Food-Gardening Lessons From A Wartime Victory Garden

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Do Livestock Troughs Make Good Raised Beds?

“Do livestock watering troughs make good vegetable garden raised beds?” Question from Sandy of Chester, Virginia

Answer: Yes! Livestock troughs make excellent raised beds. Choose deeper troughs. Those that are 2-feet deep are best. More depth helps them better support larger and deeper rooting vegetables.

The key is making sure that they have good bottom drainage, so be sure to drill/punch plenty of holes at the base to ensure water drains all the way through. You will need an inch or half inch hole every foot or so. Smaller holes are likely to get plugged up.  (Look for metal-cutting drill attachments.)

For best veggie production, fill your trough beds with an excellent growing mix and fortify it with fertilizer formulated for vegetable growing. Our compost blend and natural and organic potting mix are great for raised beds! I also recommend that you plant compact vegetables ideal for container growing. (Click here to learn more about the best miniature vegetables for containers.)
Happy gardening!
Jessie Keith
Black Gold Horticulturist

About JESSIE KEITH

Plants are the lens Jessie views the world through because they’re all-sustaining. (“They feed, clothe, house and heal us. They produce the air we breathe and even make us smell pretty.”) She’s a garden writer and photographer with degrees in both horticulture and plant biology from Purdue and Michigan State Universities. Her degrees were bolstered by internships at Longwood Gardens and the American Horticultural Society. She has since worked for many horticultural institutions and companies and now manages communications for Sun Gro Horticulture, the parent company of Black Gold. Her joy is sharing all things green and lovely with her two daughters.

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