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New build: Suspect my soil is sterile/subsoil. Any suggestions?

Steph17Steph17 Posts: 21
in The potting shed
Not a worm to be seen 😢. I would prefer to nurse it back to goodness if possible. I don’t really like shipping soil in. Any ideas would be gratefully received. We have put turf on a lot of it, so just the beds/veg patch. Thanks 

Posts

  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Mulch with well rotted manure. Build it and they will come  :)
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • Steph17Steph17 Posts: 21
    Thanks raisingirl. I will. I need to post this in the right forum also.....
  • Pauline 7Pauline 7 Posts: 2,246
    No need to repost it Steph most people will see it here. 
    West Yorkshire
  • Steph17Steph17 Posts: 21
    Oh sorry, done It now... oops
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Mulch is the way forward, and keep things chemical free. If you can fit a compost heap in somewhere too then that will help. Our new build didn't have a scrap of top soil when we started 10 years ago and now I'm always amazed by how many worms the starlings can extract from my tiny lawn. All I did was heavily mulch the planted areas a couple of times a year. We also kept rabbits for a while which did wonders from fertilising the lawn although their hard work was a bit undone by their prolific digging.

    Enjoy the early years of no weeds and no pests because they all turn up eventually ;)
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • Steph17Steph17 Posts: 21
    There are horses opposite us, so I think I might add manure to compost to get it going. Thanks all. 😀
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Steph, just make sure not to plant into fresh manure for six months to a year. I know people who do and have no problem, but the consensus is to wait.
  • Steph17Steph17 Posts: 21
    Yes, thanks. I am putting the manure into the composter with everything else, to try and really get that going. I know I shouldn’t plant our in fresh manure.
    I wish I had brought worms with me from my old composter, but I had enough to deal with, moving, and forgot. I have asked at the garden centre for worms (as they do aquatics) and they said they might be able to get me some. 🤞
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