Nine Year Old Top Soil

[Mr Gardener]

I have about half a tonne of top soil in my garage, it's been sleeping in their for nine years from when I overestimated the soil required for a large area of new lawn and before I caught the gardening bug.

It might be a silly question but will this be of any use now for growing stuff or will all the goodness have been removed over time? Can I get away with using it to bulk out my multipurpose compost or will this have a majority detrimental effect? Do I just need to find a dark corner of my garden to quietly and unceremoniously dump it in or will it still be of use?

Any advice appreciated.

[darcyvuqua]

I would perhaps mulch with it it would add texture to the soil at least and if there are any nutrients in it it will leech into the root systems


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[Veggielot]

Nine years does seem along time but I would still use it mixed with some homemade compost.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I can't see how it would deteriorate if undercover in your garage TBH.

If your not sure you could always dig in some 7-7-7 fertiliser like growmore to kick start things.

Potty

[Mr Gardener]

Thanks for the replies, I'll go steady with it. More than anything I just want the garage space back but didn't want to just dump it if it was of use!

[Kristen]

Can I get away with using it to bulk out my multipurpose compost or will this have a majority detrimental effect?

It will be fine as "soil", but personally I wouldn't use it (or any soil) to bulk out MPC for potting; but it would be fine to mix the two together for planting / topping up raised beds / that sort of thing.

[ancee]

I'd use it to bulk out your beds as it costs a lot to fill them up. Put better stuff on the top

[Bill HH]

It will have lost any micro organisms i suppose but i wouldnt hesitate to use it on my raised bed, just beef it up with some Fish blood and bone or such like. home made composr mixed with it would be ideal. Top saoil in bags at the garden centre is £3 a bag so you have probably got £60 worth there, not to be wasted.

[Mr Gardener]

Thanks all again.

I've bought some large planters, 50cm x 30cm x 100cm so the idea is, as people have suggested, to use it to assist in filling these out, mixed with compost and BF&B

Alternatively I have approx £60 of top soil, 'brand new' *cough* that I'm open to offers on

[Kristen]

If you haven't got quite enough for the planters might be worth scouting around in case someone is about to build a conservatory, or similar, and you wanting their topsoil will save them a muck-away cost