wyogardener
10-18-2008, 12:59 PM
I'm in the process of planning and constructing raised beds for next year and I'm going back and forth on bed orientation - East/West or North/South or does it really make any difference? East/West makes a little more sense in my yard, but I could do North/South if it really matters. I've seen both, but I'll occasionally read that they should be North/South for better use of the sunlight. Any opinions?
And, second, my lawn is inundated with cottonwood roots - they are everywhere and in the past when I haven't mowed for a while I ended up with little cottonwoods coming up everywhere. I was just going to put my raised beds on the ground, but then I started to worry about roots coming up into the beds. So my latest plan is to put down a couple of inches of gravel first and put the beds on top of that. I figure this will be good for drainage too. Does this sound like a good idea? Does anyone have any other suggestions or tips?
Thanks!
And, second, my lawn is inundated with cottonwood roots - they are everywhere and in the past when I haven't mowed for a while I ended up with little cottonwoods coming up everywhere. I was just going to put my raised beds on the ground, but then I started to worry about roots coming up into the beds. So my latest plan is to put down a couple of inches of gravel first and put the beds on top of that. I figure this will be good for drainage too. Does this sound like a good idea? Does anyone have any other suggestions or tips?
Thanks!