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Gardening Topic of the Month:
Stock Tank Gardens
Written by Master Gardener, Mollie Wren

Do you have limited space for vegetable gardening? Issues with soil, drainage, etc? Then you may want to consider growing your next garden in a stock tank.

A trip to the 2009 Seattle Flower & Garden Show convinced me to try stock tank gardening. Vendors at the Seattle show displayed pond plants and an herb garden in various sized steel stock tanks. At a local farm supply store I found stock tanks in multiple sizes. Four foot round X 2 foot high tanks were chosen because they were easy to transport, maneuver into place and they would fit the side yard. The tanks cost approx. $120 each, so they represent a large investment. However they should last for many years.

Three tanks were sited on a sloping, narrow side yard with mid and late afternoon sun and access to irrigation. The tanks were not placed level, but sloped slightly with the drain hole on the lower side. They were placed to allow access around each tank.

Next, a 10 foot section of 4 inch diameter perforated flexible drain pipe, found at a local building supply store, was placed in the bottom of each tank. The ends of the drain pipe were placed next to the drain hole in the bottom of the stock tank.

Three cubic yards of planting mix from a garden supply store was ordered and delivered. The stock tanks were slightly overfilled to allow for settling of the planting mix. Now the tanks were ready for planting!

In early April, Rainbow chard, Brussels sprouts and loose leaf lettuce were purchased in 6 packs and planted. Spinach, carrots and beet seeds were planted. Bird netting was placed over the stock tanks and kept in place with landscape pins. Deer are frequent visitors to my yard, so it was hoped that the netting would prevent them from sharing our harvest

As of late June, no deer damage is evident. No insect damage has been noted. And no weeds have appeared. Carrot seedlings were heavily shaded by spinach and chard, so have not grown as well as expected Lettuce, spinach and chard have been harvested and they will be replaced in mid-July with seedlings of late season of lettuce, spinach and golden beets.

I am pleased with my experience using stock tanks for vegetable gardening. Some positive aspects of tank gardening are:

1. Easy to set up.

2. Add architectural interest.

3. Take minimal space.

4. Easily accessible.

5. Limit insect damage.

6. Easily covered to prevent deer damage.

I look forward to experimenting with different crops in seasons to come.