Quick verdict
Two sheets of heavy non-woven fabric, 63 by 83 inches, that line the inside of a large raised bed or vegetable trough to keep soil from washing out of the joints and gaps, let water drain freely, block weeds coming up from below and keep damp compost off the wood or metal of the bed walls. A liner is what separates a bed that drains from one that silts, and it adds years to timber. The fabric cuts with scissors for smaller beds, planters and window boxes.
Strengths
- Keeps soil in and lets water out
- Blocks weeds from below
- Protects timber and metal bed walls from damp compost
- Large enough for a big trough; cuts for smaller beds
- Two liners for two beds or a double layer
Weaknesses
- Non-woven tears if pulled over a sharp screw head
- A liner stapled too tight bags when filled
- Not a weed barrier against bindweed and couch grass
The overall YardToolLab Score is out of 100. Section scores are out of 10.
What Goes Between the Soil and the Bed
A raised bed filled straight against its boards loses fine soil through every gap, holds wet compost against the timber until it rots and lets weeds through from below. A liner fixes all three. EcoBrisa’s are two sheets of heavy non-woven fabric at 63 by 83 inches, sized for a large trough and cut down for anything smaller.
This review is based on the listing specifications and on how non-woven bed liners perform in raised beds generally. We have not used these liners ourselves and the brand is a generic importer.
Fitting
Lay the fabric into the empty bed and push it into the corners with plenty of slack; a liner pulled tight tears when the soil weight comes on. Staple it to the inside of the walls a few inches below the rim where the compost will hide it, trim the excess and fill. Leave the base loose so it settles with the soil. Cover screw heads inside the bed with tape so they do not cut the fabric.
What It Does
Water passes through as fast as the soil lets it; non-woven fabric does not hold a puddle. Fines stay in, so the bed does not silt out of the joints and sink. The boards see fabric rather than wet compost and last years longer. Annual weeds from the ground below are stopped.
What It Does Not Do
Perennial weeds with running roots, bindweed and couch grass, push through any fabric. Dig those out or lay cardboard under the liner for the first season. It is also not a pond liner; a bed that should hold water wants plastic.
Size
Sixty-three by eighty-three inches lines a trough about five by seven feet and two feet deep, or a long four foot bed. Cut it with scissors for smaller planters and the offcuts line window boxes.
Metal Beds
Galvanised beds warm fast and the liner keeps roots off the hot metal and the metal off the wet soil, which slows corrosion at the seams.
Who Should Buy It
- Anyone building a large trough or raised bed.
- Owners of timber beds who want them to last.
- Gardeners on weedy ground starting a new bed.
Common Owner Complaints
Tearing on screws and bagging when filled. Tape the screws; leave slack.
Alternatives to Consider
Landscape fabric by the roll for many beds. A plastic liner with drainage holes for timber that must stay dry. Cardboard under the bed for perennial weeds.
Verdict
For a big bed that drains, holds its soil and spares the timber, a non-woven liner is the standard and these two are a fair size. Fit with slack, staple below the rim and tape the screws.
Full specifications
EcoBrisa 2-Pack 63 x 83 Inch Non-Woven Raised Garden Bed Liner for Large Vegetable Troughs FAQs
To stop fine soil washing out through board gaps and leaving voids, to keep wet compost off the walls so timber lasts, and to stop weeds coming up from the ground below while water still drains.
Drape the fabric into the empty bed with slack in the corners, staple it to the inside of the walls a few inches below the rim, trim the excess and fill. Leave the base unstapled so it settles.
No. Non-woven fabric passes water readily while holding soil.
Annual weeds, yes. Bindweed and couch grass push through fabric; dig them out or lay cardboard beneath.
