soil for new beds in old dirt

[simple life]

Hi,
Yesterday we ripped up a slab of concrete that was approximately 8 feet by 16 feet long along the side of our house,in the back.I am not sure why it was ever there, but it was there when I bought the house.
After we tore it out I decided to put a garden there.There were large pieces of granite edging the whole area,that is what the concrete was on.It is perfect for a vegetable or herb garden.So my problem is, I had been hoping the soil would be decent.Not. Way back when people use to bury their trash.The whole are is full of coal,some of it is crushed up fine and some is chunky.So we have been pulling it all out and putting it aside until someone can take it out of here.So now I need advice on what to do about soil.Should I have loam delivered? Compost? Both?
I know we have our work cut out for us, but its a great spot. I have hated that concrete slab for years but I never knew what to do about it and my husband use to just throw trash cans, the lawnmower and stuff like that on it. We were surprised at how easy the concrete came apart.It was much easier than we thought, if only there had been good soil underneath I would have a garden today. When we use to step out of that door we went across the slab to get to the yard, so now we have it set up that when you come out the door you step onto a little walkway going through the flower bed and edging on either side.We went to the quarry and bought some nice thick slates to walk on and I want to plant thyme or some other step on plant to put in between them.So there is a bed on either side of the walk way, the one to the right is smaller so we are going to split the one on the left with some more of the granite edging and have three beds the same size.
One cool thing about moving all of this dirt is the old fashioned bottles that were buried there.Since people threw away their trash we found alot of broken dishes and so far about 40 bottles.I cleaned them up and they have names on them with different apothercary names, and names of syrups,etc.there is even a half full bottle of bitters with the cork in it.I know there is alot more there, we just haven't gotten to through the whole pile.I am hoping to find treasure.
Okay, I have bored you all to tears, if anyone has any ideas on what to use for soil I would appreciate it.
Thanks, Natalie

 

[Reinbeau]

Natalie, there's an outfit near us called The Green Connection, they have a compost/loam combo I'm going to buy a truckload for to fill my raised beds (I need more, I'm moving what's out front but it isn't going to fill them - long story). They'll deliver, too, but I'm not sure what their minimum is. I know it's $31 a yard.

 

[sht4luck]

hi, i am new to this sight and the chicken site. Both sites have great info thanks. I have been doing biointensive gardening for a while and I think that double digging your beds might be very usefull to you. I am thinking your ground under the concrete is pretty hard and the roots of what ever you put down will have a hard time. double digging will help those roots get down deep. I try to get people to look at Bio- intensive gardening and the bountiful garden/ecology action websites to get ssome good info and seeds. The book "how to grow more vegetables- on less land than you thought possible" is a great book for sustainable gardening. Sorry if i sound like i am trying to sell something (i'm not). They happen to the only program I can find, Organic or not, that actually builds the soil life year after year. But you also have to foolow there guidlines with a 60-30-10 growing op. 60% compost crop, 30% calorie crop, 10 vegetable. other wise you could deplete the ground at faster rate then normal. Check out the book for all the great info. Thanks all for the good tips.

 

[simple life]

Thanks for the tips, I am always interested in different methods of gardening so I will definitely check that method out.

 

[Nubsmum]

As soon as I saw you mention garbage I was thinking bottles. Be very careful as you are finding them and digging them up. Some bottles are very rare and are worth lots of money. Some folks that are treasure hunters will dig up sites that were once the old outhouse and find lots of bottles there. There are probably some books on bottles and what they are worth. Happy gardening and treasure hunting.

 

[aquarose]

Depends on how impatient you are. If it was me and I had lots of patience, I would just start sheet composting there, and/or plant a cover crop that could be tilled under in the fall, so that the bed would be wonderfully loose and fertile for next spring. Otherwise, maybe truck in some loam. I have no idea what effect coal would have on a garden bed.

 

[aquarose]

Also see the thread "favas, great cover crop". This might work really well for you.

 

[simple life]

nubsmom, after speaking to others about that area of the yard and what we were finding they said it was probably the old privy as well. The house was built in the 1700's and used to be a stagecoach stop and a shoe factory. It would make sense that it would be the privy and where they buried the trash since they had no modern conveniences. I have heard that people will go out privy hunting for bottles and such.
The other day I was out in the yard and I started digging to put in a plant and after maybe 2 inches I found a coin. I knew it wasn't anything we use now, so I cleaned it up and it said 5 cent piece. I looked it up online and its from the 1800's. This was in a different part of the yard so who knows whats around. I have been finding little odds and ends for years.I thought if I was ever going to find any money that was dropped from back then it would be where they did business near the carriage house and the shoe factory that was on the property. The town historian tells me that Daniel Webster use to come here to get his congressmen's boots made. I was surprised to find so many bottles intact though, 50 or so in all.
You are right about looking into them, I need to find out more about them.

 

[adeledamate]

nubsmom, after speaking to others about that area of the yard and what we were finding they said it was probably the old privy as well. The house was built in the 1700's and used to be a stagecoach stop and a shoe factory. It would make sense that it would be the privy and where they buried the trash since they had no modern conveniences. I have heard that people will go out privy hunting for bottles and such.
The other day I was out in the yard and I started digging to put in a plant and after maybe 2 inches I found a coin. I knew it wasn't anything we use now, so I cleaned it up and it said 5 cent piece. I looked it up online and its from the 1800's. This was in a different part of the yard so who knows whats around. I have been finding little odds and ends for years.I thought if I was ever going to find any money that was dropped from back then it would be where they did business near the carriage house and the shoe factory that was on the property. The town historian tells me that Daniel Webster use to come here to get his congressmen's boots made. I was surprised to find so many bottles intact though, 50 or so in all.
You are right about looking into them, I need to find out more about them.

So, so exciting. Please keep us posted on your treasures and what you learn about them. I think I may have been a pirate in a previous life. I just love the whole idea of treasure hunting. Good luck with your garden and your treasures!

 

[elnabelms]

I just read the book 'Lasagna Gardening', and if you have access to some compost materials, you might try that. It's much less labor-intensive than digging, and you can start transplants in it right away. I found the book at the local library. The basics of the system are in the first few chapters, the rest of the book is about specific vegetables, etc. Basically you use wet newspapers, laid down heavily right on top of the soil, then layer straw, peat moss, old leaves, shredded paper, etc. for about 18-24" deep. Once its layered on, just separate the 'lasagna', put in your transplants, water and go. It composts through the summer, protects the plants and attracts worms to the hard soil below. Pretty interesting concept. I've done one bed that way, and am planning another. Good luck!