Should I move my beds?

[rosemarythyme]

What about getting a load of gravel and building a little side extension to the driveway? Maybe put down that scrap rug first as a weed/root/mole guard?

It’d be a LOT of labor, but not a huge cost (cost of a load of gravel).

I could do that, however I don't know how well it'd work in this situation, because the grassy area the beds sit on is actually bog/wetland. So it's always squishy and wet, so I'd probably have to overfill with gravel to stabilize it.

The driveway at least seems like it was packed down very firmly (I've had large dump trucks on it with no potholes) so at least it'd be firm footing under the beds + helps keep the roots and moles at bay.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Well hubby seems onboard with the idea of moving the beds. He even offered to help shovel. He's not keen on eating up the driveway but the remaining driveway space would still be a good 20' or so wide, probably more, so room enough for large trucks to use as a turnaround if needed.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I could do that, however I don't know how well it'd work in this situation, because the grassy area the beds sit on is actually bog/wetland. So it's always squishy and wet, so I'd probably have to overfill with gravel to stabilize it.

Yeah, I agree...if the area is wet you’re looking at digging, additional loads of gravel for drainage, and even more labor.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

What about making the beds deeper? If the roots aren't causing structural damage, you could always add another board to the height and use hugelkultur to lift up the soil level. Or just lift the soil level if it's no where near the top of the boards at the moment.

 

[rosemarythyme]

What about making the beds deeper? If the roots aren't causing structural damage, you could always add another board to the height and use hugelkultur to lift up the soil level. Or just lift the soil level if it's no where near the top of the boards at the moment.

The roots in the worst bed were all the way to the surface, so deepening that one would've only give the roots more room to grow. It's crazy how much it took over in just one year.

I'm doing hugelkultur in a smaller bed on the other side of the yard, but that one just has stray grass roots getting in, so between elevating the soil and clearing out a wider swatch of weed growth on the perimeter I think that one should be ok.

 

[TheAlrightyGina]

The roots in the worst bed were all the way to the surface, so deepening that one would've only give the roots more room to grow. It's crazy how much it took over in just one year.

I'm doing hugelkultur in a smaller bed on the other side of the yard, but that one just has stray grass roots getting in, so between elevating the soil and clearing out a wider swatch of weed growth on the perimeter I think that one should be ok.

Oh wow...the surface. I'd probably cut them then, but I'm pretty vindictive when it comes to tree roots being where I don't want them.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Oh wow...the surface. I'd probably cut them then, but I'm pretty vindictive when it comes to tree roots being where I don't want them.

I dug up and cut out the one that was invading bed #2, but I don't even know where to begin with the worst bed. There's not an obvious main root at a glance and they were so grown in that when I went to dig up some celery to see if I could replant it elsewhere, the cedar roots were completely wrapped in and around the celery roots.

 

[Freschick]

I moved my beds over this year to allow for more walking space around my coop. 10/10 do recommend. It took a lot of work to dig out all the dirt, move them, and put the dirt back (they're 4x10ft) but it was so worth it, and I'm much happier with the space.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I moved my beds over this year to allow for more walking space around my coop. 10/10 do recommend. It took a lot of work to dig out all the dirt, move them, and put the dirt back (they're 4x10ft) but it was so worth it, and I'm much happier with the space.

Awesome! Yeah I spent yesterday digging out the top layer of gravel, to get rid of weed growth and so I can pack it down level. I might increase my walkway space too, it's currently 2' between beds which is barely enough for the yard cart.