PSA: Do not put gravel under a raised garden bed unless you want weeds in the first month

Avery Gibson · 2026-09-23T10:45:06.029953+00:00

I built a 4x8 raised bed behind my garage in Boise last spring and lined the bottom with 3 inches of gravel thinking it would stop weeds for good. Six weeks later I had thistle and bindweed pushing up through 10 inches of soil like the gravel wasn't even there, and pulling them meant digging out rock by hand. Turns out the weed barrier cloth I skipped is the part that actually does the work, the gravel just holds moisture and gives roots something to grab. I ended up hauling out 200 pounds of rock and redoing the whole base with cardboard and fabric. Has anyone here used a different ground layer that actually stopped the weeds for more than one season?

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PSA: Do not put gravel under a raised garden bed unless you want weeds in the first month | Backyard Projects - Thought Shares