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Old 23-03-2010, 02:43 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
Billy[_10_] Billy[_10_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Mar 2010
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Default Tomatoes - Ace versus Early Girl versus ?

In article
,
Pat Kiewicz wrote:

Billy said:


Personally, I don't see a problem with the tree's roots. Maybe someone
can enlighten me.


Tree roots are why I've had to give up on the idea of not at least
minimally tilling. My vegetable garden is a fertile oasis in a vaste
sea of sand. So at least once a year each bed gets worked as
gently as possible with a broad-fork and the fresh roots get ripped
out.

Alternatively, take a square nosed shovel and plunge it into the ground
along a line that separates the tree from the tomato beds. You don't
need to dig. You are just trying to sever any roots leading to the
tomatoes.


Would likely have been sufficient at the last place, where the subsoil was
heavy clay rather than sand. (The water table therewas high enough that
we had crayfish burrows at the back of the yard even with no body of
water in sight!)

What my friends in St. Lucia call gophers are actually land crabs LOL.

One shovel blade length is hardly sufficient, in my current garden. The
network of roots goes surprisingly deep here.

I'm not surprised with sandy soil, but Dan said he puts in a barrier to
keep roots out of his garden. I presumed that because of his high water
table (only 2 ft. down ) the roots would be mostly on the surface. I
would have thought the water would adversely affect the roots for most
trees, willows and mangroves excepted. Spreading across the surface
makes sense (gotta watch my premise), but diving into the water table?
That seems odd to me.
Sand seems like it should be different. Less retentive ability to hold
moisture and nutrients, would justify a tree sending out roots
everywhere looking for nourishment.
Besides the roots, what else do you do to your sandy soil to make it
suitable for gardening?
It's a fossil sand dune,
and the sand goes down for 10 feet at least, probably much more.

This I know nothing about. Is a fossil sand dune still just sand or does
it have other characteristics?
I wish I could do something about the trees, but my lot is long and
narrow and the trees are in the neighbors' yards.

It's impressive, the lengths tree roots will go to get what the tree needs.

That's why I told Dan to sever the roots. Like baloons, if you restrict
them in one place they will just pop up somewhere else.
--
"Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the
merger of state and corporate power." - Benito Mussolini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arn3lF5XSUg
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Zinn/HZinn_page.html