Dumping clay soil

Mullhon2

Hi folks,
I've recently started trying to sort my garden out, moved to new house, but the garden soil is hard clay stuff. A gardener suggested mixing compost in, but I need to remove some soil first. I live at back of a wood, so it's really boggy and claylike. How can I dispose of a substantial amount? I'm happy to do manual labour myself, but don't drive, so tip run, if they'd take it is difficult.
Suggestions gratefully appreciated.

Thanks
Nikki

force_ten

hire a skip

Davesnave

There aren't many people clamouring to get their hands on cubic metres of poor quality clay, so the usual channels are out.

You either hire a skip, which on average will take 6 cubic yards, or if you are in the country, you might locate a farmer willing to undercut the skip companies, using a trailer. That's about it really.

Clay soil is normally quite fertile, so improving what you have is the better option, if possible, but I know there comes a point where it isn't.

Also, if the garden is boggy you have a separate issue of drainage, which should be tackled now rather than later, but that opens a whole new can of worms, like if you install French drains, where will they go?

Furts

Similar thoughts to Davesnave, but there is a typo there which will have a influence on costings. A typical skip takes 6 cu yards which converts to only 4.6 metre cubed.

I know somebody who had the same issue as you, with an aversion to clay soil. All the neighbours were happy with their soil, but this person was not. During evenings and early mornings, as time persisted, 10 cubic metres was barrowed from the garden onto a grass verge belonging to the Council. Everyone turned a blind eye to this - it was done with some discretion.

So discrete tipping can be done, but it comes with risks such as prosecution for fly tipping.

You could establish who owns the woodland adjacent to your garden and whether this could be an illegal location for your clay...

Davesnave

Furts wrote: »

Similar thoughts to Davesnave, but there is a typo there which will have a influence on costings. A typical skip takes 6 cu yards which converts to only 4.6 metre cubed.


So discrete tipping can be done, but it comes with risks such as prosecution for fly tipping.

You could establish who owns the woodland adjacent to your garden and whether this could be an illegal location for your clay...

OK I made an error above, but I think yours is greater. Surely you mean a legal location, which it could be, with permission.

Otherwise, the consequences are difficult to calculate, unlike the volume of a skip!

brightontraveller

Depends how much your looking to remove, how big the garden is how flat ( Also if you r gardens flat are your neighbors could they want it)
You maybe able to flatten the garden out using the mixture of both. Or raised beds/ area filled with mixture of existing soil and compost you’d need to calculate area you’d wish to remove from existing to know size of beds needed (taking into account ratio of compost to be mixed and cost of making raised beds/ area e.g. sleepers / bricks whatever you use against cost of skip etc).

Some skip companies will give a skip free for top soil etc depends on the quality of it demand in the area what you hate others may love? If the garden is boggy you’d need to consider drainage if your remove clay soil.
Alternately set of trousers as used in the great escape and a dog to walk around with as you dispose of it…da da , dada dadada dada

Herzlos

Some councils will collect it for you if you ask them.

Alternatively someone else might want it to backfill, so easy enough to bag it up and stick an ad on gumtree for free as long as they uplift.

Or if you know any gardeners/farmers they might be willing to collect it in bulk.

It really depends how much you're planning on removing?

EmmyLou30

Our local recycling centre used to take soil and hardcore but now charge £15 a trailer :-O Not sure what I'm going to do with my excess clay when I start renovating my garden as there will be a lot of it! Check that your local recyling centre or tip does or doesn't take it.

SailorSam

I wouldn't advise others to do it but, in my last house i had heavy clay soil and the garden use to flood. I thought if i was to dig a big pond it may give the water somewhere to go.
But then i had a heap of soil. What i did was fill 2 or 3 carrier bags each week and put them in the bin. It took months but i eventually got rid of it.
It never stopped the garden from flooding though.

Furts

Davesnave wrote: »

OK I made an error above, but I think yours is greater. Surely you mean a legal location, which it could be, with permission.

Otherwise, the consequences are difficult to calculate, unlike the volume of a skip!

Legal, or illegal, would depend on how OP views this matter! My example was an illegal one for no permission was sought. Had the person sought permission the response would have been "You are having a laugh".

Mullhon2

Thanks for responses ��
It's my front garden that has the most I'd like to remove, the back is mainly grass so not too much. Wondering whether the raised beds idea would be easier long term?