Plastic Under Raised Garden Bed

Question

Hi There;

So, I’ve been getting pretty frustrated lately. Watering the vegetable garden every day – twice! Plants look nice for the most part. Issues with aphids and lack of fruit production. I’ve been noticing more and more lizards in the garden lately, so I’m hoping they’re feasting on the little green monsters under the leaves.

I’ve been thinking about making the garden beds raised for the fall planting. I’m thinking of using cinder block caps for the walls, which will give me a height of 6″. My question is: Is 6″ high enough if I am planting things like eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and other things like that? Also, to keep the weeds down, would it be advisable to put plastic (like plastic garbage bags or something) on the ground before I fill the raised beds with the soil? Looking for a way to keep the weeds at bay.

Thank you and have a wonderful day.

– Janine

Answer 1

Larger plants like tomatoes send roots into the native soil under a raised bed so a plastic liner – or any liner under the bed – is not recommended. For root crops like beets and carrots, 8 inches is the minimum depth required. You may benefit from drip irrigation or soaker hoses put on a timer. I agree that watering is a chore. After you water, use a small trowel to see how deep the water is going. It takes several hours with a soaker hose to give an inch of water. You can test your watering by setting a tuna or cat food can sunk to soil level. Measure how many inches are delivered per hour. Hand watering is unlikely to go deep for a thorough soaking. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/raised-vegetable-gardens.htm