Installing a planting bed over tree roots

Featured Answer. Like 1 Save. Sort by: Oldest. Newest Oldest. I have some concern that those roots are going to sap nutrients and moisture from your beds. Like Save. Related Discussions Creating two off-street parking spaces along the front of the raised ranch house Q. Is there a house back there? How do I get too it?

I just came over the crosswalk built wide enough for city shoppers or a wheelchair race to a dead end. What is the alternative offered by the good folks on the deck?

Here are a few avenues to follow toward a solution. You take multiple ideas, run them by an audience of a gathering of the entire family, even regular visitors, yes, even your mother-in-law it might be a wise decision to include your uphill neighbor to the group - and your insurance agent - and present your case so the jury can decide what direction or directions to follow.

This may take a while - go get a drink and turn down the TV. There may not be any topsoil to save across your front yard to save, but, if there is you want to save it, as it has value to the future vigor of the growies. You might stockpile it on the left lane of your drivelawn. You have previously put an ad in the local shoppers handout offering free fill to your neighbors.

Your contractor will load the neighbors trucks on a given day, prearranged. Why am I doing this, you may ask, I'm just the visitor. Sorry, I guess I should just return to offering advise, not writing a tale of the future. Essentially, I suggest you the homeowner do 3, 4, or 6 projects. First: Basically remove the entire mountainside between where the former dune crossing was removed, over to where the driveway will be. Second: Work the hillside into a stable attractive natural environment, attractive to the visitor, the passerby, the neighborhood, and the homeowner and his dog.

Four: Install a charming pedestrian entry sequence from curb to hugs at the front door. Are we in agreement so far? My initial thought, which is all you will get today, fortunately, is to enter straight in, then carve a circular bay toward your uphill neighbor, then straight on toward the house again, then another circular bay to include the homestead area.

The easiest and most expensive, and least desirable is a series of retaining walls. You don't want them to exceed 5 or 6 feet as they tend to show their burden after years, in spite of footings and tiebacks.

And, you lose your natural setting that you came here for. Simple huh! You want more detail, send me an email. If I can keep my advise to the written word and avoid liability, my advise is free and worth every penny. Oh, I forgot problem 4 or 5. If neither of these options work for you, then there is option 3 make a plan to dig out the roots every 2 years or so and start fresh. Rent a trencher pnce and put down barrier or just trench? At least till I redo my raised beds.

Has anyone had any success like this? That is one way to manage the issue. Keep the neighbors happy, I always say. So sorry, but option 2 did not work for me. I cleaned out all tree roots from prior year and installed wire and weed fabric. One year later, the beds were totally laced with roots again. Tiny, tiny root tendrils came up through the pinholes in the fabric, then grew to enlarge the hole in the fabric — and then infested the whole bed all over again!!

Sorry to hear about that, Paul. Install an in-ground barrier around the garden. Cover the soil with weed barrier and put a raised bed on top. How not to do it! The weed barrier was simply stapled to the inside of the wooden frame rather than extending well beyond it. Tree roots will be back in no time flat. Use a Big Bag Bed. Start over again in an area where there are no tree roots. Like this: Like Loading Jon Berger jonberger February 29, Laidback Gardener.

March 1, Katrina Gray. August 6, Bear in mind a tree in decline may not rally from the removal of a raised bed if the raised bed has been in place for 5 or more years.

A gorgeous raised bed built around this pin oak tree four years ago leads to a leafless canopy in May. Skip to main content.