Should I install hardware cloth on the bottom of my raised beds?

We install hardware cloth on the bottom of almost all of the raised beds we build. While it’s not the most enjoyable material to work with (wear gloves and equip yourself with some effective wire cutters), it’s a great way to prevent burrowing creatures from feasting on your veggies.

If you are in a new subdivision or already know that there are all sorts of ground dwellers on your property, definitely don’t skip this step! 1/2” hardware cloth is probably fine, but we go with 1/4” to keep even the tiny mice out. If you will be installing a raised bed on top of concrete or extremely compacted ground, we also recommend lining your bed with hardware cloth to hold woven landscape fabric in place so that your soil doesn’t seep out the bottom of your bed.

Once you wrangle the roll of hardware cloth, it’s really pretty simple to staple it to the bottom of your raised bed frame, especially if your beds are 3’ or 4’ wide since you can generally find rolls of hardware cloth in those widths. You’ll just need a staple gun, wire cutters, and a hammer. Then, flip the structure over, level it, and place any additional board layers on top!

If you’ve got a narrow raised garden bed, it may be more effective to make a boat with your hardware cloth. To do this, cut the material in the corners and overlap the pieces to fit nicely on the inside of your bed and then staple it to the interior of the boards.

If you’re building a new fence around your garden space, we recommend lining the bottom of your fence with hardware cloth in addition to your beds. To do this, fold the material so that it makes an “L” shape against your fence material. Ideally, bury the piece that will lay flat against the ground 1-2’ deep.