How to store soil

Hi,

I had a freshly laid lawn when we bought the house. However, we had to dig up for around 1 foot of soil to put the shed and it is now piling up in the garden. It is a very good soil and I feel sorry to dispose it. Is there any way to store part of it in a kind of container for future gardening works so that I don't waste my money to buy new soil to plant in spring?

I was thinking of buying a plastic storage and put it in there, but then I read if the soil is moist which it is as taking into account it is raining every day, loads loads of insects lay eggs and spoil the soil.

Is there any way to store it or should I just dispose it?

Thank you!

 

Hallo Dinara,
what a very interesting First Post. I've been gardening for a long time but have never experienced this. I shall be very interested to see what the others have to say too,
hope you enjoy having a look round on GC,
Jenny namaste

 

Very, very interesting post.

I don't know the answer although I have three dustbins full of earth, which I have stored in a garage. The soil is bone dry and I use some now and then, where birds have been excavating my garden.

 

I really do hope no one is going to suggest digging a hole to put it in

 

Why not make a raised bed?

 

Thank you everyone for a very warm welcome. I am very new to gardening, if you don't count weeding grandma's veg garden 20 years ago and grafting(?) some fruit trees in children garden centre under teacher's supervision about same time ago.

I hope so too as in this case I will still face the same issue - where to store the soil from the hole


Cacadores, thank you for the suggestion, I had this idea in mind as well, but the question is - should I cover it somehow and will it not erode if kept for longer than this spring?

Thank you.

 

Cover it in some mulch (leaves, compost) and grow some small and pretty plants in it until you want to dig it up and use it? Use it as a little cuttings nursery?

 

Perfect idea!! I guess I could use it to grow herbs for now. Raised bed it is then!
Thanks once more.

 

I store mine in the compost bags (pierced for any dranage) that I originally bought them in which I save. Also I have a dog who is on Bakers Complete and I also keep theses big food bags which I also peirce! Great for recycling (:

 

Hi Kayleigh,

I saw online some people do it too. It is just too big a pile of soil, it is almost 3 cubes of base for the 8 by 8 feet shed. :S

 

Dig another hole.

If you want to use the soil again for something else afterwards, then be careful which herbs you use: you don't want them following the soil around! Stick to annuals you can dig back in without a danger of them re-appearing, like dill (provided you get rid of the seeds). That's why I suggested some flower annuals. But peas (maybe beans) are a lovely crop that you dig back in without worry about them coming back.