Sieving soil

[Greenleaves]

I have been offered a sieve tray on frame that looks like a mini swing, I will of course accept the offer.

I was thinking I could use it on various beds to remove stones and some of the roots I miss when digging up weeds. Part of my plot has been left to go fallow so I can improve the condition of the soil and focus on the other areas.

I dont want to switch completely to raised beds but keep about a third of the plot as open ground. By removing all the stones do I risk the soil becoming compacted and as a result having to manage drainage?

[Bill HH]

I had a bed in my garden that was 10 feet x 30 feet and had more stones than soil. It was unusable for roots. 2 years ago we dug the whole thing to a depth of 18 inches and I passed the lot through a 10mm home made sieve. Tons of stones for the path and a bed I can almost dig by hand. It hasn't compacted, if anything quite the reverse my feet still sink into it and its a bit soft for brassicas. The carrots now grow nice and straight. Mine is quite sandy soil however, clay may be different but as long as the sieve is not too fine I should leave all the pebbles and grit.

[Greenleaves]

Cheers Bill, I guess the sieve is 8 to 10mm so nothing ventured nothing gained.

[roitelet]

If you have clay soil it will compact if you remove all the stones. Just get rid of the largest the others will help with drainage.

[kathycam]

I'm not sieving my soil, but I have a huuuge compost heap from the previous people and that is all being sieved. I'm basically putting a layer of cardboard and then sieved compost and then grass and straw. I'm mainly sieving it as there is bindweed and nettle roots in it. But the result seems to be nice fine soil and so far everything is doing well. I have stepping stones, so I don't step on the compost. The large stones are going as a kinda mulch on the herb bed. I've managed to get lots of bits of glass out by doing this. I would add, it is taking a long time though, we'd be far further along if we just bunged the stop straight onto the cardboard.

[Olorin2001]

Make one of these.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uTWSYto4o4

Or that style of rotary sieve is available to purchase, far prettier than the one I made but far more expensive, and it's mains voltage whereas mine is 12volt

[Greenleaves]

Thank you everyone for your useful input