Building Sand question ...

[SusieG]

Looking for an answer to: can I incorporate 'building sand' into my veggie patch?
(Mods, I asked this somewhere before and apologise if I've repeated but I simply can't find the thread anywhere !!!!!)

My soil is very heavy, clay like. The builders left half a 'builders bag' full of the stuff after finishing some work last year, and still not come to collect it ... So thought I could make use of it and get rid of the unsightly big red bag that's plonked on my front garden.

Was going to mix it in with a heap of my own home made compost then dig it all into said veggie patch ...

[Bigmallly]

I remember you asking Susie......................I believe it is river sand that is normally used as a soil additive. One of my old plot friends used to grow his Toms & Carrots in pure builders sand & had some fantastic results, all he did was put some waste pipe next to Toms then water/fed into the pipes. May be worth a bash.

[DannyK]

Sharp/plastering sand, which has bits of grit in probably ok.

Not so sure about the one used for mortar, soft sand, which is finer and more uniform.

[SusieG]

I remember you asking Susie......................I believe it is river sand that is normally used as a soil additive.

Oh crickey BM, it's an age thing ....!!

Yes, thank you for that, it's all becoming clear now !!

It's gotta be worth using anyway, waste not want not. And if the carrots don't like it then I've not really lost anything.

[Chippy Minton]

The only thing I was always told was to rinse it as it may be sea dredged sand so may have a high salt content. probably some sort of old gardeners myth but you never know. If it's been on your front lawn for a few months Mother Nature's probably already rinsed it for you though

[marchogaeth]

Builders' sand can be salty and it is often too fine for including in compost in seed trays - it doesn't encourage drainage it stops it. Washed thoroughly and in relatively low quantities it shoudl be ok in the garden but coarse sand is always better - apparently.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Not an easy question to answer, depends on where you live as to what sand would be classed as building sand.

There are four main types red, yellow, brown and grey. Here in Notts we use mainly yellow and red and the source of supply are the quarries working the Sherwood deposits so no salt in it at all.

[Florence Fennel]

I found a bucketful of some sort of sand last week and bunged it in the carrot bed before sowing. Not sure what effect that will have

[SusieG]

Yes, thanks all - going to bite the bullet and work it in. If it is salty (?) then it's been standing outside for 12 months now, so hopefully mum nature will have rinsed it out for me!

[bearded bloke]

'Building sand' will have more clay in it than 'soft washed sand', which in turn will have more clay in it than 'sharp sand'