Gardening experts disagree as to whether lining the inside of a gardening box or raised bed with plastic sheeting is necessary for health and quality of your growing soil. Vegetables transplanted onto well-composted soil may be strong enough to withstand insects and still produce harvestable crops. The biggest advantage of lining a raised bed with plastic sheeting is that it allows you to grow different varieties of plants together, especially if you have limited space.
A raised bed is a perfect solution for growing vegetables or herbs in a small garden space. When I decided to build my raised vegetable garden I realized just how important it was to have the right supplies. Raised Bed Garden supplies are crucial in making your gardening experience as easy and effective as possible. In this article, we’ll exchange tips on how to pick the best materials for your project and help you create the most ideal growing environment for your plants.
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What is raised bed gardening?
Raised bed gardening is a technique that has recently gained popularity with homeowners looking for simple and effective ways to grow the food they eat. This practice involves growing plants in an elevated soil bed — usually in a frame made of wood, concrete or other non-toxic material.
A raised bed garden can be installed just about anywhere as long as it receives enough sunlight.
There are many benefits to growing your own produce, including knowing exactly what’s going into your food, saving money on groceries and helping the environment by reducing pollution from transporting produce across the country
However, raised bed gardening can be difficult if you don’t prepare your garden properly before planting. That’s why it’s important to know whether or not you need to line your raised garden bed.
Raised bed gardening is a method of growing fruits, vegetables and flowers in soil that sits above the ground. The beds can be built into almost any space: along a wall or fence, on your deck, even in your driveway. The soil warms up faster than ground soil and drains better. In addition, raised beds have fewer weeds, which means less time spent on maintenance and more time for harvesting fresh produce.
The drawback to raised beds is that they dry out faster than ground soil so you may need to water them more often.
The materials that you can use to create the borders of a raised garden bed are many and varied, but there are two problems you need to be aware of before you start building it.
First, if you live in an area with a high water table — or even in a rainy climate — your garden may get too wet if you use untreated wood as the border material. You will need to line your raised garden bed so that the wood doesn’t rot prematurely.
Second, if you want to grow fruits or vegetables in your raised bed, make sure the wood isn’t treated with any chemicals that might leach into the soil and harm them. If you’re using new lumber for your raised bed, buy pressure-treated lumber
How do I construct a raised bed?
Building a raised bed is easy, especially if you purchase the lumber or other materials precut. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
Buy precut lumber. A 4-by-8-foot bed is a good size for most home gardeners. You can find precut lumber at home improvement stores and gardening centers. However, don’t use pressure-treated lumber, as it may leach toxins into the soil. Instead, choose naturally rot-resistant wood, such as cedar or redwood.
Use untreated wood. If you want to use pressure-treated wood, be sure to line the inside with heavy plastic sheeting to prevent chemicals from leaching into the soil.
Avoid creosote railroad ties and telephone poles. They are treated with chemicals that are harmful to humans and animals
Use stones or bricks for a permanent raised bed frame. This is not as easy as assembling a wooden bed frame, but it looks nice and will last for many years
Be creative. You don’t have to build a traditional rectangular box for your raised garden bed — experiment with different shapes that fit into your landscape design
Do I need to line my raised garden bed?
The type of liner you use in your raised garden bed depends largely on what you plan to grow and where you live. Some liners are easier to maintain than others, but the decision must be based on your needs.
Garden Bed Liners
If you want to grow vegetables, herbs or flowers in a raised bed, you may have to line it with something. The benefit of lining a raised bed lies in the longevity of the bed itself. If you don’t line your raised vegetable garden beds, the wood will rot and break down much more quickly from exposure to water and soil.
You can choose from several different types of materials for lining your raised garden beds. Consider how easily each can be maintained and whether it’s toxic or environmentally friendly.
Plastic Garden Bed Liners
Plastic is one of the easiest materials to use for lining a raised garden bed because it’s readily available and cheap. You can purchase rolls of plastic film that are designed specifically for lining garden beds or purchase larger sheets meant for greenhouse construction and cut them to fit the size of the bed.
If you choose plastic as a liner material, make sure it’s at least 6 mils thick so it doesn’t puncture easily and allow water to drain from the bed too quickly.
Reasons to not line a raised garden bed
There are many reasons to not line a raised garden bed. The biggest reason is that soil life needs to breathe. When a raised bed is lined with plastic, you will be suffocating some of the soil life. Soil life is essential for healthy plants and lack of oxygen in the soil leads to problems with plant health. Without soil life, plants have a harder time absorbing nutrients from the soil because these organisms help break down organic matter so it can be used by plants roots. Soil life also provides nitrogen for plants.
Another reason for not lining a raised garden bed is that you don’t want to raise your soil temperature too high. This can happen when you line a raised garden bed with black plastic. Black absorbs heat while white reflects it. If you line your raised bed with black plastic, your soil temperature will be much higher than it would be if you left it un-lined.
If you live in an area where frost exists, lining a raised garden bed can make plant damage worse than if the bed was left un-lined. Lining a garden bed will hold heat in during the day and then release it at night. This pattern can cause more damage to plants than if the heat was released during the day instead of night time temperatures which are
Reasons to line a raised garden bed.
Raised garden beds can help you overcome problems with existing soil and make it easier to grow plants. Lining a raised bed can protect it from rot and erosion, and it can help you keep soil in the bed. A common question about raised garden beds is whether they should be lined. The answer depends on what you are growing, how much time you want to spend lining the bed and what size the bed is.
Lining a Raised Garden Bed
If you’re growing shallow-rooted vegetables or annual flowers in your raised garden bed, you don’t need to line it because plants can’t root deep enough to damage the wood. However, if your raised bed is deeper than 6 inches, or if you want to plant root crops or perennial plants, line it with a thick layer of newspaper or cardboard before filling with soil. This will prevent moisture from seeping out of the bottom of the raised bed and rotting the wood. If you’re using an untreated wood for your raised garden bed, you should also line it with plastic sheeting to prevent water damage and rotting.
Changes in Soil Depth
If you have an existing raised garden bed that is no longer at least 4 inches deep due to soil settling in the first couple of years after planting, add
Final Thoughts
There is no right answer to this question. It depends on your goals, climate, and soil type. Many gardeners have lined their raised beds with plastic to keep weeds out, while others have put hardware cloth or chicken wire at the bottom of the bed to keep rodents out. Both of these solutions will help you get more plants in your raised bed and result in less maintenance once the plants are growing.
If you live in a cold climate, lining the bottom of your raised bed with plastic may also help keep the soil warmer and prevent it from freezing as easily. If you live in a hot climate, lining your raised bed with plastic may help retain moisture so that you don’t have to water as often. But if you live in a wet climate, lining your raised bed with plastic may cause water to collect and damage your plants.
It’s important to consider how much time you want to spend maintaining your raised bed. Do you want to spend less time weeding? Will lining your raised bed help you grow more plants? Will lining your raised bed make it possible for you to grow plants that wouldn’t survive otherwise? If so, then lining may be worth it.
