I have dug some foundations out in my garden and now have piles of good soil and piles of clay/shale.I propose to level parts of my garden using the soil I have dug out.Could I mix the two together and would this give a reasonable medium for growing plants in and laying turf on.
soil
- Thread starter raychem
- Start date
B
breezer
you could always bury it 
seriously, grass yes, plants depends on what the soil condition is. either way let it settle for a few months before you do anything, if a lot of clay i believe you should mix in some sand, or plant some spuds (they break the soil up?)
Friend of mine had his garden leveled (was steep slope) they left it for 2 months to settle before turfing
did you also know that if you dig a hole, then try and put the soil back, you will have some left over, this is because it gets slightly airated, where as it was compacted before you dug it out
seriously, grass yes, plants depends on what the soil condition is. either way let it settle for a few months before you do anything, if a lot of clay i believe you should mix in some sand, or plant some spuds (they break the soil up?)
Friend of mine had his garden leveled (was steep slope) they left it for 2 months to settle before turfing
did you also know that if you dig a hole, then try and put the soil back, you will have some left over, this is because it gets slightly airated, where as it was compacted before you dug it out
if you are going to reuse the soil, add some organice material to it ie manure (well rotted) compost etc. this will help it in several ways:-
darken the colour to improve heat retention and heat gain
provide fiberous material to help retain air in the soil
help with moisture retention
introduce nutrients into the soil
aid in the retention and production of nutrients
It will also help to improve the structure of the soil
If there is a lot of clay you can add in a little sharp snad to help break it down
Thermo
darken the colour to improve heat retention and heat gain
provide fiberous material to help retain air in the soil
help with moisture retention
introduce nutrients into the soil
aid in the retention and production of nutrients
It will also help to improve the structure of the soil
If there is a lot of clay you can add in a little sharp snad to help break it down
Thermo
B
breezer
i never mentioned skipping it, and i also said that you should mix in some sand 
My soil is all clay and I went to make a flower bed.
I dug out all the clay soil and piled it besided the house I mixed it with equal quantities of sharp sand and peat and sieved it through a frame I made to cover a wheelbarrow. The sieve mesh was the square garden mesh you can buy at many garden centres. I forked sharp sand with the clay at the bottom of the bed then added the newly mixed soil.
It took time and hard work but a few years later that soil is perfect. Well drained and friable.
I dug out all the clay soil and piled it besided the house I mixed it with equal quantities of sharp sand and peat and sieved it through a frame I made to cover a wheelbarrow. The sieve mesh was the square garden mesh you can buy at many garden centres. I forked sharp sand with the clay at the bottom of the bed then added the newly mixed soil.
It took time and hard work but a few years later that soil is perfect. Well drained and friable.
Just a small tip re peat
If you can avoid using it dont use it! It is not good at retaining water and can even repell it. It can also be quite acidic and is not a sutainable source, and doent provide the same organic matter that compost, manure or green manure does
Thermo
If you can avoid using it dont use it! It is not good at retaining water and can even repell it. It can also be quite acidic and is not a sutainable source, and doent provide the same organic matter that compost, manure or green manure does
Thermo
- Joined
- 8 Sep 2004
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 0
- Country
Following on from Thermos comment, many local authorities now collect green waste for recycling, and very often you can buy the composted product back again - it is quite good value, and is excellent as a soil conditioner.
It was my original idea to skip it Breezer and after all the advice from everybody on this forum it looks like I can re-use the spoil to create a better garden,does any body know Alan Titchmarshes phone number? or even Charlies.Cheers
just another tip to help, particuarly useful at this time of year. Collect up fallen leaves and place them in black sacks with lots of holes in. Store them somewhere reasonably dry, but keep them moist and by spring you will have useable leaf mould which can be dug into the soil. Beats burning the leaves!
Thermo
Thermo
I used to go round every autumn collecting leaves that had fallen and the council would have to remove anyway. I also had permission to pick up leaves in the parks.
I had a 6x3 bin made out of old fence panels.
By adding more every few days as the process started I would end up with 2 cubic yards of leaf mould each year.
My local council were selling composted green waste but wanted more than other composts for it.
I have 2 large compost bins so make my own.
Nothing that can be composted gets put in the rubbish bin from banana skins (high in potash) to egg boxes.
My garden hasnt been dug for years as I use the no dig method of improving the soil.
Most plants get started off in a plastic or polystyrene drinking cup filled with compost.
Those cups are very cheap if bought in bulk as I did but can take a while putting drainage holes in.
Once the roots almost fill the container I use a bulb planter to make a hole then put the plant in and leave the removed soil on top.
Over time this puts loads of humus in the soil and helps prevent the weed growth that comes from digging which brings dormant weed seeds to the surface.
I had a 6x3 bin made out of old fence panels.
By adding more every few days as the process started I would end up with 2 cubic yards of leaf mould each year.
My local council were selling composted green waste but wanted more than other composts for it.
I have 2 large compost bins so make my own.
Nothing that can be composted gets put in the rubbish bin from banana skins (high in potash) to egg boxes.
My garden hasnt been dug for years as I use the no dig method of improving the soil.
Most plants get started off in a plastic or polystyrene drinking cup filled with compost.
Those cups are very cheap if bought in bulk as I did but can take a while putting drainage holes in.
Once the roots almost fill the container I use a bulb planter to make a hole then put the plant in and leave the removed soil on top.
Over time this puts loads of humus in the soil and helps prevent the weed growth that comes from digging which brings dormant weed seeds to the surface.