Having a nightmare with the soil/rubble in our garden - help!

Posts

• Loxley Posts: 5,698

  August 2022

  The sand is presumably a base for the paving and fake grass, and probably only about 150mm deep. I would dig some trial pits to cover all areas and see how far down any rubble and sand is, and whether there are any other things below the surface you need to know about.

  "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 

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• Simone_in_Wiltshire Posts: 1,073

  August 2022

  @mr.tsowenSD0awzgC go with  a spade to such an area and dig a hole so deep that you can see if there is other soil underneath. If it’s spade deep, you could let remove the top part and fill it up with new top soil. There might be some areas that can be improved, but others might need a complete removal. 

  I ♥ my garden.

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• Posy Posts: 3,601

  August 2022

  It's your first garden together so I think it's worth doing a proper job that you will enjoy in years to come.
  
  I would certainly have a look to find out how far the sand and rubble go but I would do a section at a time, removing the rubbish and adding good old fashioned muck. It is almost impossible to have too much and it will turn your soil into fertile loam.  You are likely to need a lot more than two bags of topsoil.
  
  All this work will delay the lawn but it will be worth it in the long run.

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• HughChap Posts: 3

  9 February

  Interested to see how your garden has developed!
  
  Low fertility/experimental substrates are v well suited to wildflower plantings!
  
  You may have seen https://www.houseandgarden.co.uk/article/john-little-green-roof for example..?
  
  
  

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• Fire Posts: 19,096

  9 February edited 9 February

  I agree, but the OP posted several years ago. John Little's approach is certainly forward thinking. I love his work. He has recently be featured in RHS magazine also.  I do wish more people would consider not add organic matter and boosting nitrogen, but work with the sandy soils they have.
  

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• Ceres Posts: 2,698

  9 February

  Wise words @Fire. I have spent years planting things in our front garden to find plants that can cope with builders' detritus, possible soil pollution, and blazing hot days in summer (sometimes). The ones that thrived have made their own soil and broken up the ground with their roots. It isn't neat but nature knows best.
  

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• Bilje Posts: 811

  9 February

  This post is very timely for me. My front border was the builders storage area so the border is full of dolomite etc…I suppose the up side is it’s free draining. It was planted up as a cottage garden but over the years there were too many “ runners” and it became overrun and weed infested. We’re now so much older so in the Autumn we gradually emptied it. The plan was to have a couple of railway sleeper beds and the rest of the bare soil membraned and slate chips.
  Anyway it’s been bare all winter while we thought what todo. It’s not sandy but I might gave a wild flower planting some thought.

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• Obelixx Posts: 30,090

  9 February

  You have a good basic layout with that patio area and the fencing
  
  It isn't a huge space so my advice would be to bite the bullet and fork it all over to a decent depth, one quare metre at a time.  Remove all the rubble and crud you can.  Take your time and do it thoroughly.   This will pay divdiends later on.
  
  Once cleared , rake it level and pile on loads of well-rotted manure and/or garden compost to improve the soil and prepare it for sowing proper grass and making new beds.
  
  Most of all, have fun.  It'll be hard work initially but that will pay dividends later.

  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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