Marianne's Response

sarah andrew-question

Hi Marianne,
I have a sunny spot in my garden and I would like to build some raised beds for vegetables. One interesting issue to consider though is that because of water in the basement, a thick plastic is 2 inches below the soil to direct water for drainage. The sunny spot in my yard is where this plastic is. Do you think raised beds could be a successful growing area considering the plastic? Would height of the raised box eliminate problems? I’m wondering about root growth and adequate drainage. I would appreciate your opionion before I go ahead with the project and cost of wood.
Thank you,
Sarah

Posted by on May 16, 2010

Marianne's Response

Yes, you can build raised beds on top of plastic or even on top of concrete in a parking lot or patio. Just build the beds at least one foot high and the the water drain from the sides of the beds rather than the bottom. Fill the beds with good soil or compost mixed with topsoil. You may even find that your crops mature and ripen sooner from the nearby heat of the plastic covering. You can also choose to garden in large containers that sit on top of the plastic. Half wine barrels are large enough to grow almost any type of veggie but tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, lettuce, zucchini do especially well in containers. Check out my new book Edible Gardening for Washington and Oregon\" for more information. Keep growing

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