Build garden in raised beds to avoid tree roots

By Audrey Post
MS. GROW-IT-ALL

Q: We want to add a vegetable garden this fall to our back yard, which gets morning and early afternoon sun and is in high shade from pines in the late afternoon. I have read that vegetables need full sun, so is this enough sun to sustain a vegetable garden? Also, there seem to be a lot of tree roots criss-crossing the yard. Is there a way to tell where the roots are running, and thus avoid them, without digging up the whole back yard?

A: Full sun is considered six to eight hours a day, so morning and early afternoon sun should be enough to sustain your vegetable garden. But remember that sun patterns change with the seasons, and your back yard might get more – or less – sun in fall and winter than it does in summer. Keep track of sunlight patterns so you can make adjustments next year, if needed.

As for the tree roots, the best thing way to avoid them is to plant in raised beds. You can build a frame for your beds, or you can simply mound the soil and slope the sides. Make your beds about 18 inches deep and use lots of composted organic matter, such as mulch and manure. Four feet by 8 feet is a good size for a bed, because you can reach into the center from either side. Plus, most framing products come in 8-foot lengths, so you’ll need to make fewer cuts to build the beds.

A word of caution if you decide to build a frame: Make sure you know what your framing material is made of, and treated with. Some of the chemicals used to make wood rot-resistant, including arsenic, are toxic and can leach into the soil. When it comes to vegetable gardens, I prefer to let the wood frames rot and simply replace them every few years.

Internet Radio Show: Ms. Grow-It-All’s Internet radio show now broadcasts live at 6 p.m. Wednesdays at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Ms_Grow-It-All. Just cut and paste the link into your browser window. If you can’t join us live, you can download a podcast from my Web site. This week’s topic was planting fruit trees, and Brandy Cowley-Gilbert of Just Fruits and Exotics nursery in Crawfordville joined us and shared her expertise. Next week, our topic will be preparing your lawn for winter.

Radio Show: Spring vegetable gardens

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