Help with raised garden beds

[happylittlehens]

We built these beds over the weekend for next spring. Can I line the entire thing (including the bottom) with heavy black plastic? Or should I put weed barrier/fabric on the bottom? This is my first time doing raised beds. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[DobieLover]

We built similar beds. Why do you want to line them with plastic? They need to drain.

Did you use pressure treated or kiln dried lumber?

We used KD lumber to avoid any chemicals leaching into the garden soil, filled them with 1/3 composted leaves (free from the county), 1/3 well rotted horse manure (free from the farm down the road) and 1/3 topsoil, mix well and plant! I'm currently overrun with veggies!

 

[happylittlehens]

Did you use pressure treated or kiln dried lumber?

We did use pressure treated. That and regular old wood were our only options at our local hardware store so I will need to put a barrier between the wood and garden soil. There are weeds/grass under them. I obviously won’t water that area anymore this year so I’ll hoping it will all die off by spring. I just don’t want any of that to come up in my garden.

 

[DobieLover]

I would line the wood with landscape fabric to keep the soil from direct contact with the wood. Don't worry about the ground. That will all die once buried under your garden soil. You can start filling now so it can compost and be ready to mix and plant in the spring.

 

[tripletfeb]

Don't line the bottom with anything. Once you put soil in there, no sun will reach the grass and it will die. And if you plant root veggies (carrots, potatoes, onions...) you will want them to be able to root down as far as they need. Good luck!

 

[happylittlehens]

I would line the wood with landscape fabric to keep the soil from direct contact with the wood. Don't worry about the ground. That will all die once buried under your garden soil. You can start filling now so it can compost and be ready to mix and plant in the spring.

Thank you! I have some year old straw/chicken poop from the coop last fall that I was planning on using as well. Should I put that on the bottom since it has the straw or should I just mix it in?

 

[PirateGirl]

Wait! I have to argue here. I definitely recommend lining it with something if you have ANY sort of burrowing rodents that live in your area. If you do not line it, it will be easy for moles, voles, gophers, rabbits, prairie dogs etc. to dig into and eat their way through absolutely anything and everything you plant.

 

[happylittlehens]

Wait! I have to argue here. I definitely recommend lining it with something if you have ANY sort of burrowing rodents that live in your area. If you do not line it, it will be easy for moles, voles, gophers, rabbits, prairie dogs etc. to dig into and eat their way through absolutely anything and everything you plant.

Ooh I hadn’t even thought of that. I’m not sure if we have any burrowing pests. I know we have a few mice but I’ve never seen anything else. We live in a developed neighborhood but are close enough to the hills that deer come in the yard sometimes during winter.

 

[ChickenRelatedUserName]

My opinion is that no matter what you do, weeds are going to get in there and you'll have to be vigilant to keep them down to a low roar.

 

[PirateGirl]

Ooh I hadn’t even thought of that. I’m not sure if we have any burrowing pests. I know we have a few mice but I’ve never seen anything else. We live in a developed neighborhood but are close enough to the hills that deer come in the yard sometimes during winter.

I'd probably put down some weed barrier or similar garden cloth. It's not expensive. I think the big roll I bought was like $7. We also put rocks in the bottom of our raised beds before we added in the soil and compost. It still allows for drainage. Good luck! I keep wanting more raised beds like you've built, but I'm waiting to be successful in the one's I've got. Each year with the garden is an experiment in what grows well and what doesn't. Each year is a bit more successful than the year before.