A long time ago on the Beeb we did a thread on things dug up in the garden. Remember? A poster there recently wrote about it again. I mentioned that we had removed over 30 cubic metres of rubbish from this garden. Plocket said that we must have substantially lowered the level of the garden. It got me thinking. I stand by the amount removed, but the garden level is not lower. Odd!
Well not really, first of all we have added at least 40 cu m of manure, which rots down but it must replace some of the material removed. We also found a cobble path covered in 40 cms or so of leaf mould, again which we used.
We dug out 3 ponds and used the sub soil from them in places (well buried under the topsoil)
Finally realised that 30 cu mt over the whole of the garden actually amounts to about 6 cms. which is the length of one finger.
Oh and it has just been pointed out that we have planted an awful lot of plants, each one of which comes with its own little packet of extra soil.
In fact the soil is now deeper in many places than it was when we started.
Just been looking at the pics of your garden Eric, and it is totally glorious. To have so much room to play with. My plants are all squeezed in and I am forever having to cut bits off so they don't squeeze out other plants. It is amazing how much soil is moved when you plant a new plant. When I started planting up around our little pond, the ground was quite level, now I have planted a few things, it is a gentle slope!
You have unearthed some amazing things, I am looking forward to the treasure chest you find next dig! ;D
Hi Eric! Now I have put Eric and Palustris together (was I being a bit slow?), and having seen the pictures of your gorgeous garden, I can see that moving so much rubble wouldn't have caused a major difference, especially with all the additions you have mentioned.
I must admit that I did think of a smaller garden when I made the comment because it is a heck of a lot of rubble! I looked out at my little 8 metre by 10 metre square garden (I'm guessing the size here, I haven't actually measured it!) and wondered what it would look like if I removed just one tonne of rubble!
I did find some buried rockery stones when we moved in but they have all been used and therefore not removed!
:)Well I hope the people who move in here after us will return, 1 pair secateurs,1watch, numerous buttons and pegs, earrings...never a pair....I don't seem to find much but boy do I lose it. ::)
I'm always loosing pegs. And Little Plockets garden toys!
;DHi Plocket got that BBQ going yet?
Among the things we have found have been lots of lego, toy cars, toy guns,tea spoons and buttons of every kind, modern though.
Those who follow us will kindly return the trowels. We must have lost dozens! We always buy ones with brightly coloured handles, makes no difference, they still go walkabout. And as for labels off plants!!!!!!
;D ;DIts a bit like odd socks in the washing, Where does everything go, and why does it never turn up, my gardens not that big that I never return to the same spot. ???
DH is just reading Little Plocket a story then he will do the honours.
Socks have their own little world that they return to when they have had enough of being walked all over.
Started to turn over the plot today and I think I may have found a section of the old London Wall ;D
So much rubble, stones, bits of door furniture, glass, chair legs, fence posts. Two of the oddest things we found was a butler sink and bath with the taps intact. :o
Just waiting to find the UXB. ::)
That should clear the bindweed. ;D
TrailRAt
;DOh wow, sounds like a good haul, will you be planting up the sink?, be good for your mints.
Yes, will be using sink for planting and the bath for water collecting.
TrailRat
;D.. Don't get carried away and start getting in the tub yourself, you see thats where the flower petals could've come in handy, they could cover up the vital bits. or will sprigs of thyme do it? ;D
I garden in a pair of shorts and thats pretty much it. I like to let my body breathe. So if I was to bath on the plot nothings coming off and also it would take a lot of petals. :o
TrailRat
Ooo err! Shouldn't this be moved to the Watershed?
Our garden used to be an old residential caravan site.AKA the local red light zone.
There was no topsoil,as it was all scraped off to level the site,but we didn't half find a lot of bottles!
We also have a vein of pure sand that runs through rhe garden,great for the wean's sand pit but dire for growing,such a hungry ,draining soil.
What we did was put in lots of trees and now it looks like a mini woodland in parts as they all self seed like the blazes.So,pile on the compost and our levels should be getting back up!
Sounds beautiful Toots! Can you post pictures for us? I would love a mini woodland of my own!
:-XYes TrailRat, move yourself to the watershed, you'll get a shower there as well, are they long shorts or short shorts? Don't you post pictures for us, a short Ratty, the mind boggles.
I've found plenty of things when digging in my garden. Bricks, blocks, paving slabs (whole ones and not laid as a path either), sheets of glass, old tools, concrete fence posts etc. Not to mention some whaking great flints (i garden on chalk).Through all this the soil hasnt dropped though, and at one point i wa even 'collecting' soil in bags (had to either make raised beds or dig out more rubble to get rid of it!)
When we dig we add air to the soil, so if we take stuff out this is replaced by air (and later on water when it rains). If nothing is removed the soil level rises. Simple when you think about it! ;D