Stoney Ground
yimmy
Posts: 3
I have removed turf from a 6'x10' patch in our garden, the ground was very stoney... I have rotavated it down about 18 inches broken the compacted ground up.... raked the stones off as much as I could, i have repeated this... Them I layered 100 litres of farm yard manure and left it for a week... Then turned it over and left for another week... Repeated with another 100 litres of manure... Turned this down to about 12"...
My question is, can I now sow in this ground or will I need a layer of compost? Or will I need a layer of top soil...?If so, how deep does it need to be... I am thinking of planting radish, onions, sweetcorn, beetroom, parsnips, peas and a yet to be determined bush fruit/berry along the fence... I have the seedlings started in trays in the conservatory...
Will this work... Any advise is welcome...
Posts
yimmy, it sounds as if you have done a lot of conditioning for the soil; I assume that the farm yard manure was rotted down i.e. from a garden centre? not fresh from the farm yard? A photo would help if you can upload one (press the tree icon) I would imagine that it would be fine for planting now.
Some crops do not appreciate manure so take care what you plant. Most relish it.
Make sure you stack the turf you have removed, upside down. You will have useful soil to return to your garden when the turves have rotted down.
I would just encourage you to go for it. I filled a bed two years ago with soil that had had weeds above it - ie. been fallow, and last year, filled more beds with the same, and I just stuck in what I wanted, and it grew okay. So the big bed got nothing other than soil for two years, and still things grew in it. This year I promised to bulk it out, so have put in rotted manure, some compost, blood fish and bone meal, and wood ash, so hopefully have refreshed it. But if your soil just had grass on it, it should still have a lot of goodness in it, and provided you are growing veg for your own eating, and not to win prizes in shows, don't stress about it - plant out and see how you go. And each year, fish a few more stones out. Dealing with stones here is an occupational hazard, but the forked carrots taste as good as the straight ones!! Sometimes, we can recommend the optimum conditions for plants, but if you don't have time or money to provide them, it doesn't mean you can't have a go, and nobody here would want you to stress too much about the soil. If you have stuff that is ready to go out, get it in!!
Thanks for the advise, Yes it was manure from a garden centre...
I think I will just go for it as advised... I really didnt want to do a raised bed...
Mine is a decorative garden and thirty years on I still did lots of stones out, I can't work out how the garden isn't a foot lower than when I started. Just go with the flow I find seeds/ plants want to grow unless they are tricky ones so just give it a go and learn from your mistakes as all the rest of us continue to do. My advice is to start a compost bin and keep on top of weeds, but most important ..enjoy yourself.