Well 20K isn't really all that big by flyover USA standards but I should be able fit some trees in here. My plan was to get a bunch from arborday.org and plant too many so when some don't make it I will still have some. The trees they sell are small but they are cheap so I can afford to get a bunch.
So if you do a raised bed garden do you need to till somehow still ? How deep should they be ?
Small trees are MUCH better than big ones, they'll establish quicker and better. It's always a good strategy to plant extra and allow for wastage or thinning. You can achieve some great effects that way, an area of a nice birch planted densely will start looking good almost immediately, as they get bigger you can selectively remove to allow room for the others to grow. Weedkilling the planting area (before planting) and mulching after planting will ensure good survival rates, if you have deer/rabbits in the area you'll also need some kind of tree guards.
I've never grown in a raised bed but I reckon it's probably sufficient to turn over the top layer of soil/turf and then maybe 8" of soil on top of that? Might be worth weedkilling the turf first.
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