Chop down trees on plot? Or not?

[Davidfromcheshire]

Im a month into my new plot. I have two trees alongside the plot which is nice for shade but Im told they are sucking all the nutrients out of the soil. Should I chop them down?

[veggiechicken]

What are they? Are you entitled to cut them down if they're not on your plot?

[taff]

Not if they're not on your plot.....

how close are they?

[Bigmallly]

I would get advice from your site management David.

[The Masons]

Definitely check before u do anything that you can get rid. Are they really that big that they are causing problems?

[rustylady]

Put a picture up. What sort of trees are they? I would be reluctant to cut down any trees (except Leylandii)

[Davidfromcheshire]

One is an oak, the other not sure. Both about 20 feet high. They are on my plot and Committee says I can cut them down if I want

[Davidfromcheshire]

Photo of the trees

These are the two trees Im considering cutting down

[rustylady]

Personally I would leave them. I think they look lovely and they will be a haven for wildlife.

They certainly won't be "sucking all the nutrients out of your ground".

[zazen999]

Firstly - find out what the other one is!

[Two_Sheds]

I have two trees alongside the plot ... but Im told they are sucking all the nutrients out of the soil.

One is an oak, the other not sure

That depends if they're shading out the plot.

imo, they do not steal goodness from your veggies, because tree roots are deeper than veggie roots and access different levels of nutrient.
I have 2 baby oak trees (7ft tall?) bang in the middle of my raised veg beds, and everything is growing just fine with them. No problems at all, we get loads of veg, and the shade is appreciated: Lasagne beds | Flickr - Photo Sharing!



I have a horse chestnut in the car park bed, and that bed is just awful: so little goodness in the soil that not even weeds would grow.
After 2 years of adding green manures & weed choppings to the soil under the tree, it can now support a few lavenders, alfalfa and grasses: car park before & after | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Two_Sheds]

They certainly won't be "sucking all the nutrients out of your ground".

No, they won't.

Lots of plot holders will have (fruit) trees on their plots: they don't inhibit the veg in any way. As I said, tree roots go a lot deeper than veg roots

Try growing your veg for a year or so, then decide whether your trees really are a problem.
You can always prune them to keep them small. I've been crown thinning my oaks, and want to take out the middle branches of the chestnut before winter.

[taff]

I would worry more about them when you actually have some produce in the ground if that's a recent picture
besides, in this weather, you'll need them for shade