For the last couple of years we continued using the same old planter beds we built years ago, even if they were not in good shape. After removing them we realized very clearly why our recent harvests were lacking.
Tree roots from the neighbors had gone under the brick wall and into our planter beds, sapping all of the vital nutrients needed for our vegetable garden.
Finding this out both made a lot of sense and equated to a hell of a lot of work. So we removed all the dirt, all of the old boards and started from scratch. The picture above is our new raised planter bed.
We were able to recycle almost all of the wood from the old planter, it is the darker more aged wood on the bottom. So far, so good- the plants are looking very healthy and we are looking forward to a bumper crop of vegetables this summer!
Bill and Jeney on the road 