Large shrub removal

Question

We are removing some large shrubs to plant a vegetable garden and I would like to know how much of the roots we need to get out. We have dug out the stumps and I am trying to get the roots but some are very deep. Is getting the stump out enough or do we need to dig five feet down to get the root completely out. I don’t want to use a chemical because of the vegetable garden.

Answer 1

If you have the main roots out, leave the rest to compost in place. There are a few aggressive shrubs like Euonymus alatus that might try to make a comeback from lateral roots but it sounds like you have worked hard to prevent that. The small feeder roots are not a problem.