Raised Garden Beds

A: Before you shovel your new soil in, add some weed barrier cloth, burlap, or floor protection paper (like X-Board or Ram Board) to the bottom of your bed to keep weeds out and to prevent your soil from washing out of your bed with the first heavy rain.

A: Certain vegetables should be avoided in raised beds due to their size, growth habits, or specific needs. Examples include large, sprawling plants like corn, winter squash, and melons.

A: The most popular height for raised beds is 11″. (This is the height of two standard “2 x 6″ boards, which actually measure 1.5″ x 5.5”.) This height provides sufficient drainage for most crops. For best results, there should be another 12″ or more of good soil below the bed.

A: Yes, you should typically place soil on top of landscape fabric when making a raised garden bed or for landscaping.

A: No, it's generally not recommended to put rocks at the bottom of a raised garden bed. While the idea might seem like it would improve drainage, it can actually hinder it by creating a perched water table.

A: The ground around your raised beds does not need to be level. You can walk around on a gentle slope in your garden space. It's really the top of the beds that matter most, not only for aesthetic purposes but also so your soil doesn't wash out of low points of your beds during heavy rain.