Garden Bed

[Jeanette Diaz Bozek]

Hi All,
I was wondering if I could ask some advise from this group about raised gardens. We moved into our current home two summers ago and are finally ready to do a garden this summer. I bought plants at the plant swap and we are going to work on the outdoor bed this week. We have chosen the spot in the yard that gets the most sun. The only problem is there is a maple nearby that I was told would try to send roots into the garden. Would a raised bed help deter that, is there anything else I could do to deter that? Also do any of you have any experience with the kits they sell at the home improvement stores or Sam's? There is one right now at Sam's for $40 that says it won't rot but I am afraid that means it is treated.

Any advise would be great!!!

Thanks,
Jeanette

[Robert Howard]

Hi Jeanette,
Raised beds offer several advantages.
a. You do not need to dig out any existing grass. Just use cardboard
to cover the grass inside the bed frame. (Soak the cardboard well
before laying it down.)
b. The bed can be filled with a good compost and soil mix. Less work
and gets you off to a good start. (You may want to turn leaves into
it in he fall. Do not use cotton wood or Aspen leaves.)
c. The raised bed stays neat and orderly.

If you find tree roots growing into the bed, simply trim them off.

If you are handy, you can build your own wood frames. Look on line
for ideas. Call a deck builder an ask if they have any used red wood
you can repurpose.

There are metal hardware pieces for the corners of the bed that have
a spike that goes into the ground. They have slots that the boards
fit into to hold them in place.

If you use composite/manufactured boards, be aware that they may bow
and not hold their shape.

Hope this is helpful,
Robert

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[Alie Rich]

Curious, why can't you turn in cottonwood and aspen leaves?

[Jeanette Diaz Bozek]

Thank you for your reply. I just checked on the kit I mentioned and is made of the Trex Decking materials which isn't wood at all and is not supposed to break down at all. Any thoughts?

Thanks again!

Jeanette

[Robert Howard]

If you have a cottonwood tree, chances are good that you've experienced difficulty in growing things under your tree. This is because cottonwood leaves are slightly alkaline in nature, and can raise the pH of the soil to the point that plants have trouble growing in it. The problem can spread if you use cottonwood leaves for mulch. The solution is to compost your leaves. Finished compost has a neutral pH regardless of the pH of the plants used. Once your leaves have been turned into compost, you can amend it into soil or use it as mulch. 

Aspen leaves often have Black Spot Fungus and I am not sure composting will destroy the fungus.

 I try to avoid adding either to my garden or compost. There are lots of other leaves around to work with.

Robert

Read more: How to Compost Cottonwood Leaves | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_5746606_compost-cottonwood-leaves.html#ixzz2SYj2oq5K

[Robert Howard]

Jeanette,
If the Trek planks have a hollow core they will be more ridged than
the solid planks. So, they may not bow. In any case you have the
option of providing more support to the planks by adding stakes along
the sides.

Robert

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