River Sand/Silt any good for carrots?
River Sand/Silt any good for carrots?
Yeaterday morning at work I was digging up silt dumped by the floods to allow vehicle access to a site. The silt is sandy and mixed with lots of dead twigs. Feeling rather ish I bagged up a couple of bags. I want to grow a few carrots on my clay allotment. Was thinking of digging deep circular holes and filling with a mix of river sand/compost/topsoil. But search on the internet no one talks much about river sand and gardening. Is there a reason river sand should not be used?
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Re: River Sand/Silt any good for carrots?
I would guess it's not commonly used because very few people would have access to it.
One thought that does spring to mind is - what's upriver(?) from where you collected it? Most stuff being washed down will be deposited at the sides in areas like where you collected it. So have a look see - I wouldn't for one second suggest that any businesses would break environmental law and dump stuff in the river - heaven forefend . But it might be worth knowing what's there.
One thought that does spring to mind is - what's upriver(?) from where you collected it? Most stuff being washed down will be deposited at the sides in areas like where you collected it. So have a look see - I wouldn't for one second suggest that any businesses would break environmental law and dump stuff in the river - heaven forefend . But it might be worth knowing what's there.
Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Re: River Sand/Silt any good for carrots?
Generally speaking, silt deposited by flooding makes the soil more fertile - you can ask the Ancient Egyptians all about that. But, as GA points out, they didn't have sewage works to make it all a bit risky. Find out what's within a mile or so upstream - if there's nothing untoward, I'd try it.
Mike
Mike
The secret of life is to aim below the head (With thanks to MMM)