Raised beds don’t collapse on their own. Something causes the wood to bow, the soil to sour, and the tomatoes to stall out midseason. And in gardens across the South, that culprit often costs less than a fast-food lunch.
Walk through any big-box hardware store in spring and stacks of black landscape fabric promise easy weed control and low-maintenance beds. The packaging sells a dream: fewer weeds, better drainage, long-lasting performance. For about five dollars a roll, it sounds like common sense. But in hot, humid Southern climates, that thin sheet of woven plastic often creates more problems than it solves. Raised beds thrive on airflow, drainage, and living soil. Landscape fabric interferes with all three.
