Which size hardware cloth at bottom of raised bed? - Ask Extension
Hi Extension!
I live in SW Portland and am installing 3x 13" tall raised beds in an area occasionally visited by moles (I believe). I've heard...
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Which size hardware cloth at bottom of raised bed? #927817
Asked April 08, 2026, 12:06 PM EDT
Hi Extension!
I live in SW Portland and am installing 3x 13" tall raised beds in an area occasionally visited by moles (I believe). I've heard that installing 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth at the bottom of the bed is good insurance against their burrowing. I'll be planting vegetables, dahlias and dye plants in the beds.
I realize 1/4" cloth would be the most thorough protection for smaller rodents, but would this smaller size be detrimental for roots at 1ft depth?
Thank you!
Bonnie Hentosh
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
I like to find research with scientific testing to share, but I don’t find anything about how roots interact with hardware cloth (wire mesh) under raised garden planting beds. Roots from your garden beds won’t easily (if at all) grow below the native soil below your beds with or without wire mesh, because of the way your raised bed soils interface with it. The way you work the native soil and blend it into the raised bed soil makes a big difference. I could find some references about that if you’d like.
You could research the root size and depth of each plant you want to grow, and choose some beds for half-inch mesh, others for one-fourth. I just don’t have information to help you with that.Here is FS 270 about raised garden beds. And I found this prior Q&A about soil in raised beds, you may find interesting.
You could research the root size and depth of each plant you want to grow, and choose some beds for half-inch mesh, others for one-fourth. I just don’t have information to help you with that.Here is FS 270 about raised garden beds. And I found this prior Q&A about soil in raised beds, you may find interesting.
