I made my first air pruning bed out of scrap wood from an old deck – Just looking for suggestions!

[Guest]

I believe I'm at the final step where I need to put a mesh on the bottom of the bed to hold the soil in.

I've seen a couple things online about using shade cloth, which I don't have, I was wondering if there is anything else I could use? I have a left over roll of house wrap, would that work? I also heard of trampoline liner/safety netting? Is there anything else that could be used?



PS: I also have a bunch of paper mill tarps from the belt lines that is fairly thick and allows water to pass through, would that work?

[Tina]

I would use a landscaping fabric liner, probably a fiberglass one. (Weed cloth). The black plastic won't hold up. We had some droveway liner leftover, and that would also work.

The tyvek house wrap is a plastic barrier that won't let water drain, so that would be bad. I don't own shade cloth, not sure if it would let the soil fall out.

[Michael]

I am confused by this concept...I get the idea of air pruning /blocking for seed starting, but what is the idea behind a large bed like this? Just seems like it is going to be a big dry bed of soil.

Don't miss: My third raised bed is now built – So..

[Aqueelah]

Landscape cloth. Holds in the soil, allows excess water drainage.

[Pat]

I have these beds. I put window screen in the bottom to keep the dirt from going thru. You could also use landscape fabric but it doesn’t last. My s terming has lasted years with no sign or rips or tears.

Explore these too: I would love to see large stick built greenhouses with wood

[Wanda]

I have a couple of these. I use the cheap landscape material. It’s thick enough to hold the soil but thin enough for drainage and air flow so I don’t get diseases or water logged plants. I love mine.

[Arch]

Are you wanting it to be able to hold water, or just soil? If you want it hold back water you could use plastic vapour barrier, that is what I did in the raised beds in my greenhouse. I just laid it across the bottom boards and came up about 2" on the sides and ends, seems to be working for me. Reminds me it time to go water in the greenhouse lol.

[Shawn]

Your gonna want to add alot more support if you plan on filling that with soil. Nothing worse than having the bottom of an elevated bed fall out mid season. Trust me I know from experience.



Don't forget to take a look at: Mine– It's a 10x12 from Rhino Greenhouses out of the UK

[Judy]

I’ve never done sit pruning but I’ve seen videos on Edibleacres YouTube channel. That guy really knows what he’s doing. They have an entire playlist on air pruning. Good luck with your project!

[Stefan]

Planting bed? Anything that will let water but not soil pass thru it. Weed block is probably the best. It'll dry out faster than ground soil. You may need to staple house wrap on top, and cut slots or holes. It'll keep wind blown weeds from sprouting and moisture in.