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Sports field

hartk10hartk10 Posts: 17
in The potting shed
I’ve built two retaining walls around my patio designed to act as a raised bed

Anyway large raised beds need a growing medium. My nephew who is grounds man for a major football stadium has told me that contractors are moving in to remove 4 inches of a section of the field and he’ll put my name on whatever I need or want of it, otherwise the contractor dumps it

What I’m wondering is if this type of medium is any good for the type of raised beds I’ve mentioned. I ask ask this because I know that each year they dump maybe 2 to 4 inches of sand on their fields. The mayor problem I see is that football fields are not designed to hold water

I would appreciate a few thoughts on the issue. I’m guessing I would need at least one and a half tons of top soil. This would be cost free. Kevin

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 37,280
    It would largely depend on what you want to grow, and what your own climate is like.
    Raised beds drain more easily anyway, so it might suit anything that appreciates very dry, sandy soil.
    You may want to mix it with well rotted manure to ensure there's a bit of heart to it though.
    I'd expect it's also had a lot of fertilisers but that shouldn't be a problem. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 3,809
    Turf usually makes a really good 'compost'. This stuff sounds like it might be sandier than usual but as FG says, add plenty of organic matter to help it hold on to water and nutrients, and plant stuff that like a free draining soil. It sounds like an excellent solution for filling your raised beds.
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 37,280
    I forgot to ask what height the beds sre. That will affect how you do it.
    A good layer [9 inches or even more] of that soil at the bottom of a 2 foot bed, would be great, but if the beds are 6 or 9 inches high, it becomes a different thing altogether. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,532
    Think what lovely carrots you'll be able to grow!  The ferny foliage is highly decorative, so you can mix annual flowers among them.
  • hartk10hartk10 Posts: 17
    WillDB said:
    Turf usually makes a really good 'compost'. This stuff sounds like it might be sandier than usual but as FG says, add plenty of organic matter to help it hold on to water and nutrients, and plant stuff that like a free draining soil. It sounds like an excellent solution for filling your raised beds.

  • hartk10hartk10 Posts: 17
    The beds, just shy of 20 inches and I’m living in Ireland
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