Help with raised garden beds

[townchicks]

You can lay cardboard down in the bottom now, to kill off the grass and weeds that may be there now, and start filling it up with compost over the winter. The cardboard will decompose in the compost., so it won't block roots next year when you plant your veggies.

 

[tripletfeb]

Burrowing rodents will not be stopped by anything short of metal on the bottom, which I do not recommend. They can chew through any weed cloth or fabric so putting that down to stop them will not help. I have lots of burrowing rodents by me and have yet to lose anything to them in my raised beds. I would worry more about things getting in above ground but that won't be until you plant. It's really not that big a deal, put good soil down now. Any grass or weeds that do grow through can be easily pulled.

 

[member 373180]

You won't want the chemicals from the pressure treated lumber leaching into your garden soil. I lined mine with the heavy black plastic - use staples above where the dirt line will be to fasten it at the top. Then (if it's not too late) pull it under the wood and to the outside underneath to anchor it.

 

[happylittlehens]

You won't want the chemicals from the pressure treated lumber leaching into your garden soil. I lined mine with the heavy black plastic - use staples above where the dirt line will be to fasten it at the top. Then (if it's not too late) pull it under the wood and to the outside underneath to anchor it.

Perfect! I planned on lining the sides but hadn’t thought of pulling it underneath to anchor. Thanks!

 

[member 373180]

Good luck! Mine have lasted for years.

 

[rosemarythyme]

2nd the recommendation to use a physical barrier if there's burrowing pests. I used hardware cloth since I seem to always have it around. I wouldn't put anything solid under there as you want the beds to drain properly.

Depending on the type of grass/weeds you have there, burying it under the soil and waiting for it to die might not work. I was told it would and lo and behold, every bed that I didn't dig out the weeds first had those same weeds coming straight up from the bottom.

 

[DobieLover]

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.

Unfortunately, these little critters will just climb right up the sides of the beds and burrow in. Putting anything under the beds will not stop them.

 

[PirateGirl]

I have had critters dig in from underneath, but I agree, they can certainly climb in the top too. Posts at the corners with some garden fencing around the box seems to be working for that. I added old windows to some of my boxes this year to help things get going since our growing season is short here.

 

[lazy gardener]

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.

My understanding is that the new PT lumber is SUPPOSED to be non toxic. However, I don't put much faith in such claims.

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.

Agreed.

You won't want the chemicals from the pressure treated lumber leaching into your garden soil. I lined mine with the heavy black plastic - use staples above where the dirt line will be to fasten it at the top. Then (if it's not too late) pull it under the wood and to the outside underneath to anchor it.

I would also use heavy black plastic, or even pool liner, I would go all the way up inside, and perhaps wrap it over the top (to help prevent water from soaking between plastic and PT wood), and bring it UNDER the boards, and run it out at least 6" beyond the beds on the outside.

I also recommend that you put some stakes about every 4' along the length of the beds, or some cross ties to keep those sides from bowing out with the pressure of the soil.

I would not want to put hdw cloth or other barrier down inside the frames to keep varmints from digging up through. Any varmint will easily access the frames from the top. And, I absolutely loathe, detest, despise landscaping fabric. Granted, it does have it's uses, but it can come back to haunt you many years down the road b/c it does not break down. Cardboard is my friend.

THEN, I would lay multiple layers of cardboard inside and outside the frames. I would immediately start to build my soil in the frames with any compostable materials. Do a google search for sheet composting or lasagna gardening.

I would put down a good layer of mulch (at least 4") outside the frames, perhaps with a border to keep the mulch from spreading into the lawn. That way, any weeds that try to creep into the beds from the lawn, will hit the mulched area and surface there, rather than creeping all the way into the bed. With the mulch, it will be very easy to pull them.

 

[lazy gardener]

I love your raised beds, PG.