An other question about no dig

[rary]

But it is only 3ft from a probably 10ft high leylandii hedge, and now quite clearly the bed is full of tree roots. I daren't cut the roots too much for fear of killing the trees, which are not mine and would be irreplaceable on any sensible timescale.


I'm currently using it as a surface to put pots and buckets of veg on, which seems a waste somehow. Suggestions (drill free and bearing in mind that I am a 58 year old female with no access to help of any kind!) welcome.

The bed, path and hedge on 1st September:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]76284[/ATTACH]

Thanks Penellype I have had the same good crop[s last year, this year struggling, I thought it was weather related but now I am sure the trees are taking all the goodness from the soil, the trees are a mixed hedge with beech, oak, ash, elder and hawthorn, your point about not cutting the tree roots in your garden because they are not yours, if they belong to the landlord of the property fair enough but if they belong to a neighbour, I would think it will be like any branch growing over your property which you can remove,(in Scotland) and legally you should put it over to your neighbour, roots in your property would be the same.
I would recommend using material like the bouncing mat of a trampoline for placing below a raised bed, it lets water through but so far is strong enough to keep the roots out, and I also like the suggestion to use pots for growing in looking at VCs, its M.F.B. she is using and I have some of those I could could dig a trench for peas/beans at the back and have them in front, then the problem is what to do with the surplice soil

[veggiechicken]

You're right (of course ), rary, they are mostly MFBs. The advantage is that I can move the buckets around, move some into the sun once they start sprouting, or out of the area completely.
If you do end up with surplus soil, keep filling more buckets, so that you can shuffle them around.
The future's bright, the future's buckets

[rary]

Your a darling VC, I was thinking I didn't have room for too many buckets, but reading your post about moving them about reminder me that I have a hard pad which I was always going to put a cold frame on, which I don't really need so I can use that, thanks ( and your bit in brackets should have been "as usual")

[Penellype]

Buckets are great. Some of my garden is really shady (particularly the bits surrounded to the east, south and west by walls and underneath the strawberry shelving!). However buckets make these dark areas useful for germinating things like carrots or even growing kohlrabi, carrots and calabrese. The buckets can be moved to more suitable positions as they become free, and the dark areas are a useful storage area for buckets of compost waiting to be planted.

Thanks for the suggestions Rary. My worry with the trees is that if I kill them and they have to be taken down, I am left in a "goldfish bowl" as far as the house at the back is concerned. At the moment the 10ft trees block their view into both garden and house (downstairs), a 6ft fence would not, particularly as it would start a foot below my path.

[veggiechicken]

Your a darling VC, .........."as usual")

Thanks rary - you're not so bad yourself
More about the versatility of MFBs at http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...mfb_92886.html and http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ent_93105.html

[rary]

^^^^^^Talk of a woman twisting your words

[bario1]

I noticed today that Screwf@x are doing builder's buckets for £1.29 at the moment

[rary]

Again inspiration from a post instead of MFBs I think I will go for builders bags the ones you get when you order 1ton of sand etc.they are strong enough to keep roots out and they let the water drain out slowly they would be ideal for the space and big enough to hold all the soil and you can get them for free
They might do ok for you also Penellype

[veggiechicken]

I've grown spuds in those big bags too. They take a lot of filling and once full, they're immovable, but they kept the moles out!

[veggiechicken]

I noticed today that Screwf@x are doing builder's buckets for £1.29 at the moment

£1 in H0mebase https://www.homebase.co.uk/general-p...et-14l_p450060

[rary]

I've grown spuds in those big bags too. They take a lot of filling and once full, they're immovable, but they kept the moles out!

that solves another problem,- what do I do with all the extra soil if I use MFBs,- and from looking at some of these builders bags when they contain sand they seem to belly out so I will make a frame to hold it in. I am now off to post a thread for depth of soil