Put One Material At The Bottom Of Your Raised Garden Beds For All Of Its Benefits

Raised beds are so effective because they give you control over your soil. Instead of having to amend your entire garden plot, you can focus your efforts on a smaller area, which is less expensive and more impactful. However, if you're not careful, you can undo all of your hard work by letting weeds and pests invade your bed. Just as you shouldn't skimp on the soil when filling a raised garden bed, you should be careful about what materials you use to line it.

Although you can line your beds with other materials, such as cardboard, plastic, or mulch, hardware cloth is particularly beneficial for keeping out pests such as voles, groundhogs, and gophers. Despite its name, hardware cloth is actually a type of wire mesh. It's made from stainless steel and forms a barrier that prevents digging animals from burrowing into your raised bed. You can buy hardware cloth in different sizes, and it works with all types of designs for raised garden beds. The mesh size refers to how close together the wires are, and the gauge size refers to the diameter of the wire itself. For gophers and other common garden pests, ½ to ¼ inch mesh is usually a good option.

Protecting your plants from hungry invaders isn't the only reason hardware cloth is a good lining material for raised beds. Because it allows air and water to flow through freely, it promotes good drainage. Other types of lining materials, such as heavy plastic and landscape fabric, can lead to waterlogged beds that don't allow air to circulate. Even though they're underground, your plants' roots need air to thrive and absorb nutrients.

Hardware cloth also improves soil stability in garden beds that are prone to erosion. This can be a particular problem if your raised beds are on a slope. Soil erosion can leave your plants' roots exposed and vulnerable to dehydration. For the best protection from erosion, choose a fine mesh hardware cloth. Another benefit of hardware cloth is its durability. Stainless steel is rust and corrosion-resistant, so it will protect your raised beds for many years. Instead of redoing your beds every year, you can focus your time and attention on other ways to improve the raised beds in your garden.