the internet, we ended up deciding to use galvanized water troughs, also known as round end tanks, to fill these spaces in our yard. Check out how awesome these look in the garden:
我们考虑过在当地的五金店买,但加价相当高。After a bit of research, we found the following options online with free shipping and much better pricing:
123-gallon water trough is shown – $157 when we last checked, with free shipping. Showed up at our door in about 2-3 days.
The other one we purchased was a round version:
These arrived in a few huge boxes, which would be good for sheet mulching if you need them. I busted out my tools and drilled plenty of holes in the bottom for drainage, and placed them around the yard.
We ordered 3 tanks total – 2 oval and 1 round.
Here’s what the empty trough looks like on our patio
We filled it with some compost, branches (for alazy hugelkultur bed), aged chicken manure, and towards the top mixed in a couple of inches of potting soil.
15 Stunning Galvanized Water Troughs
Here are some more photos from around the web of awesome troughs and stock tanks in action:
1) Nice Placement of Galvanized Water Troughs
3 troughs in a row. Not much going on with the plants in these, but the placement looks great. Photo by Kane Jamison.
2) Galvanized Water Troughs Among Other Planter Types
Planter spotted outside of Seattle Tilth’s demonstration garden. Photo by Kane Jamison.
3) Galvanized Water Trough With Succulent Plants
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIygXeRhNff/?tagged=galvanizedmetal
这galvanized trough is filled with small succulent plants. The metal acts as an insulator, keeping the plant roots warm.
4) Tri-Level Galvanized Water Trough Planter
One ofA Year In The Yarden’s 15 tips for trough planters是建立,而不是出去。Taking advantage of the vertical space in your garden is always a good idea, both for productivity and for the health of your back.
5) Galvanized Water Trough Planters For a Clean Look
The folks atGardeningInRaisedBeds.comalso recommend metal troughs. This example shows how troughs could fit really well in a modern, clean-looking garden, set alongside stone pavers. One advantage of metal beds over wood or stone is that metal is going to be easier to wipe clean or even pressure wash. (Until the galvanized coating rubs off, and it starts to rust.)
6) Adding Galvanized Water Troughs To An Urban Farm
These standing galvanized water troughs create a welcoming atmosphere for this sitting area. The tubs are round making the plants easier to access.
7) Galvanized Water Trough Planter Beds Raised Even Higher
Erica at Northwest Edible Life asks if this garden in Williams, Oregon, isthe most attractive veggie garden ever. These troughs sit on concrete blocks. This brings the soil closer to waist height for easier maintenance. Raising the beds onto concrete also keeps them from marinating in standing water after steady rain, which is all-too-common in the Pacific Northwest. If troughs sit in water too often, the bottoms could rust faster, though they’ll still last for many years.
8) Flowers Looking Terrific
The reflections off this planter give the flowers a little extra pop, to my eye. Like any raised bed, these troughs will bring your flowers closer to eye level, which is where you really want them, right? ViaTwo Men and a Little Farm.
You Can Paint Galvanized Troughs
Andrea Crawford at CoutureHouseInteriors.com is one of the only people we’ve seenwho has painted their troughsusingRustoleum’s metal paintsand it looks insanely good. When I found this on Pinterest I nearly hit ‘order’ on the paint on Amazon before I decided that the copper wouldn’t fit well with our yard’s style. But dang – hard not to get jealous of her garden looking through the photos.
9) An Alpine Garden
According toMatt Mattus of Growing with Plants, troughs were first used in Victorian England as a way to grow alpine plants in lowland gardens. Alpine plants can thrive if planted in shady areas where they won’t get too much sun. If you’re worried about the container getting too heavy, try filling it with empty plastic jugs at the bottom.
10) A Salad in a Trough
Shayla Groves, a graphic designer and homesteader in the tiny mountain town of Basalt, Colorado, bought this trough at a feed store andturned it into a small veggie garden. Once the tomatoes ripen, she can harvest a full salad right from the trough.
11) Small Flower Pot From A Galvanized Trough
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUxmsNoFs6A/?tagged=galvanizedmetal
这galvanized trough is the perfect size for a small planter. You can place galvanized troughs within larger garden beds to separate and prevent crawling plants from taking over your garden.
12) Trough Planter in a Parking Lot
Jean McWeeny of State by State Gardening wrote abouturban folks and apartment dwellers using troughs as planters. This is outside an artist’s studio; the artist wanted a splash of color. You can see why. McWeeny’s piece also mentions that some people put water trough planters on their apartment balconies for easy access to cooking herbs.
