Hip Feed Troughs

If hip feed troughs strike you as an oxymoron, visit the new 1111 E. Pike Street condos. Designed by Tom Kundig, they'e 27 units of boutique cool, topped off by a rooftop deck. The plantings are mostly drought-tolerant rosemary, phormium and small conifers, growing in round and bullet-shaped feed troughs, painted matte black. It totally changes the look, from shiny to flat and most of all from rural to urban. Smaller plants like sarcococca are growing in galvanized tubs painted the same deep, dark shade.

Galvanized feed troughs must be the most inexpensive large containers (you can buy them at feed stores); just be sure and drill plenty of holes in the bottom so the soil drains freely. I'm wondering now about how feed troughs would look painted.....say, rusty orange, pine green or a dusky shade of eggplant purple?

Comments

[Deborah Anderson]

This year, for the first time, I planted strawberries, lettuce and carrots in galvanized feed troughs on my deck and I loved the results! (I got the idea from one of your columns). My husband wouldn't let me drill holes in the bottom though. He insisted that we line the bottom of the troughs with gravel to above the level of the drain. This we covered with landscape fabric, then soil. They seem to drain well and he thinks they will last longer. I've also been thinking of painting them, perhaps a rusty red color. Now that most of the veggies have been harvested, my dog likes to curl up in them! Apparently the soil is warm and cozy...





[valerie Easton]

Hi Deborah, Love the thought of your dog curling up in a feed trough -it'd be fun if you could send me a digital image of that to post...

I'm afraid your husband is wrong about the troughs lasting longer if they aren't drilled. Even galvanized metal rusts out when water collects in the bottom. Also water will pool up where soil meets the gravel, and your plants roots will sit in water....they really need to have holes drilled in the bottom for health of your plants and longevity of the troughs....
Val Easton

[Deborah Anderson]

Uh-oh, it sounds like we will need to start over. We weren't really sure about whether to drill holes or not. Thanks for the info!

I will definitely send you a digital photo. And I can't wait to get my copy of your new book...it's en route from Amazon!

Deborah Anderson

[naomi goodman]

I wouldn't recommend using these for food. I did some research last summer and came across several websites that say most feed troughs do not have protective coating over the metals to prevent chemicals used in the making of galvanized troughs from leaching into the soil. I would only use these for ornamentals.

[Dghatsnw]

Any idea as to what kind of paint and what method was used to apply the paint to the troughs?