How to line your WoodBlocX raised bed (2024)

FAQs

How to line your WoodBlocX raised bed? ›

If you are building WoodBlocX on soft ground such as soil or grass...we recommend lining the sides of your raised bed with our DPM material (damp proof membrane) to protect the wood. You can also line the bottom if you wish, but remember to use a breathable / permeable liner to allow water to drain through.

Beds off the ground and supported by legs are built or manufactured with a bottom. We recommend lining this space with a permeable material (like a weed mat or landscape fabric) to help preserve the structure and prevent soil loss when watering.

Depending on your budget and gardening goals, you can line the bottom of your raised garden beds with wide-mesh hardware cloth, stainless steel mesh, landscape fabric, burlap sack, or newspaper/cardboard.

We recommend using a geotextile membrane liner which should be placed in the bottom of the raised bed, as it will allow for better drainage. Use a damp proof membrane to line the sides of the raised bed and over the buttresses, this will ensure the structure remains in excellent condition.

Liners can help prevent burrowing pests such as voles, moles, gophers, groundhogs and groundhogs. The padding suppresses weeds that may grow from the ground under a raised bed, but this is only necessary if your bed is under 6 inches.

Plastic sheeting works well to protect the wood. For a cheaper alternative, you could use an empty compost bag, just cut it open and staple the bag to the inside of the box.

Plastic sheeting is the best material for lining a planter with. Pond liners work well for lining the bottom of planters as they are robust and can easily be shaped into the perfect size to fit the dimensions of your planter. Pond liners are also thick enough to reduce any evaporation of water from the soil.

Some gardeners chose to implement a barrier at the bottom to keep out pests and weeds. Below are a few materials you can use: Cardboard or newspaper: Cardboard is a great option if you are on a budget. You can line the bottom of your raised garden bed with cardboard and newspaper to deter pests and weeds.

Landscape fabric is beneficial for raised garden beds, here are just a few of the many reasons why you should use landscape fabric for raised bed gardening: Prevents soil erosion in a raised bed: As a liner, landscape fabric lets water drain away from the soil while leaving the soil intact.

What do you line a sleeper bed with? ›

Although raised beds are usually constructed on free-draining soil, we recommend lining the bottom of your bed with a generous drainage layer of hardcore, stones or coarse gravel.

The answer is no! Here are some reasons why we recommend against adding rocks to the bottom of your raised beds: Hindered root growth. Rocks in the bottom of a raised garden bed can impede the growth of plant roots, particularly if they are large or densely packed.

To start, lay down sheets of cardboard or newspaper for weed suppression and then fill the raised bed structure halfway up with alternating layers of nitrogen-rich materials (like kitchen scraps and grass clippings) and carbon-rich materials (like wood chips and dried autumn leaves).

The cons of raised beds

The main downside of raised beds is the work and expense of creating them in the first place. You don't have to use borders (soil can be raked into raised beds each season), but if you do, you'll have to acquire the wood, blocks, or stone.

The Best Height for Raised Beds

Keep in mind that beds 18 inches deep or more will have better drainage than shorter beds. While most plants don't need anything deeper than 18 inches, I prefer beds that are two feet deep (24 inches). The extra height is mostly just for the ease and convenience of the gardener.

Using an eco-friendly wood treatment is a great way to increase your confidence that your raised beds will last a long time. I recommend at the very least coating your lumber in linseed oil or beeswax to preserve them for the long haul.

You can paint the outside of your bed or seal it to help it last longer, but don't put any coating on the sides that will be in contact with the soil. Pressure treated lumber (ACQ) is also supposed to be safe for raised beds. But since it's treated with copper and fungicide, we prefer to avoid it.

Use plastic lining for your beds: If you're using pressure-treated wood to construct raised beds, you can add a layer of thick plastic to the inside walls before filling the beds with soil. This will create a barrier between the wood and the soil, reducing the risk of any chemicals leaching into the soil.