Really bad soil .. Help !?

Question

Trying to clear my very overgrown garden, got down to soil level in the borders and when i try to fork or hoe ground loads of roots keeping coming up and not wanting to budge. Think roots may be grass roots or something similar but they are really long and hard to shift. Also my soil is full of stones and plaster and building rubble, anyone have an idea what the best way would be to clear this to be able to plant in borders eventually.

Answer 1

'Fraid there are no short cuts. The only way is to dig, dig, dig and replace the stones, bricks, rubble with top soil and compost. You could hire a small digger if it's a big garden, one of those they use to dig up small pavements. With lots of stones, a rotovator is no good.

Answer 2

To work a soil that was back filled by the builder probably means he stripped and sold your topsoil also. This was how I started also.
I began by allowing a normal soil biota (microbial & invertebrate organisms plus a few moles, voles & shrews) to return so they would do the bulk of the work for me.
I placed a few sheets of newspaper of kraft paper down, wet it told hold the paper in place, then covered this with the manure and chips. I applied a heavy layer of free wood chips and well composted horse manure totaling eight inches in the worst areas. This also removed the weeds at the time by blocking all light.
I have extremely weathered glacial till made up of high percentages of sand and silt so organics breakdown and infill the large spaces between soil particles.
Wood chips are primarily inner wood and have the ability to absorb and hold moisture keeping the soil cool and moist the way earthworms and other soil dwellers like it. Cool moist soil will optimize the invertebrate numbers that tunnel, aerate and decompose the organics, recreating good soil structure. Bark will not hold the water as bark evolved to repel the rain not absorb it so it makes a poor soil amendment.
I tilled in after a year once the soil had been loosened and had some tilth. Turning in what remained of the organics brought boards, carpet chunks and old car parts to the surface. I just had to hand pick all the rubbish out as I built the beds. In areas with large mature trees and their roots I left the organics to raise to soil level and did not till them in.
I have a sieve large enough to fit the wheel barrow and when I found lots of metal bits, carpet or broken glass I sifted the soil to remove the nasties.
While I was doing soil restoration I designed the watering system so pipes could be laid at the same time. I added spigots and laid hosing for a soaking system.
An ideal soil will have: Sand - 30-50%, Silt - 30-50%, Clay - 20- 30%, Organic material - 5-10%.
So now would be the ideal time to do a soil test so you know exactly what your soil is missing.
DIY with pictures on soil testing:
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/how-to/articles/hows-your-soil-texture.aspx

Answer 3

Sounds like builder used your yard as a dump for left over rubble from site,you could dig up a small area with a shovel and see how deep these roots go,was the yard sodded once? Do you know where your drain field is if your have a septic? that could be the answer if rocks are smallish...Rent a good size tiller and till the area you want to garden in...
Try this site www.acresusa.com for lots of tips on earthy topics...other idea rent a tractor and dig it all out...Does your County have a County Extention Office that you could go and visit for info...

Answer 4

A glyphosphate weed killer will get rid of all the roots, as it kills everything above and below ground level, the roots will just rot away & save you the hassle of digging them out! Get the farmers strength stuff as it works much better and in the long run is cheaper, ( around £30 for 5 litres )
Get rid of as much rubble etc as you can but consider raised beds, then you just need to build up the supporting edges and bring in a heap of top soil! Plenty of manure dug in before you plant and "bingo" an instant garden!

Answer 5

I had exactly the same problem.It's dig dig dig.Don't go deeper than about 9" this is where sub soil starts.At the same time stones need sifting out (buy a seive).If the roots are of "cooch grass"(long white & deep) it can be a constant battle.If the vegetation is thick kill it with a total herbicide.

While you dig add loads of well rotted manure or compost this adds nutrition & helps to hold moisture.So dig ,sift,manure.

Answer 6

You're going to have to roll up your sleeves and dig the lot up.It's typical of building site workers,rather than taking their rubbish away the dig a hole in the ground and leave remnants then cover it up with earth,the roots are probably tree or bush. The house where we use to live was not long established and when I went to dig the garden,I nearly broke my wrist,then I discovered that there were lumps of concrete and bricks and a large sheet of polythene.

Answer 7

do you have any trees nearby? is so you may not want to be so hasty to pull all of those roots up. your best bet is to water the area that you are working in so that you can work the area a little better. as for the rocks and plaster you will have to take them out by hand unfortunately. you can do this slowly and just add small amounts of sandy loam to the area as you go. this will slowly work into the area and your soil will start to improve.

Answer 8

If it's feasible, get a hardy foraging pig like a Tamworth or Gloucester old spots. They will grub down to the roots and turn them into a rich fertiliser which after a short while will stop smelling. Get a piglet now and you'll have a lovely porker for Christmas.

Answer 9

Try some raised beds.

First put down some plastic and build your beds on top

Answer 10

Soak the area with water. It will make weeding easier. Or you might look into putting in raised beds.