Based on your budget and goals for gardening, you can fill the lower part of your garden beds with wide-mesh hardware cloth, stainless steel mesh, landscape fabric, burlap sack, or newspaper/cardboard. Below are some details about each.

• Wide-mesh hardware cloth: This material keeps burrowing animals and weeds out, but earthworms are able to pass through. They are the gardeners of nature, improving the soil and aerating it to the benefit of your plants. Staple the cloth on the base of the frame for your garden bed when you are building it. Once it is in place, it will last all the time.

• Rat or gopher made of stainless steel mesh: This strong product is designed specifically for stopping animals from burrowing. It is stapled to ensure that it won't move around.

• Landscape fabric: If you're experiencing an issue with weeds in your yard, landscaping fabric is very effective in preventing unwanted growth from popping up in your gardens.

• Burlap bag: Have an old potato bag in your possession? It makes a fantastic weed-stopper when stapled to the base of the garden bed frame.

• Newspapers or cardboard: Easy, low-cost materials can impede the growth of weeds beneath gardens. They can be laid on the ground prior to making gardens on the top. You can also place sheets of cardboard or newspaper towards the top of your planters to get the added benefit of retaining moisture that mulch can provide.

Final Tips

Do not line your gardens with plastic because this hinders drainage and may cause flooding to the roots of your plants. Dealing with an issue with pests and weeds? You might want to consider installing a mixture of fabric and metal mesh or cardboard and hardware cloth to reap both advantages at the same time.