Raised beds to cover leylandii stumps?

[Gillym41]

Hi all, super super new to gardening and currently trying to work out how to make the most of the space we have.

I have massively overgrown leylandii trees around the borders of my garden that we are in the process of cutting down as they take up sooo much of the garden (4-5 foot on each side of the garden is just tree). There is no access into the garden to be able to get machinery to pull the stumps out so I'm planning on cutting them down as far as possible then was going to build some raised beds over the stumps so we are able to plant around the borders while the stumps rot down without wasting lots of space.

I have begun thinking of maybe just planting around the stumps instead instead of building over them, any thoughts on if this may work? if I do decide to build planters would you line the planters covering the stumps or just let the stumps fit into the planters? Any advice gratefully received!

 

[Tetters]

If you cut the stumps as low as possible, drill some wide holes in them and fill the holes with epsom salts, and cover each with black plastic (old compost bags are good) the salts will help to rot those roots quicker.
Once that is all in place, start to heap on decent top soil. You can get a decent loam from TP and other builders merchants in bulk bags. Add some well rotted horse/farmyard muck, and you`re ready to start planting.

My personal view on ''raised beds'' is not very favourable for several reasons - except in a few exceptional cases. It seems to have become a bit of a ''fad'' of late though

The soil is always very depleted after those horrendous Lleylandii trees have been in it, and will certainly need replenishing.

Can we see some photos of all this please when you have time .... you will be busy

 

[Owdboggy]

How fit are you? We have removed over 40 metres of Leylandii this last 2 years and we are definitely not fit. The roots are fairly shallow and they do not normally have deep tap roots. We left about 4 foot high of stump which gave us leverage. Then we dug round the tree and severed as many roots as possible. We used a chain saw, but a reciprocating one is probably better. Then we rocked the stump back and too until any remaining roots snapped. We are by the way both in our mid-seventies, arthritic, and in my case with a very bad back problem. BUT we did it.

 

[Gillym41]

If you cut the stumps as low as possible, drill some wide holes in them and fill the holes with epsom salts, and cover each with black plastic (old compost bags are good) the salts will help to rot those roots quicker.
Once that is all in place, start to heap on decent top soil. You can get a decent loam from TP and other builders merchants in bulk bags. Add some well rotted horse/farmyard muck, and you`re ready to start planting.

My personal view on ''raised beds'' is not very favourable for several reasons - except in a few exceptional cases. It seems to have become a bit of a ''fad'' of late though

The soil is always very depleted after those horrendous Lleylandii trees have been in it, and will certainly need replenishing.

Can we see some photos of all this please when you have time .... you will be busy

you can but its very slow going at the moment between weather, work, kids and trying to get rid of the immense amount of waste its throwing up! some before photos here...

 

[Gillym41]

and another before

 

[Gillym41]

and a couple of where we're up to now. Have to stop every couple of days as we run out of space to store what we've taken down!

 

[Gillym41]

and the other side, slowly being cleared...

 

[Gillym41]

and the other side, slowly being cleared...

 

[Tetters]

You are doing a champion job One good thing is that those roots won`t start shooting again. With the help of the epsom salts they will rot in a year or two. Thanks for the pics - your garden will seem much bigger soon.

@Owdboggy Good for you - there`s life in us oldies yet

 

[Owdboggy]

Thought I had posted images of how we cleared our hedge. I re-used the stumps t make a stumpery.