Root depth and final hight of aubergine, pepper, cucumber and tomatoes?

Posts

• BenCotto Posts: 4,718

  February 2021

  I think you might need to broaden your sources of information.
  
  In my view a raised bed can function perfectly effectively at a depth of 8” - 12” and many gardeners have beds no deeper than 6”. Just make sure the soil at the base of the bed is broken up a little so that roots can penetrate further if they want to.
  
  If your soil is heavy clay I would devote effort to adding copious amounts of manure which can be dropped on the surface in the autumn and worms will do the rest. Before embarking on an expensive acidification programme try growing those plants in the soil you’ve got and see what happens. Alternatively search online for bulk bags of top soil and compost. Some suppliers have mixes perfected for raised bed use. Also ask on your neighbourhood nextdoor.com or local Facebook groups for recommended merchants.
  
  I have not heard of ‘hoop houses’ before but guess they’re a sort of poor man’s polytunnel. Don’t seal them too hermetically if you want insects to pollinate your plants. 

  Rutland, England

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• TheRainyGarden Posts: 51

  February 2021

  Thank you very much for your reply. You raised a good point I was thinking about earlier as well - is root depth actually a myth, because if that's true how come we can grow things in grow bag, but being a new gardener I don't personally know if have a deeper/ bigger pot actually makes a difference. I have been waiting for LIDL's compost to come out this year but unfortunately they haven't yet.

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• BenCotto Posts: 4,718

  February 2021

  Bagged multipurpose compost breaks down after a season so it will need topping up and the nutrients in it will be depleted after a couple of months so you’ll need to add fertiliser. Also, be wary of Aldi/Lidl (sorry, don’t remember which) peat free compost which has terrible reviews.
  
  I would prefer to work on loosening up the clay soil because that is inherently rich in nutrients rather than buying in compost. If you have to go down this route, as I say try for bulk bags from a specialist.

  Rutland, England

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• TheRainyGarden Posts: 51

  February 2021

  Hi thank you Bencotto, I haven't tried Aldi's but I had good experience with Lidl's but thanks for the reminder. I did see complains in other post. I have tried breaking the clay in the past few month but after several days or rain they just clump back together and all my effort vanished. I am also worried about their alkalinity, that's why I decided to go down the raise bed route. Do you have any suggestions on breaking clay or acidifying the soil?

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• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  February 2021

  Adding humus-rich material such as manure is the way to break up clay soils ... it will then become really fertile. 

  
  Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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• purplerallim Posts: 5,287

  February 2021

  I have said in your other post @TheRainyGarden that clay is no problem for growing veg, it's only adding enough to break it up. Unfortunately it's too late for this year to add the winter mulch, and whatever you do will take a few seasons to really get the benefits,  so a raised bed of 18inch is about right for now. 
  As for root depth my tomato and cucumber fill an 18inch square tub in a year, the tomatoes get their tops nipped out after the fifth truss ( usually about 5 foot tall) and my cucumber last year was 10 foot long ( yes really! it went up one side of the greenhouse over the roof and started going back on itself,  it is attached to clematis netting inside the greenhouse) so hoops would need to be big enough to walk into or be removed after the last frost to allow growth.

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• BenCotto Posts: 4,718

  February 2021

  Don’t get stressed by soil pH levels. There is a small group of plants such as rhododendrons and blueberries that you’ll not be able to grow but most things will cope well enough in garden soil. Trying to bring the pH down from 8.0 to 6.5 is probably impossible and the amount you’ll spend on the chemical additives in trying could keep you in aubergines delivered direct from Harrods Food Hall for life. 
  
  Anyway, unless you have sent your soil away to a laboratory for testing I might doubt that your soil really is as alkaline as you think. I am a little suspicious of the efficacy of the cheap soil testing kits you buy in garden centres.
  
  My advice would be to forget about growing much this season and divert your energies into buying an abundance of manure which you can lightly dig in and then let worms do the work for you. Do some checks on the quality of the manure because some can be badly infested with weed killer. Put up the polytunnel covering early next spring. (I looked up hoop house and it seems to be an American term).
  
  I would be interested to hear of others’ experiences of growing aubergines in the soil conditions you describe as that prefers the most acidic soil of the plants on your list.

  Rutland, England

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• Pete.8 Posts: 11,340

  February 2021

  If you're in England this DEFRA supported site will give you a general idea of the soil conditions and pH in your postcode area - 
  http://www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/
  

  
  Billericay - Essex
  
  Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
  Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

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• Skandi Posts: 1,723

  February 2021

  As someone who grows on pH 8 soil (pure chalk at 30cm) really don't worry about it, tomatoes love it only some plants need babying and I simply don't grow them.

  As to average root depths I'm afraid you will have to ignore them, tomatoes can easily root past 1m in depth but while they can, it's not necessary to provide so much depth.
  

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• TheRainyGarden Posts: 51

  February 2021

  Thanks Purplerallim, that’s really useful information. The cucumber is so tall! I have to just let it be then. Hope they can survive the British weather. I will get a raise bed no less than 18 inch deep for r tomato then 

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