Should You Line Your Raised Garden Bed?
There are many different ways to prep your raised garden bed for a successful growing season. You can add compost, work in organic materials and seed directly into a different number of soil,types
If you’re looking for an easier option that will still help your garden bed be productive, you might want to consider lining it with something other than soil.
Image Source: FreeImages
Lining your raised garden bed can have several benefits. Raised garden beds are great for extending your growing season by enabling you to grow produce earlier and later than if you were only using traditional gardens.
Additionally, they are great because they take up less space in your Garden,yard or Patio area while still providing ample room for planting.
What is a Raised Garden Bed?
A raised garden bed can be any kind of shaped container that is placed in your yard or garden to maximize growing space typically made from wood, Metal or the plastic
They can be created in any size you want, either by creating your own custom design or buying a premade unit. Raised garden beds are a very useful addition to the garden because they can help gardeners extend their growing season into colder months and provide extra room for growing plants in smaller spaces.
If you have a small yard or Garden but want to grow lots of produce, a raised garden bed is the best way to do it. They’re perfect for growing annual vegetables, Herbs and flowers and come in many different styles.
To see numerous brands and types of raised garden bed you can visit Bestraisedgardenbeds.com
Benefits of Lining Your Raised Bed
When you line your raised garden bed, you are essentially creating a mini potting area which allows you to control the nutrients and pH levels.
Better Control Over Your Soil pH ensures that If you decide to grow a specific type of Vegetable such as tomatoes, it is often recommended that you adjust the soil pH to increase the plant’s chances of thriving.
Weed control is another ey actor as lining your raised bed forms a barrier between what may already be contaminated ground soil or from any form of leaching from the materials your raisd planter is formed from.In addition the addition of a liner will protect the plantable soil area from weed
Another benefit is Pest control. It is no surprise to you that our little riends from the garden will have interest in the produce you have planted however creating a barrier with a raised bed liner will reduce the number o critters but can never entirely stop them
Drainage is also a key factor. Keeoing the soil moist is essential to creating the right growing environment.We do not want to hold too much water content either however there are some liners that allow water to discipate at a more controlled level
Retaining rich soil . Most liners thees days are very durable yet at the same time permiable. This means you can retain the soil added to your raised bed eeping it rich and full of the nutricious value required
When you finally decide to renew your planting soil the liner you have put in place will allow you to keep the seperation area clear and clean ready for your new application.
Using Recycled Materials
There are many different types of materials you can use to line your garden bed, including recycled materials. By lining your raised garden bed with recycled materials you will be able to save money and reduce your carbon footprint.
This is acheivable by using materials like old newspaper, cardboard, or even old mats so repurposing materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
Aswell as a cost saving this van be beneficial for the etter for the Environment.
While there are many benefits of using new materials to line your garden bed, there are also some serious downsides.
Newer materials like garden soil can take a long time to break down which means they could be in your garden bed for several years before fully decomposing.
For example, a newspaper may take several years to fully decompose, whereas a garden soil may only take a few months.
Since you’re using materials that were previously used, they likely will not retain any nutrients., this means that you’ll have to add additional fertilizer or additived to your garden bed.soil
Using New soil Materials
There are many benefits of using new materials to line your garden bed. New materials like garden soil will likely contain nutrients and will break down quickly, allowing you to use your garden bed sooner.Soil itself is classed as a lining within the garden bed
This is great if you’re looking to extend your growing season or simply want to get a jump-start on the growing season.This could mean that you may have a higher yield from your plants by using new organic soil type materials.
Is Using New Materials the right approach ?
While there are many benefits to using new materials to line your garden bed, there are also some cons. New materials tend to be more expensive,
Conclusion
It’s important to choose the right material to line for your garden bed because different materials do offer different performance.
Ground laden beds on top of existing soil will require a different ind of liner for that o a self standing raised garden bed.Before you decide to purchase read up on some of the proposed products to see if they are suitable for purpose.