I have dug up a lot of turf from clay soil and I have turned it upside down on another part of the grass!?

At the moment it is aprrox 12 inches hich and I have shuttered it off to make a raised bed.


Would I be ok to put aprrox another nine inches of top soil and peat etc on top or would I need more?


The intention is to grow a rhododendron and some roses and heathers!

I have dug up a lot of turf from clay soil and I have turned it upside down on another part of the grass!?
That's a great use for your old turf and it will make great top soil when it rots down. It will sink as the turf compost down, so adding more top soil or compost might well be needed.





The big question is "what is the pH of your soil?"





Peat if generally of a low pH, but that does not necessarily mean that the soil on your turf is. You may well want to do a cheap soil test to check the pH.





Your Rhododendron will not like any soil high in calcium (lime). It is a "calcifuge" so it will not grow well in lime-rich soil. Therefore do a quick test of the soil that the turf came from to check it has a low pH. The roses and heathers wont mind what pH it has incidentally.





Sounds like a great idea though, hope it works out great and looks good for years to come!
Reply:Great idea for a raised garden, except, the soil will not support the plants you have in mind. All three are acid loving plants and you are going to have headaches, insects, and a general hard time maintaining them.


Clay soils need additives to make them adaptable for these plants. Two things desperately needed are drainage and the addition of an acidic agent. You need to incorporate granular gypsum for drainage and Bone Meal for a boost in the acid content. Do this before you add any top soil. I would add Sphagnum Peat Moss to this mixture before the top soil.


Nine inches seems a bit extreme. The additives I've suggested will make the clay more inviting in time (two years or so) so you can save some money on the topsoil if you want. Make sure you incorporate all the elements (Gypsum, BoneMeal, and Sphagnum Moss) into the topsoil before planting.


I love the Heather selection. I would use that as a border using alternating flowering colors. I would have the Rhodo raised above and in the rear of the bed. I would place the roses in groupings from the rear to the sides of the Rhodo, but leave room for some annual plantings from the front row of Heather to the base of the Rhodo. Investigate Meidlander Roses for plantings. They are hardy shrub roses and take much less worry and care. Good Luck.
Reply:I would put the 9 inches on %26amp; when it settles see if it needs more.Bet it looks nice when its all done.Good Luck
Reply:Don't forget the bone meal :D