It's a beautiful tree, but not a pine. It's a fir. You have lots of space. Is there nowhere else you can put the garden? Even if you can chop its roots you'll be fighting a permanent battle if you try to grow vegetables near it.

"If I cut these up, will I chance killing the tree?"

Yes. How big the risk all depends on how much cutting of the roots you do but even minimal root destruction can do some long-term harm. Save the tree and move the garden.

Dave

The trouble is: This is the only spot in our yard that gets full sun. The rest of the yard is fairly shaded.... It is only one spot in this garden bed, and it's only a root or two about pencil thick for the most part. The picture does not show a white oak off to the right, though I have yet to find roots from that. I'm thinking of downsizing the third bed so I will not run into the roots and therefore just less space.

So it's a fir. Good to know. Thanks

I'm understanding that only 1 bed will be affected? How large a bed? I ask because it may give you a good opportunity to experiment with stock tanks. They are made from galvanized metal, and there are even poly versions. They come in a number of sizes, and just need drainage holes. Yes, sometimes looking at a cost is discouraging when you have good ground waiting to be planted, but you'll save a lot of potential headaches with the roots - and you'll get to save your tree. You might could even build your own enclosed raised planter.

We re-made a bed that was near a maple tree. I thought it was far enough from the drip line to be ok but fine roots had infiltrated the bed. The potato crop was ok that year but next year the roots were back and what I attempted to grow did not do well. An enclosed raised planter is probably the best solution.

I have considered a raised planter, and I may still go that route for that one bed. However, we have a spot with some grape vines (now go figure, these are closer to a dogwood and white oak), and I thought of putting a 15x3' bed on each side of the grape vines. They get full sun, but are closer to that white oak. However, in all my digging, even though this white oak has a 3-4 ft. Diameter, I have found no roots even in beds closer to it. So I will see, and if they do not invade where I want to put the new bed, I'll just go in ground there for now. If they DO, then I'll either find another spot yet again, or make raised planters for that bed.

There is a second bed that I am using for a no dig experiment that is fairly close to the tree, so I won't be able to disturb the roots of that tree, but I will likely have them in the bed. I will see how this bed does this year. Even more factors for the experiment right? I think it'll make it interesting. If it DOES have a lot of trouble, then this autumn I may put a raised planted there.

If it's not shade, it's tree roots. I've always felt that the old saying for, "plant 1 for the wind, one for the crow, one to die, and one to grow", should be more like , "40 for the squirrels, 50 for the rabbits, 60 for septoria leaf spot, .5 for you", lol.

Thanks everyone