A bad case of builders garden!

[db2admin]

I have a new house with a sizable back garden. The builder left it in a pretty bad state and it really needs to be redone. I was thinking of doing this myself but it looks like a lot of work. Does anyone know if there are any companies that would rotovate a garden? Has anyone got this done and if so, what would it cost?

 

[Grizzly]

Garden worms.

Most builders leave gardens in a terrible state with literally the kitchen sink oftentimes buried in the rubble. In my particular case I disposed of the larger stones and bricks myself over a period of time. What I did do was order a few tons of extra topsoil. I approached the individual that was looking after the gardens/common areas etc. In this way I was able to level out the garden myself, getting rid of the dips etc.
After I had done this I ordered 50 bags of horse manure and mixed this in the area where the flower beds etc were to be planted. I let it break down over the winter and then purchased my plants and trees from a garden centre on the Brennanstown Road near Cabinteely village. Over a period of time ( 2 years) the larger stones move toward the surface, which I then dug out and replaced with topsoil. I think you will be all right if you have 6" to 8" of good topsoil on the surface. There is really no point in rotovating soil if there is no goodness in it. Leave it buried.

 

[db2admin]

Re: Garden worms.

Thanks Grizzly, I think that I might do that. I have removed most of the boulders and builder rubbish from the top of it already. I might just let it settle over the winter and get stuck into it next Spring.

 

[Guest]

Re: Garden worms.

> After I had done this I ordered 50 bags of horse manure and mixed this in the area where the flower beds etc were to be planted

Another useful tip is to start a compost heap (most councils sell the bins for a discount on the retail price or you can build your own with some spare wood treated with presevative - my mother makes hers in some old oven cavities!) and after a few months of composing kitchen/garden waste you will have stuff with lots of worms and other beneficial organisms suitable for digging in to improve the soil.

[broken link removed]

 

[Summer]

Compost

Mice love compost bins as it is nice and warm!!!!

 

[Guest]

Never had any problems with vermin and compost bins in all the years I've had experience with them.

 

[sol]

..

I had a similar problem except the builders left bags of concrete in the soil which hardened. I rotovated, it got rid of a lot of rubbish and stones. I killed all the grass, rotovated it, then put horticultural sand and peat down. It improved the drainage a lot, before that i had standing water in the garden. A lot of work but worth it. (well it was until the hayfever season.....)