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ahappycamper

building a raised bed around diff plants, what determines if its ok?

ahappy camper zone10
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago

ive been looking up many topics addressing the issue of building a raised bed or piling extra dirt around trees and the unanimous advice seems to be dont do it because youll end up reducing the oxygen that already established surface roots will need, even if you have a moat around the trunk of the tree that prevents the dirt and moisture from piling up against it and rotting it as a result.

however, i have heard that with tomatoes it is not only deemed ok but recommended to continue burying it because the stem will simply shoot roots out from anywhere that the dirt touches.

i only grow edibles so would this be allowed on things like grape vines, raspberries, dragon fruit, tree collards, kale, etc.? what types of plants should i be looking at where building a raised around them(with or without a moat) or putting extra dirt on top of where their roots are would be ok or even strengthen it?

i want to do woodchip raised beds where you use woodchips inside chickenwire, cattle fence or some type of hardware cloth to keep the dirt from falling out. i have heard the woodchips wall will allow more oxygen to get to roots since its not as solid as cinder block, fence boards or whatever else is typically used for building the barriers of raised beds. im wondering if this will allow me to pile more dirt around a preexisting plant then i would normally be able to with a raised bed with more solid walls


this is where i got the idea of a woodchip raised bed from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVaFsORKhl8



thanks!

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