Exactly. Either plant shallow-rooted crops there, or put raised beds over them. The pipes don't affect the plants, they affect the digging - plants will grow right around them. Assuming they aren't part of a septic system, there is nothing to be concerned with other than puncturing them while you work. This is exactly the sort of unexpected thing we all find when we start a new garden, but there are ways to work around it, as you have discovered.

yep,

always the best bet, raised beds, saves all that back breaking digging.

see our presentation:

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens straw bale garden

Only four inches?

You might want to make absolutely sure that they are water pipes.

Another thing to consider is calling the utility company, telling them that you are planning on doing some digging, and having them drop by to mark where underground pipes are. Here in Nebraska you only need to call one number for all the utilities--electrical, gas, water, telephone, whatever! to come out and let you know where the buried cables are. They mark 'em for you and then you know where you have to be careful.

I second contacting One Call! Can't imagine water pipes only 4 inches deep.

yeah, im going out on a limb and agreeing. maybe sprinkler lines? irrigation lines? trash that just got buried? are they metal or plastic?

Sounds like a gas line to me.

The pipes are PVC pipes. I'm pretty ire they're for my sprinkler system. I had a guy (loser) come out last summer to remove a dead tree from my yard and he busted a sprinkler pipe that was just like the one I found in the back. I'll have the city come out and mark for me. Thanks for the idea :-)

Sounds like sprinkler system. Down here they don't bury them too deep because the ground rarely freezes.

Stick an emitter there and you got yourself an irrigation system.

bam! problem solving 101 right there...

Raised bed is the way to go.

In fact, I think the square foot folks recommend only a 6 inch bed, anyway.

FWIW, to fill a raised bed, you'll likely need a lot more than 20lbs of growing mix.

I agree with others. This is more of an opportunity to have a raised bed which makes gardening much easier. I'd still work through those 4 inches by tilling by hand. Find out exactly where the pipes run and then work around then/expose them. Then take all the compost you have and work it into the newly tilled soil.

If you have the PVC irrigation there already why not hook up a drip system? It's pretty easy to do...

I wouldnt even know where to start with hooking up a drip system to the pipes. Can anyone explain how to do that?

Well, it looks like I wont be getting my free retaining wall bricks. The guy never emailed me back and now the post is gone from CL. **Sigh** Oh well. I guess I have to get really creative and find other things to use!!

Take a drive around. People sometimes have used red brick for the hauling. You have to clean them up(remove mortar) but they're often free. I may look for something like that for my potato bed. Farms often have piles of rocks for free if you don't mind the hauling or the mortaring.

You know, raised beds do not technically need things to hold them in place. You can just have the mounded dirt sloped on the edges. I actually have seen others that have logs on the long sides and open at the ends (I had a lovely example of these in an monastery here in the states but it is missing, alas). My raised beds are lined in rocks because they are free. There are many possibilities.

Well, memory did not serve me well. These do have logs on all sides but I have seen others without logs on the short ends. A lovely garden, still.

Here is a link that might be useful: Raised beds with logs

If this is a lawn sprinkler system then just cut the pipe where you want, put a T-fitting in (seal with solvent). Then your pipe is reconnected and you have the empty part of the T facing up. You attach a sprinkler riser to it but instead of having a sprinkler head on it you will have something like this....

http://www.dripdepot.com/1140

Then just hook up tubing and emitters to it....

Here is a link that might be useful: Sprinkler Retrofit

I have PVC pipes along the side of my house that are 4 inches or so deep. They run from the downspout that extends underground. Water travels through these PVC pipes underground and out to the street. I just plant perennials and annuals (not trees or shrubs with large roots) around mine being careful not to break them with my shovel.
Kim

Here is a link that might be useful: My gardens