Out of Room

Digging in the dirt

We ran out of room in the veggie patch this year. I’m not sure why really as we more or less grew the same things as the previous years. Maybe it was the extra large pumpkins that took up the room, or the weeds. Whatever the reason for the lack of space, I have decided to expand.
Acting impulsively I sift through this week’s edition of the Dealer to see who is selling topsoil, a vital commodity in my expansion plans as we really don’t have a surplus in our own garden. The collapse of the building industry in this recession has caused a huge rise in the price of topsoil. At the height of the boom all you had to do was to flag down a passing tractor and trailer carrying a load and they would drop it off at the house for nothing. Good quality topsoil now appears to be trading on the world markets alongside gold. The price seems to be around 150-200 euro per 20 tonne so if you can get a good quality load free of stones and couch grass, it’s not too bad. I opt for the most local supplier just down the road from us and prepare a space for the delivery.

A load of sheeting

As I am attempting to do this on a budget I manage to scrounge some black plastic sheeting to put on the ground. The load arrives; the sheeting on the ground soon gets covered, and more of the ground besides. The resulting pile also manages to block out the sun. It’s big, very big.
I’m very pleased with the soil. It’s got a good mix of silt, sand, clay and small stones. The field that it came from had been well limed and regularly top dressed with sand and manured on an annual basis. I pay the money to the friendly farmer. I spend the next thirty minutes just standing and looking at the giant heap, wondering what I have let myself in for.

On a budget

Again, because I am trying to do this on a budget, I have managed to get some used coal bags to put the soil into for easy storage and to move it to the new raised beds when they are in place. After covering most of the pile with more plastic to keep the weeds from germinating, I set about shovelling the soil into the bags. I soon realise that, although the soil is very loose and top notch, it does have more stones in it that I first thought. It also has old roots and couch grass. It will be grand for the subsoil at the base of the raised beds but not really fine enough for the surface. I don’t like rummaging through stones in the veggie patch and carrots certainly don’t like them so a cunning plant is needed. It’s time to be inventive. When I worked for the council I was once given the job of sieving 70 tonnes of soil, it needed to be fine enough for a top dressing on the bowling greens. I remember the giant sieve I used, so I need to replicate one of those.

Making a soil sieve

I pop to the Co-op to see what they have in stock. I was thinking of getting wire mesh with holes about 1” square, but after looking at it I realise that size would be too big for the job and let too many stones in. They have some strong metal mesh that has holes to about half an inch but it is too heavy for the job, it’s made to clean sheep’s hooves as they walk over it. I have about given up when I come across some fine mesh used for strengthening concrete. It’s just what I need and only costs 5 euro for a sheet 2’6” wide by 8’ long. My budget can stretch to that.
The first thing I do is divide the mesh in two, so I am left with a sheet only 4’ in length and one spare piece of the same size. I then sandwich one of the sheets in between lengths of 2”x1” planks of wood and screw them tightly together, which holds the mesh in place. The finished product is sturdy and sits well leant up against the wheel barrow at a 45 degree angle. When I shovel the soil onto the mesh, the stones fall to the ground in front of me and the sieved soil goes through and makes a neat pile that resembles finely sifted flour.
A resounding success I think. Now as I am the ideas man, all I need is for someone to do all of the hard work for me. Any volunteers?