I recently visited a garden in Charleroi which has a lot of coal slack in its soil and the bottom end is almost completely coal slack and yet, with added compost, the owner has made a beautiful garden open under the Belgian Open Gardens scheme and has a prodcutive fruit and veg plot.
I suggest you prepare the soil in the usual way for new or revamped beds - dig it over well to open it up and than add plenty of garden compost and well rotted manure to improve it before planting. Mulch with compost in subsequent years and Bob's your uncle.
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)."
It may seem odd that coal made from trees and other organic matter can contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury and (radioactive) uranium and other pollutants but it does. The contaminants come from the normal geological erosion of rocks and are washed into the swamps where coal is formed. These are mainly concentrated in the boundary seams of coal but you have no way of telling where in the seam the coal came from. The heavy metals can leach out of the coal to pollute water courses. This largely a problem for power stations where they store millions of tons of the stuff.
If the layer isn't too thick I would dig it out first especially if planting fruit and veg.
The pinky bits might be brick debris from the previous demolition of the coal shed.
thanks obelixx and steephill. taking everything into consideration i think i'm going to play safe and dig out as much as I can and then fill with new top soil and loads of compost. then i'll plant something ... not sure what ... anyone know something i can grow that actually feeds the soil AND looks vaguely like I'm growing it on purpose?
It's the right time of year for one of the 'green manure' type crops like clover (although there are better ones out there than clover). It might not LOOK like you're growing it on purpose, but it's good at replacing things like the nitrogen in the soil, and if anyone asks, you can tell them that you ARE growing it on purpose! That way you won't need as much compost in the mix. Just don't plant root veg on it next year (apparently the roots of things like carrots and turnips and the like grow downwards in search of nutrients, and if you plant them in newly-manured beds, they won't be very good). My next-door neighbour is lucky enough to have an allotment, and he's full of useful advice about veg planting!
Clover is only one of the green manures. You could also consider field beans, rye grass, alfalfa...would suggest you google green manures, and find which one would best suit your needs. I personally think the clover looks pretty!
It doesn't have to be clover - just checked my Which gardening mag, and the best green manure in their trials was phacelia. ot sure where to get it, you could always try amazon & fleabay, or someone else may know where to get it. It's mentioned as a 'crop' to grow now, if you've not got anything ready for winter veg beds. It looks prettier than clover, and if it's come out well in their trials, that's the one I'd be going for.
thanks figrat and mmp - i just googled phacelia and it looks quite pretty, so i bought 25,000 seeds for £3.49 (including delivery) from Amazon - wonder if 25,000 was a bit much, but I suppose I could plant it over my entire garden and do the OK soil a favour. thanks again for everyone's help.
I use phacelia, but must point out that it is frost tender. Have had a couple overwinter in sheltered little niches. Field beans, clover and rye grass are more reliable winter toughies.
grrrr, figrat! now what do i do with my 25 million seeds! now i have to buy clover! or maybe i could cover the phacelia with straw or bubblewrap? the neighbours would appreciate that!
Posts
I recently visited a garden in Charleroi which has a lot of coal slack in its soil and the bottom end is almost completely coal slack and yet, with added compost, the owner has made a beautiful garden open under the Belgian Open Gardens scheme and has a prodcutive fruit and veg plot.
I suggest you prepare the soil in the usual way for new or revamped beds - dig it over well to open it up and than add plenty of garden compost and well rotted manure to improve it before planting. Mulch with compost in subsequent years and Bob's your uncle.
It may seem odd that coal made from trees and other organic matter can contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury and (radioactive) uranium and other pollutants but it does. The contaminants come from the normal geological erosion of rocks and are washed into the swamps where coal is formed. These are mainly concentrated in the boundary seams of coal but you have no way of telling where in the seam the coal came from. The heavy metals can leach out of the coal to pollute water courses. This largely a problem for power stations where they store millions of tons of the stuff.
If the layer isn't too thick I would dig it out first especially if planting fruit and veg.
The pinky bits might be brick debris from the previous demolition of the coal shed.
thanks obelixx and steephill. taking everything into consideration i think i'm going to play safe and dig out as much as I can and then fill with new top soil and loads of compost. then i'll plant something ... not sure what ... anyone know something i can grow that actually feeds the soil AND looks vaguely like I'm growing it on purpose?
It's the right time of year for one of the 'green manure' type crops like clover (although there are better ones out there than clover). It might not LOOK like you're growing it on purpose, but it's good at replacing things like the nitrogen in the soil, and if anyone asks, you can tell them that you ARE growing it on purpose! That way you won't need as much compost in the mix. Just don't plant root veg on it next year (apparently the roots of things like carrots and turnips and the like grow downwards in search of nutrients, and if you plant them in newly-manured beds, they won't be very good). My next-door neighbour is lucky enough to have an allotment, and he's full of useful advice about veg planting!
Thanks MMP - I was hoping you wouldn't mention clover! Oh well! Thanks for all your great advice. Clover it is.
It doesn't have to be clover - just checked my Which gardening mag, and the best green manure in their trials was phacelia. ot sure where to get it, you could always try amazon & fleabay, or someone else may know where to get it. It's mentioned as a 'crop' to grow now, if you've not got anything ready for winter veg beds. It looks prettier than clover, and if it's come out well in their trials, that's the one I'd be going for.
thanks figrat and mmp - i just googled phacelia and it looks quite pretty, so i bought 25,000 seeds for £3.49 (including delivery) from Amazon - wonder if 25,000 was a bit much, but I suppose I could plant it over my entire garden and do the OK soil a favour. thanks again for everyone's help.
grrrr, figrat! now what do i do with my 25 million seeds! now i have to buy clover! or maybe i could cover the phacelia with straw or bubblewrap? the neighbours would appreciate that!