Here I am sharing an old mistake and how I deal with it each year. Raised beds near any tree can be a recipe for disaster as roots are opportunistic and will eventually overtake the nice rich soil in a garden bed. Laying down a weed barrier is ineffective in my experience. Here I show you an example of what not to do, and how I combat the issue of invasive roots each year. I share how to avoid the mistake and plan a good raised bed garden solution that will avoid the problem of tree roots invading your garden and choking out water and food from your tender seasonal vegetables.
This video from another youtube channel shows a great way of building an elevated platform to root-proof an open-bottom raised bed with the use of cinder blocks and concrete board: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWhxgNKCgDQ
9 Comments
Thank you. I was just about to build a raised bed in between two trees.😮
Oh wow that’s way more roots than I would have expected.
I can relate – we had raised garden beds from Sam's in an area we thought was just dirt/ soil. About a yr or 2 ago I finally pulled up both bed sets.
There are tree roots everywhere that have invaded from neighboring trees. This winter I'm cover cropping that section with cool season seeds hoping they will loosen it up.
I agree. Trees do not compete with other plantings. Previously had 2 hydrangeas under a tree & they really struggled.
Relocated them 3yrs ago when we took the tree down.
That change made all the difference for the hydrangeas
Btw- love your sunjoe! I have their chipper…
I did a year long trial run of steel raised beds in a bad spot. When I removed them I found the neighbors landscape trees had already found their way in from 50 feet away.
I guess next year we will see a stock tank up on bricks next to the east wall? Some summers I grow squash in 32 gal. rubber trash cans Kratky style (with net cups in water with special mineral blend.) but I don't think you can grow beets that way. I grow chard in 10 gal buckets in water too. Thanks for the info about keeping veggies away from trees, Natasha.
Thanks, I planned on putting my blackberries into a raised bed with just a hardware cloth barrier. Will definitely place my garden box on top of some pavers.
Do you or have you had a grub problem specifically with your roses? Im suspecting that is what is killing my roses. If so how does one control grubs?
Thanks for sharing the ups and downs. Gardening is definitely a never-ending saga.
05:17 I've read elsewhere that metal containers are not recommended for hot climates because the metal gets so hot that the plant material near the metal of the container is literally cooked. Individual pots planted in the substrate of the larger metal container were recommended as insulation.
I'm also curious if drilling holes a few inches up on the side of the stock container, instead of on the bottom, would be viable? There would still be some drainage, but the soil below the side drainage holes would temporarily hold moisture that would wick to the rest of the container?
Arrggghhh! This spring I put in a 4'x20' L raised bed near a Tangelo, Olive and Italian Cypress. Arrrghhh!
On a more positive note, my 1st year Bekkaa Red has quadrupled in size/mass and my wife is still snacking on them as they ripen. Keep the AWESOME videos coming! You are upleveling Phoenix area garden knowledge more than anyone else in the valley. We salute you!