13) Trough Planters as a Water Garden
The designers of NeoTerra, a passive-solar house in North Georgia, list a bunch of design concepts on their how-to page, includingusing metal troughs for a water garden. Many peopleuse troughs for fish ponds为什么不呢?毕竟,以它们的耐用性,它们应该能装水。
14) The Eclectic Landscape’s Galvanized Troughs
Designed for a family at Menlo Park in California, these trough containers are a perfect place for gardening. The designs and explanation of the project can be found ontheir page here.
15) Another Behlen Tank Customer
Hey, those look familiar—Andrea of Blueberry Hill Craftingbought the same tanks I did for her trough experiment. She bought nine of them and points out one really good benefit for people with rodent issues: the metal base of the trough will keep moles from devouring your plants. That’s also of huge in Coastal areas like Seattle, where rats are common.
镀锌金属到底是什么?
It’s pretty simple, just metal dipped in a solution of zinc (here’s a cool 1:20 video of the galvanization process). The zinc prevents rust. It wasprobably first used on metal armor在这种情况下,防锈简直是生死攸关的大事。
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVz07H7A6bB/
Later, galvanized steel pipe replaced lead pipe in water systems, which probably saved plenty of lives too. Now, plastic is used, andbuilders recommend replacing galvanized pipesdue to the risk of rust.
虽然镀锌金属不再用于管道,但大多数暴露在元素中的金属产品都要经过镀锌。这includes ladders, balconies, and outdoor metal benches, among others.
Galvanized Metal Troughs Won’t Last Forever
你不能阻止金属花盆的老化过程,就像你不能阻止其他类型的金属一样。镀锌层最终会磨损,水箱会开始生锈。这种情况何时发生取决于气候、空气和水的化学成分以及土壤的酸度等因素。有人说三年后就生锈了,有人说他们的坦克用了10年甚至更长时间。这chartgives an estimate of galvanized metal water trough lifespan based on climate zone:
The best cities for galvanized metal survival are those in rural areas with little to no air pollution. The worst are those in heavily-industrial areas. The American Galvanizers Association providedexample cities for each area.
这message thread at HomesteadingToday hasideas about refinishing metal troughs. If you want a trough-esque planter or container that’s going to last longer than that, you’ll have to invest in a porcelain tub, or stainless steel. But, while your trough will begin to rust, that doesn’t mean it’s going to immediately collapse. There’s a good chance some light rusting will look charming in your garden and have a longer lifespan.
Mark Wheatonsays
how big are the drainage holes in the bottom of your troughs?
Kane Jamisonsays
我们做了1/4″。我不会做比这更小的了因为卵石和其他东西的大小。你可以再大一点,比如1/2″。主要目标是创造足够的洞以防一个被堵塞,因为你不想让你的种植变成一个水景!
budsays
wondering about zinc content and its absortion into edible plants
Denise Glasssays
Dear Bud,WHO says that worldwide there is a zinc deficiency of 31%. In severe cases that can cause hair loss, diarrhea, and slow down wound healing. The list goes on and on. Most people search out the best foods to eat that HAVE a high content of zinc. Zinc is important for proper sense of taste and smell.(Google all of this) So if any zinc is taken up into your plants that’s a good thing. Also, these troughs have been used to water livestock for decades and no one has worried about their water and it’s affect on us. I’m going to start using these for my next garden in the spring.
Lizsays
where do we buy these?
Lisasays
在马场和养牛场,或任何大型动物农场,你可以使用自然风化和老化的水槽,它们被储存起来或不再使用,已经换成了自动喂食器或橡胶类。我住在一个大的纯种马农场,更换后,各种大小的饲料槽被储存起来。当我看到它们的时候,我非常激动!它们正是你想要的,底部有生锈的排水孔。大多数农场会让你拥有它们,只是为了把它们拖走。他们是真正的东西!
MaryJane Vendelsays
We will be ready to replace our wooden raised beds soon, both for the look, the reliability and raising the height of the beds for my tired old bones. I’m pretty much locked into galvanized tubs. Came across your site. Thanks for the great info.
Diannesays
Hi I just love these planter troughs but can I get them in Australia
Annesays
There is a guy who has a YouTube channel called Self Sufficient Me. He’s in Australia and he’s got lots of big ones. I bet he can help you out. When you find out, let me know if they sell in the U.S. as well. Cheers!
Carolsays
Does anyone know where I can buy some of the orange troughs?
Karensays
The orange troughs were painted. Probably by the owner.
Linda Crockersays
Where online did you purchase your oval and round Behlen galvanized tanks with free shipping?
Amazon charges $425 for the same round tank you purchased online for $130. Highway robbery.