Stone me!

[Bill HH]

SO what do people think about stones?

Are they a nuisance, deforming your root crops?
Are they a benefit helping the soil to drain?
Do they hold moisture in a drought?
Would you sieve your soil to remove them?
Can they both hold water in a drought and help drainage? this seems illogical.

I am talking about the bigger stones say an inch in diameter upwards. My own view is they are best got rid of.

[Glutton4...]

I remove them, and save them up, in buckets, to be used when I need them, as drainage in pots, or whatever.

[bearded bloke]

Personally I take them out & put under the hedge as a weed suppressant.
As for aiding drainage & storing water,I imagine that would apply to some of the more porous/open structured sand stone types,interesting question Bill,I shall watch this incase there is a definative answer

[mothhawk]

I pick them out when they get turned up, but I don't get many as I'm on clay. I tend to chuck them to the edge of the garden, then if I need crocks, or a couple to raise up the edge of a cloche, I know where to find them. That size they are a nuisance in the soil, just the size to wedge between the tines of a fork, or they leave a hole in a raked seed bed or in a planting hole. Unless you have a lot, I don't see how they would aid drainage.

[Dorothy rouse]

Stones, I have more stones all sizes that you could ever imagine!, there have been enough to go right round edge of plot, I pull out the big ones and chuck to the edge, will never get rid of them, and I fill buckets with them and bring home to use for drainage in pots. In fact, I think someone goes up and chucks there stones on my plot. Have even thought of employing a 5 year old to fill buckets with them, as used to happen back in the mid 1850's, but don't think it's allowed these days.

[Bill HH]

My Dad used get pocket money for stone picking in the early 1920's He also caught moles and got 6 old pence a skin for them. So you could say stones were good from his viewpoint.

[Dorothy rouse]

I've tried asking the children of fellow allotmenteers, if they fancied the job, but no interest!

[Jeanied]

I collect them on the allotment to put on the track to build up the surface which tends to get very muddy.

At home Rosie picks them up for me and brings them in to chew on the rug - so they go in the bin!

[Veggielot]

I remove the ones I find, I find so many I don't think it would make much difference to the drainage. The smooth ones go on my gravel paths the rest get thrown

[rary]

I remove any stones that come to the surface when raking, but I wonder if it would be worth leaving them as a form of mulch to retain the moisture in a warm country, I also came across a reference to them helping to hold heat in the ground , whither they do or not I could not say but every thing has a use

[lottie dolly]

We have so many stones on our site,you can sieve and pick out all you like,and still they come up to the top,we have mostly clay,i don't pay to much bother to them these days,the only place to sort better,is where you going to grow your carrots,last year we built some raised beds with sifted soil in,the carrots grew lovely in them,to answer the original question is don't recone its any difference,

[Dorothy rouse]

Your plot sounds Just like mine, the stones come up from Australia I think. I managed little carrots in a raised bed, not brilliant, this year I'm going to try deep bags.

[Bill HH]

whither they do or not I could not say but every thing has a use

Yes well times change, stones were at a premium when we had heretics and witches to dispose of. Its no wonder we are less fit nowadays, a good stoning beats watching mach of the day for exercise anyday.

[RaptorUK]

I'm removing as many as I can whenever I can, I tried raking but it gathers soil and stones so is not very efficient. I plan on riddling the part of my bed that I will use for parsnips, carrots and beetroots probably down to at least 12 inches.

I had a cairn on my bed number 4 but I have been digging this bed today, and during my last couple of plot visits, so the cairn has had to be moved to the path. The eventual plan is to dig the path to remove the last couch grass roots then put the stones down on the path and finally a layer of wood chippings on top of the stones.

[Bren In Pots]

I remove them, and save them up, in buckets, to be used when I need them, as drainage in pots, or whatever.

I do the same thing.