What should you put at the bottom of your Raised bed? (& What to avoid?)

I started using a raised garden bed in my garden, just by hearing from others, without knowing the proper method or what should put at the bottom. Isn’t that foolish? What if the whole process turns out to be difficult?

If you’re also grappling with these questions while gardening, then this article will be extremely helpful for you. Having faced these challenges myself, I want to ensure others don’t encounter the same issues.

Believe me, there are multiple reasons to embrace raised bed gardening, including the ability to grow a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, or plants, as well as the fact that raised beds are warmer than ground-level soil. Today, we’ll discuss some common mistakes to avoid when creating your raised bed.

Quick takeaways:

• With the help of raised bed gardening, you can minimize the growth of weeds.
• You may think that this is quite suitable for you, but there are several minimal mistakes that you can make while proceeding with raised bed gardening.
• Things that can be put at the bottom of your raised bed are newspapers, stones, leaves, and many more.
• There are many things available in the market that you can use while making your raised bed.

Choosing the right kind of soil for building a raised bed

• For building a raised bed you need to choose soil that has perfect combinations of various materials.
• You will need some potting soil which is generally a mixture of perlite, peat moss, or vermiculite.
• Also, do not forget you will need a proper amount of compost which is generally a mixture used to make the soil more fertile.
• In the end, you will need to add some topsoil above the layers of potting soil, and compost.

What Should You Put At The Bottom Of Your Raised Bed? 

There are several materials that you can use while building a raised bed some of them are mentioned below:

1. Newspaper

Newspaper is one of the best materials that you can use in your raised bed because first it’s cheap and second it can help create a perfect barrier to prevent weeds.

You can lay some of the sheets of newspaper at the bottom of your raised bed, the newspaper will not decompose easily which will result in creating a perfect barrier for preventing weeds.

After some time the newspaper will decompose and release carbon into the soil which will help grow microorganisms.

One of the drawbacks is the ink, which can release toxins in the soil but still is soy-based which will not have a major impact on the soil.

2. Cardboard

Also, cardboard can be used as the best material for your raised bed. But you can not use cardboard if it has a glossy finish on it. Cardboard is also cheap and easily available to get hands-on. Depending on the thickness, the cardboard will decompose accordingly. 

It will take 4 to 6 months to decompose completely. But you will need to avoid those cardboards which have glossy ink on them because they will harm the soil.

Try avoiding cereal boxes, soda, or shoe boxes. If the boxes are plain you can use them but keep in mind that you need to avoid boxes that have ink or glossy finish on them.

3. Leaves

Leaves can also act as a great choice for raised bed gardening. They will decompose within 6 to 12 months and will act as a great source of fertilization for the soil. If you want to delay the process of decomposition you will need to add more leaves. 

The more leaves your bed will have the longer it will take to decompose. This will help in increasing the decomposing barrier. Once decomposed the material left will be purely organic and will serve a good role in the growth of plants.

4. Stones

Stones can also be used as a great option for adding to the raised bed. Not limited to stones you can also use rocks or pebbles; these will never decompose and will remain in your raised bed forever. 

These things have quite a lot of drawbacks including poor drainage, the stones will hold water for a longer duration which may or may not be a good option for you depending upon the crop you planted.

Also, weeds will grow through them because they will have some spaces left behind. Along with weeds many other wild plants can grow that can harm your plants.

5. Don’t have to add anything

One of the cheapest and simplest ways is to add nothing at the bottom of your raised bed. Although there will be no barrier to stopping those weeds this one is one of the hassle-free options available that you can use.

Depending upon the type of crop you are willing to plant you can choose whether you want to add something to your weed bed or leave it as it is.

From the above options, you can choose whatever suits you the most. Every option has its pros and cons, you can decide which one suits you.

What to Avoid at The Bottom Of Your Raised Bed?

There are many things you need to focus on while building these things. 

• You need to plant the perfect size for your bed so that you can move around it freely and can use it from all sides.

• Avoid using weed killers or other harmful chemicals that can damage your soil and can cause long-term effects on your soil.

• It is best to pluck these weeds by hand.

• Also, keep in mind the place you keep your raised bed should have proper ventilation and sunlight reaching your bed.

Concluding lines

In this guide, you come to know that there are many reasons to love raised bed gardening, one of which is to have a variety of options to grow from veggies, fruits, or just a variety of plants. Also, it will in some way help you to prevent back pain. With the help of raised bed gardening, you can minimize the growth of weeds. Also, you may think that this is quite suitable for you, but there are several minimal mistakes that you can make while proceeding with raised bed gardening. Read the guide fully so that you understand it better. 

Thanks for reading! Happy gardening!

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