robinb
DIS veteran
- Joined
- Aug 29, 1999
I just turned the soil in my very very small vegetable garden and added yummy compost from my composter. The garden is 2 1/2 feet by 16 feet raised bed. I can fit a lot of veggies in a small amount of space since I use a modified Square Foot Gardening method. Until last year the bed got plenty of sun and things like tomatoes and peppers grew well.
Then came the tree.
It's one of those fast growing garbage trees. I have no clue what kind it is, but it seeded itself and is now 15 feet tall in only 2 or 3 years. It's growing in a narrow space between the back of my neighbor's garage and our fence. It is north of my garden.
Last year it grew above the fence and blocked the sun. I noticed that my tomatoes, which usually bask in the afternoon sun until 7:00 or 8:00 pm in the summer, were suddenly in the shade at 4:00 or 5:00 pm. They were losing 3 hours of precious sun! I walked around the block and introduced myself to the owner of the house and asked him if he could remove the tree since it was shading my garden. I thought it was a no-brainer. The tree was gangly, ugly and not even in a spot where he would see it, nevertheless enjoy it. He said "sure" and then just trimmed it. I think it was too much trouble for him to actaully remove it.
I fumed the whole summer.
Now, the leaves are just starting to bud on the tree and I am afraid of how large this monster will get this year. It is sure to shade my garden even more than last year and it had a definite impact on my vegetables. I don't think my neighbor will want to do anything this year since his response was so lame last year.
So ... I'm thinking about having a little "chemical spill" of Round-Up under my fence right at the tree roots ...
Then came the tree.
It's one of those fast growing garbage trees. I have no clue what kind it is, but it seeded itself and is now 15 feet tall in only 2 or 3 years. It's growing in a narrow space between the back of my neighbor's garage and our fence. It is north of my garden.
Last year it grew above the fence and blocked the sun. I noticed that my tomatoes, which usually bask in the afternoon sun until 7:00 or 8:00 pm in the summer, were suddenly in the shade at 4:00 or 5:00 pm. They were losing 3 hours of precious sun! I walked around the block and introduced myself to the owner of the house and asked him if he could remove the tree since it was shading my garden. I thought it was a no-brainer. The tree was gangly, ugly and not even in a spot where he would see it, nevertheless enjoy it. He said "sure" and then just trimmed it. I think it was too much trouble for him to actaully remove it.
I fumed the whole summer.
Now, the leaves are just starting to bud on the tree and I am afraid of how large this monster will get this year. It is sure to shade my garden even more than last year and it had a definite impact on my vegetables. I don't think my neighbor will want to do anything this year since his response was so lame last year.
So ... I'm thinking about having a little "chemical spill" of Round-Up under my fence right at the tree roots ...