When Tree Roots Take Over: A Garden Bed Dilemma

Cherry blossoms in Spring

Setting up a garden bed next to a tree may not be the best idea, as I’ve come to realize. Like many people during COVID, we built a few raised beds to grow vegetables, including one placed fairly close to a beautiful cherry tree. Over the years, I noticed this particular bed dried out quickly, which made me suspect something was wrong. I also had concerns about the soil’s pH level. While I’ve had great success growing leafy greens, anything with a root has been a struggle.

Cherry trees in the back yard

This year, I decided to make a change. When I removed all the soil from the bed, I discovered a major root system had infiltrated it—something that, in hindsight, shouldn’t have been surprising. I cut out most of the smaller roots but left the main root intact, as I didn’t want to risk harming the tree. It’s a magnificent cherry tree, especially in the spring when it blooms, and I’d much rather remove the garden bed than damage it.

I am planning on replacing the soil with Mel’s Mix (Mel Bartholomew is the founder of Square Foot Gardening came up with this specific blend), a blend of composted manure, vermiculite, and peat moss in equal parts. This will serve as the foundation for my first attempt at square-foot gardening. Although I’ve been growing vegetables for over 20 years, I’ve always planted in rows. I’ve read a lot about square-foot gardening and have seen many people succeed with it, especially because it helps prevent weeds, which can be time-consuming and exhausting to manage. If this method keeps my garden neat and productive, it will be a game-changer. I’m excited to see how it goes!

But for now, we have the roots in check for this growing season but I will need to do a check every year to see if the roots are taking over. This was the only and last time I set up a raised be near a tree.