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Advice needed taking up paving

dja70dja70 Posts: 6
in Garden design
Hi all. New gardener here. I’ve recently acquired a garden that is entirely covered in concrete paving slabs. They are just sitting on top of the soil underneath, which has had some sand put over it. I want to remove some of this paving to create beds that I can plant into. I would appreciate any advice on how to get the soil back into good condition after lifting the slabs, as I’m unsure what would be the best way to do this.
Thanks in advance!

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    First you need to lift some slabs and see what you have - how compacted it is, whether it's clay/loam/sandy/stony - and then we can give better advice.   You should also try digging down a bit to see how deep is the soil below and whether or not there are horrors hiding underneath that led to its being paved.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • dja70dja70 Posts: 6
    Thanks for your reply. I’ve lifted some slabs and done some digging. There seems to be a good 6 inches of clay, relatively stone free and not too compacted. Under that I’ve hit lots of stones. Any thoughts?
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Sounds like parts of this new, to us, garden.  Dig a hole to plant something, get so far down and then start excavating rocks and stones of various sizes which you will  also have to do if you want to plant any trees, shrubs or other plants that need a deep root run like clematis or roses.

    Other than that it looks OK but who know about nutrient levels so I would clear as many slabs away as you need for your plans and then pile on loads of well rotted manure - stables or bagged in garden centres and some DIY stores - and spread it evenly.   

    You might be able to get the slabs taken away if you offer them on Freecycle or some other local swap site.   Keep the more interesting stones and setts that may be buried to make a feature later on. 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
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