Garden raised beds

[Dennis]

Can I line inside the sides of a wooden raised bed with plastic/ polyurethane..is it safe to do so .

 

[Dennis]

I meant polythene,,not polyurethane

 

[Bleeckerclerk]

As long as it has good drainage, you don't want to encourage mold or fungus. Your roots have to breathe

 

[Anniekay]

Why do you want to do that? It won't keep your wood from deteriorating faster and it's going to deteriorate and you'll have pieces of plastic mixed into your soil. Just a mess IMHO.

 

[Mike313]

Why do you want to do that? It won't keep your wood from deteriorating faster and it's going to deteriorate and you'll have pieces of plastic mixed into your soil. Just a mess IMHO.

I agree. I personally avoid using plastic 'mulch' or even cardboard to suppress weeds because of the danger they might pose when they break down. It is possible that the chemicals used in their manufacture are soluble in water and may be taken up by plants through their roots. Having gone to the trouble of growing my vegetables without pesticides or fertilisers, the last thing I want is to eat potentially harmful chemicals absorbed from degrading plastic/cardboard. You only have to read the articles regarding the micro-plastics found in fish to realise the dangers plastic poses. Until proven otherwise, I prefer to err on the side of caution.

 

[Dennis]

Thanks for your kind replies,,very much appreciated but I am not using it on the bottom of the bed/s only along the sides …I agree about organic gardening practices ,and most of my raised beds are brick made ,
I don’t use any chemicals/ pesticides to the best of my ability..
in the case of the one bed which was free timber and has had varnish on it .i just wanted to know best way of protecting contamination to the soil /plants …

 

[Chris W]

Can I line inside the sides of a wooden raised bed with plastic/ polyurethane..is it safe to do so .

make sure the plastic wraps over the sides so as to prevent water from getting trapped between wood and plastic. Also, it might be good to put water permeable weed block on the bottom instead of solid plastic. This will allow excess water to pass through and not stand in the bed.

 

[GFTL]

Plastic sides in your bed are fine. They won't break down and begin shredding since they are protected from sunlight.