How to use them wisely

Climate in the raised bed

Raised beds are surrounded by a wide variety of materials - from concrete blocks to natural stone to wood sheathing. Each of these materials suffers to a different extent when it comes into contact with damp earth.

Conversely, the climate in a raised bed should always be slightly humid. If possible, the moisture in the soil should not escape too much so that the plants inside the raised bed can thrive.

Lining with foil

In the raised bed, a foil lining mainly protects the sheathing. Despite wood protection, wood that is in constant contact with moist earth will be attacked over time.

There is no wood protection that could really prevent this - with the exception of the highly toxic tar products such as carbolineum, which are prohibited today. Nobody wants to use something like this in their garden.

The lining of the raised bed with foil protects the border of the bed very effectively from permanent moisture and at the same time maintains the moisture necessary for the plants inside.

A suitable film must have the following properties:

• it has to be robust and resilient
• it should be tear-resistant and very tight - and that in all temperature ranges
• it should in any case be ecologically harmless and suitable for plants

In view of these properties, EPDM film is most likely to come into question. PVC films age relatively quickly and lose the plasticizers they contain. This makes them brittle and leaks over time.

In addition, PVC foils are much less resilient than EPDM foils - especially at lower temperatures, they quickly lose their flexibility. And under no circumstances can PVC film be regarded as ecologically harmless and suitable for plants.

The cost difference between PVC foils and EPDM foils is usually negligible given the small amount required for a raised bed. PVC foils are also offered for this purpose, but EPDM foils are clearly the better choice here, as they are completely environmentally neutral.