If you are planning to construct a raised garden bed for gardening, you must be confused about what exactly you will put in the bottom. The entire structure of your raised garden bed depends on good drainage, and that is why you need to create your garden bed carefully so that extra moisture can seep through the soil. There are numerous ways by which you can create a proper bottom layer for your raised garden bed. Some of the material that you can use to create your raised garden bed bottom has been mentioned below:
Cardboard Or Newspaper: Cardboard and newspapers can be cheap materials for creating the base of your garden. These materials can be installed easily. They allow the water to seep through and also block weed plants from going. The cardboard sheets can last for around three years. You can also use newspaper instead of cardboard, but you need them in larger quantities. You may also try using builders’ paper. They can keep the weeds away and also get decomposed easily. People are also using corrugated metal planter boxes for growing plants.
Gravel And Stones: Adding stones and gravel to the bottom of your raised garden bed is extremely useful if you suffer from drainage problems. The pockets between the gravel particles will allow the water to drain easily and quickly. It will also prevent the water from clogging at the roots of plants. There aren’t a lot of benefits of using gravel and stones but are they inexpensive. They will also require you to use less quantity of soil.
Wood: You can also try using wood at the bottom of your raised garden bed. Wood will prevent weeds from growing. Composting of wood is also a relatively slow process. By combining large and small pieces of wood, you will be able to create an excellent garden bed. Your raised garden bed will also be able to provide your plants with a proper nutrient supply. Garden beds made out of wood are usually higher than regular ones. These kinds of garden beds also take a considerable amount of time to decompose. However, they are quite long-lasting.
Leaves: If any other options are not available, you can try making a layer of leaves at the bottom of your raised garden bed. This can prevent the weeds from growing for a considerable period. Although the process of using leaves for your raised garden bed bottom is not an easy task, it is an extremely cheap way of creating your garden bed. Leaves will also provide a lot of organic matter to the soil once they decompose.
So, these are some of the materials that you can use for your raised garden bed. You can also try growing your plants in steel planters or corrugated metal raised garden beds and providing a better growing condition.
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