"No dig" raised beds? Monty, you're having a laugh!

Firstly, let me say that I'm a big fan of Monty - right, got that out in the open...

But when he goes to his veg garden, a series of raised beds, with beautiful fine soil, he makes me want to weep!

We moved here 5 1/2 years ago. The first thing I did, that hot August and September of 2012, was make a raised bed for veg growing. I made it out of old flooring timbers, thick solid things, that were left from the renovation work. I did a little research, and saw some suggestions that all you needed was 6-8" of good compost, over your existing turf. Great! I thought! And went with that idea.

2013 we grew some good veg, and I was well pleased. I topped up the compost , and got ready for another productive year. 2014 it was very disappointing. Not much grew, and the compost was matted with roots.

Ok, I thought, need to re-think this. So I removed the compost I'd added in 2012, which seemed spent, and dug down 2-3 foot. I filled the subsequent hole with layered compost from our 3 big compost bays, and some of the spent soil. 2015 and 2016 were good, productive years.

In 2017 I made a second bed, learning from my experience, and dug a trench 3 foot deep, and this time filled it to overflowing with fresh horse muck from a local stables, layers with thin layers of home compost. A third narrower bed was also dug, with the help of a very kind friend. MIL commented on it looking like a grave - she kept to the other end of the garden during her visit!
These 2 new beds were fantastically productive, and we even had a rogue butternut squash plant grow from our compost, providing us with 6 large butternut squashes. But the original bed was disappointing again, beans failed to grow - I doubt we got a meal for 2 off 15 plants, and the toms also failed there.

So, this year, I'm digging out the original bed again, to a depth of 12-15" this time (my back can-na take it, captain!). I'm cutting through a mass of congested roots again, mostly fine, but some 1/2" thick. And the soil in between is dead. No other way to describe it. Texture of sand, and hardly a living thing to be seen. We garden organically, no chemicals used anywhere on the property, and the garden is mostly teeming with wildlife, large and small.

The matted roots have to be cut through with a sharp spade and secateurs.


Edge of the bed, where the roots are thick...

The fine "soil" that I shake out of the roots, devoid on bugs, worms, ants, etc. I'm using it to "cap" one of the new beds, that has had yet more sacks of horse muck added to it over the winter.

The mass of roots that I'm getting out. Approx 1 trug of roots to 2 or 3 trugs of spent soil

It's slow, slow progress!

Has anyone else had this problem? Am I alone with itinerant tree roots invading my raised bed? (The only probable culprits in the vicinity, though I can't blame them - the basic soil is so poor, grass can't grow!)

Any suggestions, other than to move house to a property that has soil?!

 

Frustrating Sian.....
Here I have no need for raised beds but a neighbour does use them. My soil is a deep, warm sandy loam so enough said. I have made them though where soil was heavy elsewhere.
My neighbour's raised beds are not as productive as my beds....he needs to water so much more, feed a whole lot more and seems a perfect place for all kinds of pests.

I would always use soil as a major part of the compost mix for raised beds....at least 70% I guess. Manure of all kinds well mixed throughout the levels. And the bed was 30 cm deep on normal garden soil. 6" to 8" is not enough in my opinion. Soil less composts will never produce the essential life, bacteria etc that good old garden soil has.

Those itinerant roots are obviously drawn to the extra moisture, etc in your raised beds Sian so perennial digging is prob necessary.

Can you import some good quality soil ?

 

Hi,

As JWK says its likely trees or shrub roots thats making a bee line for your very fertile raised beds.

I had a border along side a neighbours garden which was full of overgrown shubs and their roots constantly came though, but managed to stop them by digging a trench up to 2ft deep and lining it vertically with builders 1200 gauge polythene/damp proof.
It works well, provided you get down to that 2ft and use a good overlap on any joints.

 

Well, I've just been handling the "raw" soil. I'd forgotten quite how bad it is! Depressing as the new soil is, it's still much improved!

Taken a couple of videos (please excuse the breathing/wind sound effects!)

Grrr! Can't upload them...

( ..a little distracted, as whilst sitting here trying to upload videos, realised I had a tick attached to my leg. Tick removed and secured in jam-jar, now trying to work out the correct next steps, as Lyme is v prevalent here)

 

I would second the idea of a membrane to keep the roots out (or even wicking beds with a closed bottom, if you have the time and money) otherwise it sounds like much too much work to maintain. Or cut down the trees

For dry and 'dead' soil, try digging through some manure and a pelleted organic fertiliser (I use Dynamic Lifter, not sure you have that brand ove there), water very well and mulch with straw. Leave a few weeks and the soil should be back in business.

 

My raised beds suffer similar root invasion from an adjacent philadelphus and dry soil from a wall. The effect is clearly graduated with the soil closest to the wall worst affected and likewise the plants. I divide my rasied beds area into 2 areas and plant my fast growing, hungry veg away from the wall and my leeks, spuds etc closest to the wall. Last year was very productive as it rained alot so nothing dried out.
I need to dig the fibrous roots out at the end of the year, incorporate compost and add a bag or two of fertiliser from a friends chicken coop. All worth the effort as I wouldn't be without my raised beds.