Been watching neighbors in my cul-de-sac build raised beds and they keep skipping this one step

Every single one of them just piles dirt straight on top of grass without putting down cardboard or landscape fabric underneath. After 3 years of watching my own beds turn into a weed nightmare, I finally asked and they all said they didn't think it mattered - has anyone else seen this catch up with people down the road?

2 comments

2 Comments

king.wyatt8d ago

The cardboard layer buys you years of peace. I put down a thick layer of wet cardboard under my beds five years ago and I've pulled maybe three weeds total. Meanwhile my neighbor who skipped it is out there every spring fighting quackgrass that punches right through. Even the fancy soil mixes don't stop grass if you skip the barrier. You can use plain brown cardboard from shipping boxes, just peel off the tape and wet it down good before you pile on the dirt. Have you noticed if their beds are getting more weeds than yours are now?

bettywood8d ago

didn't think it mattered" is what they all say, until they're out there on a Saturday pulling crabgrass that punched right through six inches of soil. My buddy down the street did the same thing, skipped the cardboard, and two years later his "no dig" beds looked like a hayfield. He spent a whole weekend digging it all up again, and now he's the one telling everyone to lay down wet cardboard first. You want to skip something, skip the fancy soil mix, but not the barrier.