I am planting a vegetable garden in a raised flower bed. I want it to be organic, so i don’t want to use a plastic liner. but the soil in my yard has a lot of chemicals from the previous owners and I don’t want them in the vegetables, are there any liners that are not plastic?
Comments
You can buy weed block fabric at any hardware store..It will work for what you want I think..
How about plywood? It would last for a few years and by then the chemicals will be washed down.
If it’s really badly contaminated you might want to shovel out the area soil and replace it with new topsoil. A lot of work I know but if it will give you peace of mind…
There are biodegradeable weed blocking barriers from corn or paper but they aren’t really going to do what you want. I know of no other liners that are not somehow plastic based. Landscape cloth needs to allow moisture to penetrate and under your bed you’ll need drainage so a permeable barrier isn’t likely to block chemicals.
Good luck.
I would just suggest planting shallow rooted plants for the first year and any chemical residues should be washed away/broken down by then, especially since you will be watering in that area. I would not use plywood since it is treated with chemicals. I would dig out the soil and put down a layer of gravel under the beds, then a layer of bark chips then a layer of cardboard and straw then organic soil material to give the roots a physical barrier to the old soil.
This will of course break down over time, but it will provide extra organic matter that will help drainage and help the break down of any chemicals that might remain in the soil. If you are worried about fertilizers and pesticides they really do break down over time but you could look up the soil life of the chemicals you are concerned with but most garden applications last a year at most depending on the climate. You should look that up because they might not be as big of an issue as you think. If you are concerned about heavy metals, industrial chemicals, or agricultural run off I would suggest getting your soil tested and contacting your local university or environmental agencies on safe remediation of the site. Good luck. I agree, plastic is not a great way to go!
