Flower Bed That Will Not Grow Anything

Question

I have a flower bed, 9 ft x 18 inches. I had a water problem that seeped into my kitchen area, so I removed all the soil and lined the bed with aluminum sheeting (came in a 4′ x 8′ sheet). I put 12 inches of gravel in the bottom and replaced existing soil with organic soil. MY QUESTION TO YOU: Would there be a reaction to the soil with the aluminum sheeting? If so, what would you recommend me doing? Plants have been watered and not over watered. Area gets 3-4 hours of warm (sometimes hot) sunshine in the late afternoon. Is there some type of product that I could paint the aluminum sheeting? I have to have something to protect the wall area that covers my kitchen area.

Answer 1

If there is no water standing on the aluminum sheeting, there should be no problem. If the sheeting isn’t well drained, you could get pinholes from acidic fertilizer or soil. What is the depth of soil over the gravel? Personally, I feel that EPDM rubber (like roofs or pond liner) would be a longer-lived product than aluminum sheeting.