Raised beds are a great way to garden, but grass and weeds love to creep up from underneath and in around the edges. Landscape fabric can help with both, as long as you use it in the right spots.
Fabric in the bottom of the bed
Laying weed barrier on the ground before you fill a raised bed blocks grass and weeds from growing up into your soil. Because Pro Grade 5 oz weed barrier lets water through, the bed still drains.
The trade-off: fabric also limits how far roots can grow down into the ground below, and earthworms can't move up into the bed as easily. For shallow beds (under about 8 inches) with deep rooted crops, some gardeners skip fabric on the bottom and use cardboard instead, which breaks down over a season. For deeper beds, or where grass and weeds are a big problem, fabric is a solid choice.
Fabric around the beds
This is where fabric really pays off. Covering the paths between beds with weed barrier and topping it with mulch, wood chips or gravel keeps the whole garden clean and saves a lot of mowing and trimming around the frames.
How to install
- Mark out your beds and paths. Cut the grass short or remove the sod.
- Lay fabric where the beds will sit, extending a few inches past the frame on every side.
- Set the bed frames on top, then fill with soil.
- Lay fabric over the paths, overlapping the strips under the beds so there are no gaps.
- Pin everything with landscape pins and cover the paths with mulch or stone.
Tips
- Overlap seams 6 to 12 inches. Grass will find any gap.
- Keep path fabric covered so sunlight doesn't break it down.
- For more on pinning, see how many landscape pins you need.
Shop Pro Grade weed barrier and landscape pins. Every order ships free.
