Figure 39. 55-Gallon Drum Beds http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3341/3580585324_f90c15b787.jpg
These drums are very inexpensive which allow for lower costs for the greenhouse. They are easier to
modify than to fabricate the wooden growing beds mentioned earlier. They do, however, lack the
professionalism that the custom wooden growing bed has. The wooden growing beds are specially
designed for use in the greenhouse. The 55-gallon drums hold significantly less water than the
specialized wooden growing beds and they have an unusual shape after they have been cut which make
them prone to rolling because they don’t have a flat base, however they are a good inexpensive
alternative to the more expensive wooden growing bed.
4.3.2.3 Comparison: Wooden Bed vs. 55-gallon Drum
The wooden growing beds hold a significant amount of water, ranging from 120 – 240 gallons. The
plastic drums hold a little less than 27 gallons when cut in half. This is significantly less than the wooden
growing bed. Whether or not such a large amount of water is required will ultimately determine which
bedding style would be used. If a larger amount of water is required, it would be more space efficient to
use the larger tank seeing that the use of many smaller tanks would take up a large amount of space in
the greenhouse.