Siting crops near trees?

[Seahorse]

I inherited 3 plums trees when I took on my lottie They're all about 8 - 10 feet high and quite old, so I doubt they'll get bigger. I'm wondering how near to them I can risk digging without damaging their root systems? I'm also wondering what to plant near them? Would it be better to go for things like rhubarb and asparagus that will remain in situ for a good while, then I don't have to dig near the trees much? Perhaps flower bulbs? My plot is south facing, so anything not directly 'behind' the trees would get a good amount of sun.

Any advice as to how best to use the maximum amount of space without harming the trees would be much appreciated.

[rustylady]

"They" reckon that the root spread of a tree is more or less equal to the spread of the branches. Therefore leave a clear area around your trees to match the topgrowth. I wouldn't even try to grow veg under the trees, but bulbs and flowers would be OK.

[Seahorse]

Thanks RL. Would I get away with strawberries within the crown/root of the tree area, maybe?

[rustylady]

Possibly, as they are originally woodland plants, appreciate a bit of shade and aren't deep-rooted.

[Snadger]

The chap on an allotment near to me has a mini orchard covering half his plot. He plants marrows and pumpkins outside of this area but allows them to scramble in among the fruit trees.

He isn't called Mr Kipling but he does grow exceedingly good cucurbits!

[Seahorse]

Possibly, as they are originally woodland plants, appreciate a bit of shade and aren't deep-rooted.

That's what I was hoping but it's good to have someone more experienced back me up

The chap on an allotment near to me has a mini orchard covering half his plot. He plants marrows and pumpkins outside of this area but allows them to scramble in among the fruit trees.

He isn't called Mr Kipling but he does grow exceedingly good cucurbits!

Oh, that's interesting! Root systems well away but top growth making use of all opportunities! I'm making a note of that!

[bluemoon]

At our previous house we inherited a huge Bramley apple tree with strawberries growing under the expanse of the canopy. We never did the whole replace them after 3 years thing either, but simply left them to grow wild, removing the odd few plants when it became overcrowded. Crops were adequate, but the main problem was that birds roosted in the tree, and um....pooped, quite often soiling the fruit beneath. I'd still do it, but if you want loads of strawberries I'd grow others elsewhere too - and don't allow anyone to eat the under-tree ones straight from the plant even if they look clean, just to be on the safe side.

[terrier]

My garden plot is under plum trees. I've only been growing veg in it for two years but it's obvious that the nearer I plant to the trees the poorer growth I get. When I first deep dug the plot, I came across very few main roots and I was digging within 10 feet of the trees and they don't seem to have come to any harm so far.