Hi, A recurrent problem I have not found a solution to beyond pouring cement! A young man once laid down some heavy landscape cloth at the bottom of this one deep raised bed and I see that the plants in that bed are now looking a little peaked and hungry, meaning that the tree roots have once more invaded. They are not my fir trees at the back of the yard and they are great wind buffer so there is no removing them! One has a huge crop of pinecones (fir cones) that will be a great attractor of Crossbills in the Spring, that I know are there due to the extra moisture they get from my garden and watering. What to do? How could one ever hope to have a no-dig mulched garden in such circumstances. Fruit trees only? As one ages these things have to be more easy to deal with. Is there any thing or any way to keep those roots from under growing into that bed? Thanks in advance for any ideas on this toughie, D
have you had your soil tested? It could indicate nutrient levels that can be augmented. If you wish to you could consider root barrier such as the products from Deeproot technologies.
you could use metal sheets for the bottom of your raised bed. you could also plant something that doesn't mind competition. i assume the raised bed gets a lot of sun as you called it a "veggie bed", so i'd try yarrow; pearly-everlasting; hen and chicks; thyme; sedum; monarda and maybe some alyssum. of course, then it wouldn't be a veggie bed anymore! i've grown a lot of herbs in shallow, almost nutrient-free soil (oregano and rosemary come to mind) and they all did fine. good luck!
Yes, We're all growing more succulents around here, mid-island, as we keep hearing that our water rates are going up and and our dry summers require more watering lately. . Who knows? Maybe an echeveria can be eaten like an artichoke? ;) Yes, I keep thinking that under-layering with something is the only answer. And then root prune at the outside edges . Heavy mill poly, if not metal which has to be continuous - hard to do for any size of bed. That was the original idea with the heavy cloth which would also drain but of course, that did not work. Poly doesn't seem to deteriorate underground. One wonders about that leaching now too, into food plants. This has been a perennial or biennial problem here for much of my 20 yrs in this spot and likely to be something I will need to deal with at my next place on this island so I thought I'd try for ideas before I get too busy. All depends on resources too. Maybe a deep perimeter of that interlocking barrier around the whole veggie area, dug in with the backhoe I would bring in to shape things up in the beginning. Think big! To make the work smaller later on. My present garden is no show place except for the birds who love the mixed hedges and the visitors who are surprised to find so much privacy when they enter and I find the veggie garden area is a bit messy looking for periods of time as I let things go to seed and leave stuff (those wire cages and branches) on beds to keep neighbourhood cats out. Someone mentioned using road salt to create a barrier but I wouldn't want to hurt the trees which are beautiful and functional. D
what kind of monster would recommend road salt?! i don't think poisoning the earth is something we should knowingly do, especially as gardeners. it's completely counter-intuitive! i'm glad you're against it, too. ^_^ wanna hear some really weird advice? i haven't tried it out at all but it was given to me by someone who's pretty much the garden guru around here. ...a few layers of newspaper will block weeds and roots (ect.). apparently, the paper doesn't let much water through and it takes a while to break down. if you put some newspaper at the very bottom of your bed, who knows? some people swear by it. sounds crazy to me, but like i said, i really trust the person who gave me this advice... and newsprint is non-toxic and completely biodegradable these days.
That newspaper underground is one idea I have never heard before. I wonder if that would be enough to contain horseradish roots too. And maybe a bed as a trial at the new place, wherever that will be.......hard to leave an old garden. Nice to escape old problems for a new one tho. Is coloured ink non-toxic I wonder, as it used not to be. D
Yes - they are now made from all-vegetable dyes. I checked, to see if it was OK to compost the funny pages. :)
I have the same problem with tree roots. I have used newspapers (use at least 8 to 10 layers). It is easy to use but you must first dig out about a foot of soil. If done in the summer, be sure to wet the paper before covering it up again. Cedars seem to be the most difficult to control. If the soil is good, the roots can become extremely dense in a year or two. Also, if the soil is moist it will draw the roots. I am now trying to grow things that would grow on rocks! At the base of our 20' high cedar hedge I have planted several types of sage. They are thriving. Also growing well are California poppies. Jerusalem artichokes also do well and are an interesting food crop (the roots are cooked and eaten -- they taste something like artichoke hearts, but they must be fresh). They grow very well here. If you have shade, try some wild huckleberries. They make the best jam I have ever made, and it is the most beautiful color of red. Bushes are readily available along forest roads. I have some that naturally came up under the cedars and have added a few more from the roadside areas. Also, you may want to do some homework on biochar. This is basically charcoal from the wood stove -- but not the ashes. Charcoal is porous and holds moisture and nutrients well. It also provides an environment for micro organisms to grow and nurture the roots of plants. I have lots of trees in my small garden and the charcoal seems to greatly improve the quality of the soil structure. Soak the charcoal for a day or two with molasses and/or compost and then add it to the soil. Hope this helps!
