Hi Julie, I believe we used DeWitt 4 or 5 ounce woven landscape fabric and we got it from a local landscape supply store that specializes in irrigation. Hope that helps and good luck!

Hi Jerry, you can use linseed oil for the outside of your raised beds but be aware of the exact type you will be applying as they can vary in drying times and some linseed oil needs close to 7 days to fully dry. Check out this article by the University of Georgia as they cover linseed oil as a wood preservative and it seems it can cause mold or mildew growth? Hope that helps and good luck!

Hi Michael, yes you are correct about the hardware cloth size, we use the 1/2 inch size. In the past, we built a raised bed planter for a tree to keep on our patio and we did line the bed with landscape fabric, however, it seemed to do more damage than good and at the very least, we saw no noticeable improvement in it making the planter last longer. It seems the landscape fabric held moisture so it may have kept the sides of the planter more wet than if nothing was there to begin with. We have also built raised beds in the past without sealant or caulking and they still last for a long time, these are just extra measures you can take that may make them last longer. Hope that helps and glad you enjoyed the article, good luck with your project and have fun growing!

Much appreciated!

Hi Lori, so great to hear the raised beds worked out so well for you, good job! I think you can still apply the sealer even though the beds were constructed a couple years ago, I would just try and wipe down the outside of the beds to cut down on the dirt and debris that is on the wood before you apply the sealer. Hope that helps and good luck!