[lisajpickering]

Hello all

When we moved into this house, we inherited an island bed in the front garden which had probably been a very nice rock garden originally.  The soil had been raised in the centre and conifers, heathers, etc had been planted... and then left for about 15 years.  The conifers reached 2 1/2 metres - 4 of them packed into a small space so the two in the middle died. 

We got rid of them a couple of weeks ago.  My husband used the winch on his landrover to pull them out and most of the roots came too.  Around the outside, the soil is quite good - easy to dig, plenty of worms.  But the centre has been dried and compacted to the extent that it is like rock.  I've been at it with a pickaxe all morning just trying to break it up.  Not a single worm and I'm not surprised - they wouldn't get through it even if there was anything to eat!

I have some well rotted manure and garden compost that I can dig in but would it be too optimistic to expect anything to grow this year?  Would it be more realistic to mix in the good stuff but grass it over for a year to let the worms get to work?

Thanks in advance!

Lisa

[Kleftiwallah]

Worms don't eat grass,   worms eat muck.  If you break up the 'dead centre' of your bed and incorporate well rotted manure or compost the worms will work on it and convert it to excelent soil.  You could cover the bed to keep it dark and deter the weeds from growing while you think of what to plant there.     :happy:

Cheers,    Tony.

[JayG]

I'm sure the soil will be much improved by being broken up and manured - although worms are an indicator of soil in good condition they are not essential to actual plant growth, and in any case I'm sure the worms in the surrounding soil will quickly be making a beeworm-line to the new supply of organic material!

Get planting! 

[Trillium]

I agree with the above. Don't plant any grass because it'll just be another unneeded job for the future.

As well as muck, if you can also buy some bags of compost (if you aren't making any of your own) and add that. Worms love it and it will add good tilth to your soil.

I too had to take a pick ax to a section of my yard but it was worth it in the end.