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sooby77

Raised Bed: What to put at the bottom?

sooby77
13 years ago

Hi everyone,

I'm a novice gardener and am working on a raised bed this year (4'x8'x12"). I've been reading a lot on this forum and on the Internet and am getting information overload. My question is, what do I put at the very bottom of my bed? My plan at the moment is to dig up the grass (mostly weed!) and turn them over before putting something down. Some people recommend landscape fabric, some newspaper, and some cardboard.

I've started collecting cardboards from Costco here and wasn't sure if I am doing the right thing. My primary goal is to minimize weed. I know it's not possible to have weed free bed. Would it be overkill to lay a landscape fabric before putting down cardboard?

In my previous year, I planted tomatoes, semi successfully on the ground here, but it was a major pain to weed when mosquitoes are in full force. I plan to plant tomatoes, peppers, and herbs on this raised bed. Thanks for your advice.

PS: I'm in Raleigh, NC.

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