I'm trying to reclaim a neglected area of my yard to make new garden beds (same area I referenced in [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18646]this thread[/url]).
It turns out that area has a layer of gravel about 4-5 inches thick over landscape fabric. It's been there so long that it's also filled up with soil and organic matter.
Do I have to remove all that gravel and fabric? Is it possible to just pile enough soil/organic matter/amendments on top to make it viable?
I used to have my compost there, and the worms didn't seem to have any trouble finding their way into the bins.
The area in question is probably 80-100 square feet, so it would be a lot of labor to get the stones out, but if my plants would otherwise die, I'll do it.
What do you think?
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sweet thunder
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
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What a pain! Whoever lived there before clearly was NOT a gardener!
To successfully grow in that you'd basically have to turn it into a raised bed.
Frame the whole area up and then dump at least 4-5 more inches of good topsoil on top (or more depending on what you want to grow).
Otherwise, I think you are stuck with getting rid of it. The landscape fabric might be a plus for that. If you can dig down and grab the outside edges of the fabric, it seems like you could just kind of roll up the landscape fabric with all the gravel in it and get rid of the whole thing with little digging.
Then of course you will probably still need to lay down some good enriched topsoil, since whatever is under the landscape fabric and all that gravel is probably kind of dead (is there such a thing as "kind of dead" ?).
To successfully grow in that you'd basically have to turn it into a raised bed.
Frame the whole area up and then dump at least 4-5 more inches of good topsoil on top (or more depending on what you want to grow).
Otherwise, I think you are stuck with getting rid of it. The landscape fabric might be a plus for that. If you can dig down and grab the outside edges of the fabric, it seems like you could just kind of roll up the landscape fabric with all the gravel in it and get rid of the whole thing with little digging.
Then of course you will probably still need to lay down some good enriched topsoil, since whatever is under the landscape fabric and all that gravel is probably kind of dead (is there such a thing as "kind of dead" ?).
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sweet thunder
- Senior Member
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- Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:43 pm
- Location: Eureka, CA
Well, I put in a good couple of hours today and got through about a third of it. Since some of the area in question will end up as pathways, I'm leaving those alone and just dealing with the growing zones.
I shoveled everything into my compost sifter with half-inch hardware cloth to sift out most of the gravel. The smallest stones passed through, but so did the soil and organic matter, and I was able to pull up the landscape fabric.
The gravel went to fill in a low spot in the driveway.
Fortunately, while the soil underneath isn't exactly teeming with life, it's not dead either. There were definitely some roots and a few creepy-crawlies under there. I think once I get some nice layers of soil, compost and mulch and the winter rains come, it'll be just fine!
I suppose, if nothing else, I got some good exercise.
I shoveled everything into my compost sifter with half-inch hardware cloth to sift out most of the gravel. The smallest stones passed through, but so did the soil and organic matter, and I was able to pull up the landscape fabric.
The gravel went to fill in a low spot in the driveway.
Fortunately, while the soil underneath isn't exactly teeming with life, it's not dead either. There were definitely some roots and a few creepy-crawlies under there. I think once I get some nice layers of soil, compost and mulch and the winter rains come, it'll be just fine!
I suppose, if nothing else, I got some good exercise.
Souds good. The exercise I get is the only reason my lazy butt even turns my compost piles. It take two hours to get one turned, and I haven't even considered thouching the other one yet. I'd definately layer compost and soil that way it breaks down and becomes a nice nutrient rich flower bed. You'll definately appreciate the work next year when everything's growing well.