Replacing Oak Barrels

[Lou]

Hello,

I have several medium sized trees planted in oak barrels in the front of my house whose roots have grown through the bottom and into the soil. Unfortunatly the barrels are beginning to fall apart. Does anybody have any suggestions as to how to replace the barrel without disturbing the tree?

Thank you,

Lou

[Philip]

Sure, you could start by building a raised bed outside the barrel, say about

4 inches out from the edges. Then cut the bands on the barrel, fill in the gaps between the barrel and the bed walls, and pull out the staves.

Your other choice would be to create a mound by cutting the band on the barrel, removing the staves, and then taking top soil and building a mound that would rise to where the dirt currently is. This latter idea is a more permanent one.