Should I Put Rocks in the Bottom of My Raised Bed?

Raised garden beds have become incredibly popular among gardeners due to their numerous advantages. They offer a range of benefits, such as improved soil quality, better drainage, effective weed control, easy accessibility for gardening tasks, and simplified maintenance. 

However, we often get asked this question when it comes to filling a raised bed: 

Is it necessary to include rocks at the bottom to enhance drainage? 

The answer is no! Here are some reasons why we recommend against adding rocks to the bottom of your raised beds:

• Hindered root growth. Rocks in the bottom of a raised garden bed can impede the growth of plant roots, particularly if they are large or densely packed. This limitation can be detrimental to plants that require deeper root systems.
• Blocks movement of earthworms and other soil organisms from native soil into your raised beds.
• Uneven moisture distribution. Rocks can cause uneven water distribution within the bed, leading to variations in moisture levels among plants. This inconsistency can negatively impact plant health and growth.
• Perched water table. Contrary to popular belief, rocks do not significantly enhance drainage when put at the bottom of a raised garden bed. Eventually, the soil will fill the spaces between the rocks and actually slow down drainage. The result is a perched water table, where excess moisture accumulates above the rock layer, potentially causing root rot and other moisture-related issues.
• They are unnecessary for drainage. Well-structured soil with plenty of organic matter already provides adequate drainage in a raised garden bed. Rocks are not essential for achieving proper drainage and can even hinder it.
• Limited soil depth. Placing rocks at the bottom of a garden bed reduces the available soil depth for plant roots to grow. This restriction can be problematic, particularly for plants with deep root systems.
• Increased difficulty working the soil. Adding rocks to the bottom of a raised bed makes it challenging to amend or improve the soil over time. It restricts access to the lower layers and can impede the addition of organic matter or nutrients.
• Over time, rocks will get mixed in with your raised bed soil, not cool!
• Rocks are expensive and heavy! Spend that money and effort on high quality compost and other organic garden amendments like organic fertilizer.

Rather than rocks, we recommend adding a layer of organic matter like twigs, sticks, leaves and small logs that will break down and enrich your soil over time. Just be sure to leave about 12 inches of soil to grow veggies in. Although, if you have plenty of soil, this layer is not necessary. It just helps lower the cost of filling the beds.

I hope this relieves you of any temptation to add rocks to the bottom of your raised beds. It’s totally unnecessary and even potentially harmful.