Getting started in a new home!

[aes]

Hi folks!

I would like some advice from anyone who has any knowledge on the subject of new homes and the "gardens" they come with.

Basically, I have bought a new build house and the back garden comprises the dirt (thats what it seems to be, not decent soil) that was excavated from the area where the foundations now lie. It hasn't even been leveled off and runs to a slope about 2 feet of difference between the back door and the bottom of the garden. The earth is full of large stones and clumps of clover/thistles/general weeds.

Can you let me know, am I better to level this stuff off and hope for the best after removing the stones and spraying with 'Roundup' or similar. Alternatively should I just get in a digger and remove it all and start fresh!? Given the brochure says the garden is "well rotivated top soil", I am loathed to carry out the second option before fighting it out with the builders.

Thanks for your comments!

AES

[BarleySugar]

I'm not sure what your best policy would be, as the description of your garden does sound misleading. If you decide not to tackle the builder, I would be tempted to go the roundup route for a fresh start, but get it on quick before any of the weeds flower and set seed.
When we moved into our new build 4 years ago the garden was laid to lawn, in August, with a hosepipe ban in force. It was lucky I didn't want grass. I stacked the turves, then began digging out the 'topsoil'. As my son said, if we'd known a potter, we could have sold it to him as pure clay. I was lucky to have access to as much well rotted manure as I could want, so we basically removed the soil and replaced it with manure. That hasn't cleared the whole problem, as the clay gradually works through, but with repeated applications of home composted material and old compost from pots in the greenhouse, I'm finally getting some workable soil. Time and cost are factors in what you decide to do, our solution cost lots of hard graft, but no money. The removed soil went back to the farm where the manure came from

[Bagpuss]

Hi aes
Could you ask the developer to level the garden and remove the large chunks they have left in the soil ? Surely this should be part of the snagging that they should do for you ?

[NOG]

Normally they dig out the foundations with a digger and pile all the sub soil on the topsoil. The throw all the broken block, pipe cutoffs, broken glass, buckets of cement,paint and any other crap The before they put up the fence they level it and add the minuum of top soil.

I would dig a hole 2ft sq and two spade depths. then keep all the crub that comes out. Then you should be able to see where the top soil finishes and sub soil starts..if it does.

Then call the builder back and tell him to fix it.

[snohare]

I'd agree with NOG, dig some sample pits to see how the land lies - literally, you need to know if there is decent drainage, paint tins, glass etc. As for the topsoil, it sounds decent enough except for the stones. If it is growing thistles, clover and other species, well the first two at least are going to be in nitrogen-rich soil. I always assess the soil type in an area by the weeds, it is a lot easier to tell the soil's fecundity by the height/speed of growth of the thistles than it is to plant different things and watch half of them die !

[WeeGarden]

Hi aes,

I'm gardening in a new build garden as well. You're right, they market the stuff as topsoil. When you start to dig, you'll notice that the soil is weed laden and there's only about 4" of the stuff. Underneath that was clay and rubble, fag ends, broken bricks, fizzy drink cans, etc.

I built raised beds for my veggies, we weeded everything by hand, dug over the soil and mixed in some sand, and filled the beds with manure and compost. For the rest of the garden, we weeded everything by hand, rotavated in a ton of compost and 20 bags of builders sand to improve drainage for the lawn. Our level fell by about 4 brick heights from the patio doors to the end of the garden (just 7m long) so we pushed a load of earth with the rotavator to the end, to even it out. It still slopes but it's not as steep.

All the best - it's back breaking work...

[aes]

Wee Garden - you're not seeling this to me! lol

I have kind of sorted out what to do with the back garden and its sloping antics. I never thought about the obvious nutirents required to grow the weeds - I just saw them all and went a bit nuts! Thanks for your advice, I think I will give it a try with the sand also as it is quite clay like where the house is.

Cheers

AES

[BFG]

You could go for the easy/lazy approach. Wait until it's rained a bit so the soil is wet and then cover in a layer of cardboard and/or newspaper (making sure you overlay the gaps) and then cover with any organic material you can get you hands on. Grass/hedge clipping, compost, leaves etc.

Keep adding to it when you can and you'll end up with beautiful, lush, moisture retaining, crumbly soil in a few months. The soil under the cardboard will also be lovely as it creates good conditions for all the worms, microbes and bacteria etc.

If you're struggling for organic material, ask your neighbours if they would mind you using the contents of their green bins. Or post on freecycle for lawn cuttings etc. If all else fails, just buy the cheapest stuff you can get. Council compost, or "soil improvers", or even wood chip.

Or even easier, but it may take a bit longer. Grow your own mulch material. Sow green manure crops, or stuff like Comfrey, Lovage, Borage and then cut it down and cover the ground with it.

To level it off, either very roughly level 1st, or just throw more organic material on the low bits.

Let nature do the work.

[WeeGarden]

Heehee... but just telling it like it is! Honestly, I had some sort of RSD on my wrists after that weekend for about 3 weeks - think it was using the rotavator too long or something.

BFG - I wish I'd known that earlier!