by Texas Homesteader ~
Planting a large galvanized water trough for beautiful landscaping around your home looks great! Plus it’s easy and can be done inexpensively too. But how do you plant such a large trough as a raised bed? I’m sharing some tips.
Creating an edible landscape requires careful planning and a keen eye for beauty and function.
How To Use Galvanized Metal Troughs In Landscape
An edible landscape transforms your outdoor space into a source of fresh food.
Recently we had an Outdoor Living room built to extend our back porch. I set out to Landscape It On The Cheap.
Integrating edible plants into your design enhances your edible landscape.
The creative use of galvanized troughs can significantly beautify your edible landscape.
I love the concept of edible landscaping. Just because a plant provides something you can eat doesn’t mean it can’t be beautifully incorporated into your landscape plan.
So I bought two huge galvanized troughs to use as raised bed planters.
Every element in your edible landscape should contribute to its overall aesthetic.
We already had one old weathered trough planter at the end of our porch. I love to plant either heat-loving Malabar Spinach or even Plant Potatoes in that trough each year.
Creating a sustainable edible landscape is beneficial for both the environment and your family.
We also placed a rustic and rusted galvanized tub on the other side of the porch. This one held a miniature blueberry bush. I love the way this planting turned out!
Considerations for your edible landscape can include seasonal color and variety.
🌱 Save 5% on premium raised garden beds with coupon code TXH5OFF.
We even had another large water trough placed at a gutter to catch rainwater. This provides all the water each year for plants and trees in our backyard. It’s just one of the 3 Rainwater Catchment tricks we use.
Your edible landscape can provide food while remaining visually appealing.
Now I want to plant the other two troughs to beautifully landscape our outdoor living area. But how do you fill such deep troughs?
Incorporating native plants into your edible landscape can enhance biodiversity.
Planting A Large Water Trough For Landscaping
We bought two large 4-ft wide troughs to plant.
Every edible landscape should also consider the use of companion planting.
Think about how each plant will add to the overall edible landscape.
We sat them up on retaining-wall stones to both level the footing as well as to give them support.
Water Drainage Tip For A Large Planter
Some people drill holes in the troughs, some don’t But be sure to remove the plugs from the troughs so they have a way to drain if they receive too much water.
Reducing Soil Requirement For Large Planters
Large trough planters will require lots of soil (with LOTS of weight!). Here are ways we’ve reduced the soil purchase when filling large raised beds:
Start With Thick Branches – This Hügelkultur method requires layering different materials. You can read how to Layer Materials For This Method Here. Whether logs or thick branches, the decomposing wood actually helps hold water during wet periods and release moisture back to your plants during the dry summer months.
Displace Soil With Lighter-Weight Items. I’ve used small buckets with lids or even lidded Repurposed Coffee Cans before adding the heavy soil. (make sure there’s enough soil weight to keep the buckets from floating during wet times of the year or drill them so they can take on excess water)
EcoBricks At The Bottom Of Troughs. This is a 2-fer-1 win drainage option. EcoBricks are simply a large plastic bottle (such as a juice bottle, etc) that’s tightly packed with non-recyclable trash.
Utilizing vertical space can maximize the yield of your edible landscape.
These steps have made a huge difference in the overall weight of the filled troughs as well as significantly reducing the purchased soil requirement.
Use Bulk Soil For Raised Beds
Instead of buying expensive bags of soil when filling raised beds we buy soil in bulk. There are many different formulations – sandy topsoil, compost, raised bed mix, etc.
To fill the bulk of our troughs we bought sandy fill dirt by the truckload for CHEAP from a local rock/soil company. Then topped only the last 10″ or so with planting soil.
Make your edible landscape a place of learning and enjoyment for children.
Buying soil in bulk is significantly cheaper, PLUS there are no disposable plastic bags to deal with.
Planting With Edible Plants Can Be Pretty
Integrate edible flowers into your edible landscape for added beauty.
For these trough raised beds I started with carrots & spinach for the border. Pretty plants and a hearty harvest too. I also planted a jalapeno plant in one trough so RancherMan can toss fresh peppers on the grill when he’s grilling supper for us.
A small lavender plant will be added for some nice blossom color here.
Your edible landscape can also serve as a habitat for beneficial insects.
Your design for an edible landscape should include herbs and vegetables.
I also wanted to focus on perennial edible plants I already had growing elsewhere. Don’t you love Lazy Gardener plants? ME TOO! Plant once and eat for years. That’s my kinda gardening!
So I added ferny Asparagus & Everbearing Strawberries to the mix. Each spring I get an asparagus harvest & a flush of ripe juicy berries. The strawberries give me a second smaller harvest later in the year.
I trick birds away from my fresh strawberries by using this handy trick – I scatter Strawberry Painted Rocks among the plants before any berries turn red.
The combination of textures in your edible landscape can be striking.
Each season offers new opportunities to enhance your edible landscape.
This trick works every year to keep the many birds that frequent our yard away from my strawberries. It’s rare now that I lose one of my strawberries to the birds.
Adding Herbs To Garden Landscape
Small herb plants are arranged in and around these troughs as well.
Rosemary
Not only were these plants free because I transplanted them from other areas but the landscape layout looks beautiful, the bees love it and fresh herbs are right outside my back door.
I love our new peaceful outdoor living space. It’s beautiful and the bees love it too. And beautifully-planted water troughs provide us food as well, what’s not to love?
~TxH~
This post categorized in 
Tagged in GARDENING 
My Favorite Garden Hacks
Raised Bed Shopping
- *Where To Find A Higher-Quality Durable Raised Bed!
Garden Planning
Seed Planting
- Planting Seeds In A Milk Jug Mini-Greenhouse
- Using A Clear Tote As An Indoor Greenhouse
- Repurposed Cardboard Seed-Starting Pots
Soil Health
Garden Styles
- How & Why To Use Raised Beds In Your Garden
- Planning & Planting A Fall Garden To Extend The Harvest
- Where I Found The BEST Raised Bed!
- Planting A Blueberry Bush In a Small Rustic Tub
- Creating A Vibrant Pollinator Garden
Garden Plants/Harvest
- Stevia – Growing Your Own Sweetener!
- My Simple, Zero-Waste Herb Drying Setup
- The Lazy Gardener’s Plant List – Plant Once, Eat For Years!
- How To Tell When Watermelon Is Ripe
- Tips To Plant & Grow The Best Tomatoes
Water/Irrigation/Drought
- 3 Rainwater Collection Systems We Use
- Cheap (or FREE) Wood Mulch For The Garden
- Using Vining Plants For Living Mulch
- Surprising Use For Empty Clay Pots In The Garden
Garden Tips
- How To Save Outdoor Plants Even During A Hard Freeze
- Growing A Sustainable Garden: Eco-Friendly Practices
- Tricking Birds AWAY From Your Strawberry Plants
- What To Leave In Your Garden To Help Wildlife Survive Winter
MORE Gardening Posts
Don’t forget to enjoy the fruits of your edible landscape!
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Prioritize the creation of an edible landscape that thrives year-round.
2 Responses
The buckets idea is GENIUS!
LOL Laurinda. You know I’m a huge fan of ‘use whatcha got’! 🙂 ~TxH~