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Clay Soil

Alan-TerryAlan-Terry Posts: 5
edited March 2021 in Problem solving
Wonder if anyone would be kind enough to give me some advice.  We have recently  installed a sump pump in the cellar which resulted in digging out a large hole and giving us lots of what appears to be clay soil, wet, heavy, nasty sticky stuff, (the sort that turns flat shoes into platforms!) not like the general garden soil we see every day (the soil resembles the stuff we used to use at school in pottery class).  Now my question is, is this excess soil any good for planting or is it only worth taking to the local landfill?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  

Posts

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,410
    It will be subsoil, and no use for planting in - it will be very low in nutrients and its structure and texture will not allow roots to thrive properly.  You could use it in the garden to create a mound, but would need to cover it with a good layer of topsoil if you wanted to plant anything on it.
  • Alan-TerryAlan-Terry Posts: 5
    Good morning and thank you very much for the advice.  Have quite a big dip in the yard, may be good for filling and covering with topsoil as advised.  
  • seacrowsseacrows Posts: 234
    If you're going to use it as hole filling mix rubble or large grit with it. Otherwise your filled hole will turn into your bog garden, or even your muddy pond!
  • Alan-TerryAlan-Terry Posts: 5
    Thank you, I would have never thought of that.  
  • zugeniezugenie Posts: 831
    That's the soil I have in my whole garden, mix a good load of compost in, breaking any big clumps down, and let the worms do the rest. After one year the soil will be a hell of a lot better, perfect for roses :)
  • Alan-TerryAlan-Terry Posts: 5
    Thank you for the info.
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