posted 5 years ago
William, if you made your raised beds out of construction concrete blocks, the first layer sunken halfway into the ground, the second layer alternated over the crack between blocks, allows for airflow near the wood, let's you redesign the shape of the bed if you change your mind, you can plant in the holes of the concrete block, and they will last forever, pay for them once and no replacement necessary, won't attract termites, if they are in your area. I got a ton of termites after just one year of wooden raised beds.
Or if you still want wooden raised beds, a layer of concrete block between the raised bed and the fence keeps the wood from moving or bulging, and allows for air flow through the concrete when it gets wet, which allows the wood to stay dry. The decorative concrete blocks are the thinnest, the kind they used to make patio walls out of in the 1950s. The other construction blocks work fine as well.
A plastic barrier would also hold moisture next to wood, causing wood rot.
Mediterranean climate, hugel trenches, fabulous clay soil high in nutrients, self-watering containers with hugel layers, keyhole composting with low hugel raised beds, thick Back to Eden Wood chips mulch (distinguished from Bark chips), using as many native plants as possible....all drought tolerant.