[Falcon_man]

Hello, as mentioned in another post I got my allotment October last year and it has spent most of the winter under black plastic.
When I went down the other day and started to dig over the soil I realized it's full of stones, glass and general rubble (the sites are only a few years old and it was a dump ground before this).
What’s the best way to clear it up, so far it looks like lots of sifting through a garden sieve. As this looks like allot of work are there any veg that will grow on soil with stones in, incase I don't manage to clear it all this spring?

Thanks

[wildeone]

If you want to grow lots of roots i would do that area first and maybe keep the black plastic down and work your way across the plot ..... lots of hard work this year will save you in the years to come!!!

[Trillium]

I had a spot with lots of gravel which I didn't want. So, I made a large 'sieve' out of #2 hardware cloth nailed well between a double scrap wood frame, big enough to sit on a wheelbarrow. I then dumped shovel loads through it. Amazing all the junk that came out quickly. Had another barrow to the side to dump the junk. It goes pretty quickly if you organize the beds into quadrants. You wouldn't get it all done this year, but you'd manage some for root crops.

[mushroom]

I had a spot with lots of gravel which I didn't want. So, I made a large 'sieve' out of #2 hardware cloth nailed well between a double scrap wood frame, big enough to sit on a wheelbarrow. I then dumped shovel loads through it. Amazing all the junk that came out quickly. Had another barrow to the side to dump the junk. It goes pretty quickly if you organize the beds into quadrants. You wouldn't get it all done this year, but you'd manage some for root crops.

This. Please post a picture of what #2 hardware cloth looks like? Many thanks.

[noshed]

A bit of netting wire would do it. You just need to make the frame so it doesn't fall off the barrow when you're chucking shovel fulls at it.

[Falcon_man]

Thanks for the replies, the wire and wheelbarrow sounds a good idea. How deep should I be looking to dig down? would one spades depth be enough or should I be looking at two?

Thanks

[WG.]

Stones have their uses too - drainage, mineralisation - so don't remove them all :!:  

[noshed]

A spade's depth will be fine, most of the growing happens in the first few inches. The rest is drainage etc.
Have a fairly big gauge on the netting wire otherwise it will take you ages.

[Trillium]

Falcon man is looking to remove broken glass so you don't want to go too small on the guage or you'll miss too much. With just general rubble you could use the #1, but I'd suggest the #2. In the UK it's also called weld mesh. Here's the link Aunt Sally used

www.twpinc.com/twpinc/control/category/~category id=TWPCAT 4#

It's also great for really keeping birds and ducks safe - too strong for predators to break.

[Trillium]

Oops...not sure why the whole address wasn't enabled?

[WG.]

Oops...not sure why the whole address wasn't enabled?

BBcode is not smart enough to handle funny chars in URL.  Maybe if you reposted the URL for the Search + the Search String you used ??

[Novice]

Let us know the oddest thing you find in amonst your rubble ( I think there was a post about that on here a year or more ago ) I found a Datsun car mudflap, and usefully, a dutch hoe, gave it a new handle and Bobs your Mothers Brother  
I have a fair bit of builders rubble in the flower beds at home - when your spade hits that - you just go....doinnnkkkk (like in the Tom and Jerry cartoons)

[splodger]

for a large riddle - i use panels from an old avairy - i only do a couple of beds a year - it doesn't take too long to clear a large area though

[Trillium]

Maybe if you reposted the URL for the Search + the Search String you used ??

Goto http://www.twpinc.com click on Galvanised
#1 and #2 are products first listed

As for the screen, provided it's fastened well onto a sturdy frame, you can shake it often and get through your sifting quite quickly.

My weirdest finds were an old pocket knife, a glass marble, screwdriver and part of a harrow prong.