What can I use to fill huge hole Garden?

hussy52

Hello All, 

I would like to get some advice from folks on here. I have what was an old pond/roman bathing pool in my garden. To give some context it's 230cm (L) x 150cm (w) and approx 100cm deep.

I would like to get rid of this and basically either turf or grow grass over it. I've started the demolition process but would like to know if I should fill it with the rubble or not. I have completely demolished the bottom floor and exposed it to soil. 

Also if I should fill with rubble how far should I go? 

Thank You

Working_Mum

Oh that looks like a tough old job. I'm not an expert at all but I'd say you'd need to remove the tiles and expose all areas to the soil - particularly the first foot or so. You could just throw the broken tiles etc into the bottom to start filling up the hole.

I'd say you need to fill with rubble etc to a at least 8" from the top, tamp it down so that it was compacted and isn't going to start to dip and go wonky and then fill up with soil which you could than turf over or plant grass seed in.

It's a shame you don't live near me as I am currently excavating broken roof tiles from underneath a huge gravel area in my garden so I can plant a border - you could have happily had all of my tiles to fill this hole!

RAS

Look at your local Facebook, freegle, WhatsApp and ask for any soil being disposed off. Quality doesn't really matter. Overfill and allow to settle, then get some decent soil (not potting compost) a couple of inches deep. The worms will do the rest.

If you fill the bulk with rubble, old tiles etc, then you will leave a huge volume with lots of voids which lacks moisture and anything you plant on top will died in hot weather because the root run can't find water. 

Brie

When building a raised garden bed a few years back I was recommended to put in a couple of layers of cardboard and/or newspapers.   So some rubble, some dirt, a few sheets of cardboard free from your local supermarket.  And then more dirt.  

If the tiles come off fairly cleanly you might offer those on freegle for someone doing mosaics or other art work.  I was at  a local art event recently and there were a few people recycling pottery, china and tiles.  

hussy52

Hi, 

Thanks for this. I appreciate what you have advised with regards to soil, but this will need a substantial amount of soil, if I was to just fill it, without any rubble. It's almost 3.5 cubic meters! Surely I can fill upto the first step down from the top?

Thank You again! 

hussy52

If it means I need to get soil to completely fill the hole than so be it... But I just want to be digging out all the rubble because of an unforeseen issue? Rather get it right from the get go! 

ArbitraryRandom

Sorry if I'm missing something, but I don't think ANY of the responses you received advised to fill the whole thing with soil...? 

They're all variants of remove the tile so water can drain freely then dump the tile/soil back in with any other filling material to fill most of the hole before topping it off with some amount of 'decent' soil. 

Which is advice I agree with for what it's worth. 

If you want to avoid risk of problems down the line, you need to break up the base right down to the bottom so you don't end up with a damp/swampy patch of garden. Then layering what you put back in (cardboard, dirt and rubble) is best for the health of the lawn and future drainage. Finally saving the 'good' soil for the top 6-8 inches is just MSE  

hussy52

Sorry, one of the posters was talking about moisture, if it was filled with rubble. OK so rubble with layered mix of dirt and cardboard. Oh, yes, I will breaking up the whole thing! Then I'll leave around 12inch from the top, to fill with good soil etc. 

Brie

The issue will be if in 10 years time you (or someone you sell on to, but who cares) decides to plant a tree or similar.  I've been frustrated so many times trying to dig and, after the initial few inches, hit stones, shattered pottery, broken glass.  12 inches would be the absolute minimum I'd leave as even a nice plant, rose bush might need more.  Cardboard and paper will of course rot down over the years which is why it's a good filler.  And it's practically free. 

FreeBear

Got a Bag for Life ?

Brie said:

The issue will be if in 10 years time you (or someone you sell on to, but who cares) decides to plant a tree or similar.  I've been frustrated so many times trying to dig and, after the initial few inches, hit stones, shattered pottery, broken glass.  12 inches would be the absolute minimum I'd leave as even a nice plant, rose bush might need more.  Cardboard and paper will of course rot down over the years which is why it's a good filler.  And it's practically free. 

Much as it seems to be a good idea to back fill with rubble, it just stores up problems for the future. Whilst some trees thrive on poor, rocky ground (fig being one), most deep rooted plants would struggle. The next person to dig over the area will be cursing you for ever more too.

Cheslea2010

I wouldn't recommend filling with anything other than subsoil followed by topsoil to finish. Rubble will create an area that is much more free draining than the areas around it and thus you will always have a rectangle of different coloured grass going forward. As previous post suggest, go onto Facebook market place and obtain some free subsoil. You can then purchase a good quality general purpose topsoil to lay on the top and then seed.