sterile topsoil

Hi everybody,
I don't know if you've seen my other posts about trees and clay soil and lawns, but i'm here now to ask everybodys opinion once again, this time regarding the top soil that has been laid on my garden. It seems so dull and lifeless! There isn't a single thing living in it and its spread on clay which obviously doesnt have anything living in it either. Its too late to take it up now, its paid for and spread, and its not a tiny garden, not massive, but not tiny either. I am going to lay some lawn or seed on some of it at the highest point at the back of the garden, but some of it i wanted to use as a basis for making borders, wide interesting ones I hope with grass and stone paths, winding through the borders. What do you all think I should do? Please ask questions to get a better picture or I could get boring here lol ! or did I already lol

 

I'd dig in lots of compost to give it some nutrients.

 

I agree with Stingo,muck, muck and more muck.

 

Thank you so much for replying stingo.
The topsoil is only four inches thick, below that there is solid clay, absolutely rock solid in dry periods and scarily squidgy in wet times, in places it is a sandy orange colour and in others it is the colour of oil sodden earth, perhaps im sitting on TEXAS GOLD!. Where there are going to be borders i will do what you suggest, thank you. Ive started to collect my daily organic stuff, like veg peelings, hardly any potato peelings, mainly things like salad trimmings, fruit peelings and cabbage and caullie and brocolli bits etc, and tea bags, im going to dig these in to the soil/clay after just a few days of festering in plastic bags to encourage garden beasties into the ground. Any ideas? Should I import some worms? I would feel a bit cruel importing worms, because of the lack of depth to the soil. There is NOTHING in it, not even an ANT or a beetle. Don't know where the heck it's come from but im glad I dont live there!
Lynne x

 

We must have been typing at the same time mackem, thank you, muck it is then lol.
When I wrap my veggi bits up in a couple of squares of kitchen roll, is it ok to put that in the ground as well?
Lynne x

 

Lynne. I suggest getting a compost bin and putting your veggi bits in there with (when you have enough) some compost maker.

If you just start throwing kitchen waste out, you are likely to encourage rats.

 

I was going to ding it in a bit, won't just throw it on there but i know what you mean lol. I thought that If i put it on and dig it in about 8 inches deep when it is just a little decomposed it will encourage worms and beetles and other creepy crawlies. The soil has been sterilised in some way by the looks of it. I dont think it has been burnt because its not dark, but you can tell by looking at it that it is sterile.
Lynne x

 

Believe it or not Lynne but clay ( except blue clay ) has more nutrient than any other soil. To releease it you need to add garden lime. But having said that you should still add plenty of well rotted manure and garden compost. David.

 

Adding some grit to the clay, would help as well.

 

If it really is yellow clay below, thats not very nice, and I would be careful not to dig into it too much. But if it is ordinary clay top soil, I agree with the comments above.

I am just digging up my front garden, which is pretty solid clay. I am going to add some 10 mil gravel,and sharp sand, both of which can be bought by the ton from a builders merchant. Must be sharp sand and not soft (or builder's) sand. I am also going to add as much organic material as I can get my hands on - manure, home compost, newspaper, bark chippings etc. I did this to the back garden and it has made the world of differance.

Clay doesn't drain because the particle size is so small (about one ten thousanth of the particle size of sand). Small gravel, grit, and sharp sand break it up and create drainage paths. Decomposed organic material actually binds the tiny clay particles together into larger particles as well as holding in moisture.

 

Lynne I know where you are coming from as I had the same problem on my front garden..... rock hard clay!

Glad to write mine is now well sorted as the old gentleman (who had the house before us) left a HUGE old pile of compost that I learnt from my neighbours had not been touch all the while they have been in they house well over four years....they thought it was a burial plot piled so high!

Anyhow I 'opened' the pile and discovered the most wonderful compost you can imagine and although I mixed a very large portion into the front garden I still have one of those HUGE builder's bags full on my back garden...lucky me!

So I would suggest adding some good old compost into your clay, that will soon sort out your problem!

Don't think it would be a good idea adding potato peelings into the ground that has not been well rotted otherwise you could end up with a mini potato patch just where you don't want one, as one little 'eye' on a peeeling can grow into a plant!
Helen.xxx.