I collected mole hill soil last year, but I mainly used it for containers. I think you might need to add a good proportion of grit if it's a heavier soil. Ours certainly is, and it could be a bit too much for some seeds. Fine for those that don't mind, or actively need, more moisture etc. I'd use it for sweet peas or ipomea, for example, without worrying, but it might not be so good for basil. Anything bigger, or with a heavier 'shell' would be fine. I think would also depend on whether you're sowing outside later on when they're exposed to the elements, or doing them indoors, where it would be easier to avoid them sitting in wet conditions for too long.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
What makes mole hill soil better than riddled topsoil? I realise it's been made friable due to digging, then I've heard mixed things like it contains droppings or chopped worms. Some people dispute this and say it contains nothing extra 🤔 Anyone have any answers to its properties?
No idea @Astro, but I don't really have any spare soil around the garden. I occasionally manage a trowelful to top up a pot or something similar. I used mole hill soil last year for my containers though, rather than buying in extra stuff for them. My compost is slow to mature, and there wouldn't be enough for everything anyway, so it was great for that purpose. I still had to sieve it a bit, because there was a few lumps of grass with roots etc, but other than that, it was ideal for the pots that were going to have sweet peas and dahlias, as they like a sturdier mix that won't dry out too readily. Even here, those pots need watered now and again once the plants are filling them, as the rain doesn't get through easily and they can dry out a bit if in full sun sites.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
The old country gardeners’ practice of using molehill soil for seeds comes from them getting the soil from molehills in ancient pasture. These will almost always be good loam that’s been well-worked by worms and well-fed by grazing stock over the centuries … and if the moles are burrowing fairly deep in the resulting lovely friable loam then there are unlikely to be many weed seeds from down there … that’s where the reputed benefits of using molehill soil come from.
Molehills from other places can only be as good as the soil theyre made from.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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I play with plants and soil and sometimes it's successful
I think would also depend on whether you're sowing outside later on when they're exposed to the elements, or doing them indoors, where it would be easier to avoid them sitting in wet conditions for too long.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I still had to sieve it a bit, because there was a few lumps of grass with roots etc, but other than that, it was ideal for the pots that were going to have sweet peas and dahlias, as they like a sturdier mix that won't dry out too readily. Even here, those pots need watered now and again once the plants are filling them, as the rain doesn't get through easily and they can dry out a bit if in full sun sites.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.