New Allotment, Lots of Broken Glass!

[KateM]

Hi,

My oh and I finally managed to get an allotment at the beginning of this month and he has spent ages digging it to try and get rid of the weeds and grass.  Trouble is, the more he digs, the more broken glass he finds buried in the soil.  I'm trying to find out if this is normal and whether we're doing the right thing by removing it, it seems dangerous but wondered if there was a reason for it.  It's really slowing the whole process down and it's so disheartening every time we find yet another patch of glass.

Any help or advice will be really welcome as neither of us really know what we're doing!!! Lol!

[KateM]

[pigeonseed]

Perhaps someone once had cold frames or a greenhouse on your plot, and after these were abandoned they broke.

I can only think you should keep a bucket handy for throwing glass in as you dig, then dispose of it safely periodically.

I hope you get to the end of it eventually!

[flossy]

  Can't think what benefits glass has in the soil KateM,   I would get rid of it as you dig,

   -- gloves  etc,   Found an old razor blade in my plot that got my fingers ! [ no gloves  ! ]

  After finding glass everywhere, someone told me that years ago it was a rubbish dump ?

  One bed reveiled loads of ' iron ' material  --  locks, bed springs, brackets - you name it.

  was suggested that the previous tenant had buried it all to give iron to the soil !?

   There you go, bet peeps have found a lot more in thier plots  too.  

    Congrats on your allotment,  keep going and don't be disheartend  --   do a section at

     a time then plant it  --   cover the rest untill you get to it  --   can take up to 3 yrs to get

     it to how you want it.   Take a season at a time,        ;)

     floss xxx

         

   

   

[ceres]

There are people on my site who bury inorganic rubbish including glass.  When I cleared my plot I found large broken sheets of glass wrapped in bin bags buried at one end.  All over the plot I still find small shards every time I turn the soil over.

If the glass is shallow enough to be a safety problem, all you can do is keep picking it out.  If you're digging deeper than you will in future (e.g. to get weed roots out), then you could leave it where it is.

[grannyjanny]

When we cleared our plot it was like sorting the washing out at home. One bag for general rubbish, 1 for metal, 1 for glass & hundreds for weeds etc. We only have a half plot & the top part has never been cultivated & that was where the bulk of the glass was. We still keep finding it.
Janet

[upnorth]

Hi kate
Sorry to hear you have same problem I decieded to go for raised beds made from scaffold boards  then filled with compost as it was a nightmare separating glass from soil
Regards steve

[Deb P]

I also found several black bags full of glass, broken 1970's kitchen tiles and general rubbish buried on my plot when I took it over, 13 trips to the local dump later......

The worst was when we took down the old shed which had almost demolished itself....underneath were loads of glass bottles, medicine bottles, and of course lots of broken greenhouse glass........ ::)

[KateM]

Thank you for those comments, it's nice to know we're not alone!  15 buckets of glass so far and counting!  Down there again later today to do some planting in the area we've de-glassed so it's not all bad.

[Deb P]

You've done the hard work now Kate, so you now get to do the nice bit as a reward!

Don't overdo things if you are 32 weeks pregnant though.....(couldn't help but notice your signature....midwife by trade!) I know it's tempting when you feel well! ;D

[Hector]

KateM, weare experiencing similar..I find those gloves with rubbery pal and fingers (ones that say wont let bramples jab you :)  ) give some protection. Good luck with it!

[elvis2003]

congrats on your getting your new plot,keep up the good work! you will eventually get all the glass out,if you havnt already!  ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D
rach
x

[saddad]

Welcome to the site Kate, good luck with the baby, and as Deb says don't over do it. I'd spotted the tag line too. (Yes you are... but a tiny spot of insanity never hurt anyone!!)

Sadly most plots seem to have a glass mine somewhere...  :-X

[hopalong]

Sure it's not unusual and all you can do is get rid of it bit by bit. Loads of glass on my plot from a rotten old greenhouse that collapsed before I took on the plot.

[lolabelle]

found loads of glass on my plot and all sorts of rubbish including a 4ft x 3 foot road sign !! ;D

[Jokerman]

I had the same problem. Some turnip had buried  few black bag fulls of glass, it was too difficult to seperate from the soil so made raised beds on it. Just gotta remember not to plants spuds in that part or they may come out ready chipped!!!!    :'(

[1066]

Hi and welcome to A4A
I had the reverse problem, no glass to speak of (so far) on the plot, but found sheets of the stuff in the raised beds in my garden? So now I know the guys I bought the house from were numpties for sure  ::)

[shadowdragon]

Apparently on my site, Plot holders use broken glass to put down rat holes to deter the rats when they were over run with them a few years ago, I am finding hotspots of broken glass as I tidy my plot up.

[cornykev]

I can't for the life of me fathom out why anyone would bury bags of glass  :(   ???  :-\  numptys indeed and a few other words but I'll save them for watershed.  :-X      ;D ;D ;D

[saddad]

As they say Kev... out of sight, out of mind... which they most definitely were...  :-X

[1066]

I can't for the life of me fathom out why anyone would bury bags of glass  :(   ???  :-\  numptys indeed and a few other words but I'll save them for watershed.  :-X      ;D ;D ;D

As they say Kev... out of sight, out of mind... which they most definitely were...  :-X

Completely agree, but why not just take it to the dump? I know they had a car so that wasn't the problem. And I still have 2 more to clear and I know I'll find sheets of glass ........ Grrrrrrrrr