I'm in the midst of totally overhauling my garden and whilst digging up the top end of the garden I'm constantly coming across bricks/rocks/stones/broken paving slabs of all shapes and sizes buried deep in the ground which were put there by the previous tenant.
I'm a complete novice when it comes to the world of the green finger but am improving and learning all the time. What I need to know is what is the reason and fascination for having these pain in the arse objects buried underground in the first place? Is there a mystical garden enhancing reason why they're there? Also I keep coming across a sort of (I can only describe as) green netting buried underground which comes apart easily when I try to pull it up. Is this connected to turf or something? Am I undoing the work of a gardening genius or a lazy arsed individual who couldn't be bothered to throw the rocks etc away?

Tone70 wrote:

I'm in the midst of totally overhauling my garden and whilst digging up
the top end of the garden I'm constantly coming across
bricks/rocks/stones/broken paving slabs of all shapes and sizes buried
deep in the ground which were put there by the previous tenant.
I'm a complete novice when it comes to the world of the green finger
but am improving and learning all the time. What I need to know is what
is the reason and fascination for having these pain in the arse objects
buried underground in the first place?

if you don't till deeply you can use them as
fill. many garden veggies don't go that deep
and even if they do a rock or a brick isn't
going to hurt their growth.

often when building a house or excavating
there will be rocks, bricks or chunks of
cement buried about.


Is there a mystical garden
enhancing reason why they're there?

probably didn't want to do anything else
with them.


Also I keep coming across a sort of
(I can only describe as) green netting buried underground which comes
apart easily when I try to pull it up. Is this connected to turf or
something? Am I undoing the work of a gardening genius or a lazy arsed
individual who couldn't be bothered to throw the rocks etc away?

netting is sometimes used to hold down straw
used to mulch an area after seeding in the grass
or other ground cover plants. if it falls apart
then leave it alone and it will be gone
eventually.

enough rocks or bricks can always be useful,
we never get rid of those, a small retaining
wall or edge someplace. the snakes always like
having a nice pile of rocks warmed by the sun
to bask upon.


songbird

On 19/08/2013 20:36, Tone70 wrote:
I'm in the midst of totally overhauling my garden and whilst digging up
the top end of the garden I'm constantly coming across
bricks/rocks/stones/broken paving slabs of all shapes and sizes buried
deep in the ground which were put there by the previous tenant.
I'm a complete novice when it comes to the world of the green finger
but am improving and learning all the time. What I need to know is what
is the reason and fascination for having these pain in the arse objects
buried underground in the first place?

"Out of sight, out of mind". Quite often they are just thrown on the
surface, and over time become buried as dead plant material collects on
top of them and creates new soil as it rots down.

Is there a mystical garden
enhancing reason why they're there? Also I keep coming across a sort of
(I can only describe as) green netting buried underground which comes
apart easily when I try to pull it up. Is this connected to turf or
something?

Probably put down to keep birds from eating grass seed. Once the seed
was up it should have been removed, but obviously wasn't. But you are
not alone - I've just had some turf removed as a preliminary to creating
some new borders. Quite a few pieces of the removed turf had fruit-cage
netting embedded in it.

Am I undoing the work of a gardening genius or a lazy arsed
individual who couldn't be bothered to throw the rocks etc away?

I think the latter, although lazy is probably the wrong word - it should
be "stupid". A few months ago I dug out a kerbstone half a metre down
in a raised patio whilst digging a hole for a small tree. Someone had
to lift this 35kg+ piece of stone up on top of the patio, then dig a
large hole to put it in (along with several bricks, etc). Why? It
would have been easier and less trouble to dump it in the hardcore skip
at the local amenity tip. unless, of course, they had a JCB to help
them do it...

--

Jeff

Tone70 wrote:
I'm in the midst of totally overhauling my garden and whilst digging
up the top end of the garden I'm constantly coming across
bricks/rocks/stones/broken paving slabs of all shapes and sizes buried
deep in the ground which were put there by the previous tenant.
I'm a complete novice when it comes to the world of the green finger
but am improving and learning all the time. What I need to know is
what is the reason and fascination for having these pain in the arse
objects buried underground in the first place? Is there a mystical
garden enhancing reason why they're there? Also I keep coming across
a sort of (I can only describe as) green netting buried underground
which comes apart easily when I try to pull it up. Is this connected
to turf or something? Am I undoing the work of a gardening genius or
a lazy arsed individual who couldn't be bothered to throw the rocks
etc away?

It is pure laziness. Usually rubble comes from the builder who calls
papering over the mess that he doesn't want to take to the tip as
landscaping. It is common to bring in topsoil and/or turf and just lay them
over any building rubbish.

What is the netting made of and how big is the mesh?

David

On 8/19/13 12:36 PM, Tone70 wrote:
I'm in the midst of totally overhauling my garden and whilst digging up
the top end of the garden I'm constantly coming across
bricks/rocks/stones/broken paving slabs of all shapes and sizes buried
deep in the ground which were put there by the previous tenant.
I'm a complete novice when it comes to the world of the green finger
but am improving and learning all the time. What I need to know is what
is the reason and fascination for having these pain in the arse objects
buried underground in the first place? Is there a mystical garden
enhancing reason why they're there? Also I keep coming across a sort of
(I can only describe as) green netting buried underground which comes
apart easily when I try to pull it up. Is this connected to turf or
something? Am I undoing the work of a gardening genius or a lazy arsed
individual who couldn't be bothered to throw the rocks etc away?

Yes, the rubble is there only because either the builder or a prior
resident did not want to pay to have it hauled away and properly
disposed. If there is a large amount, I would indeed remove it since it
will interfere with roots of trees and shrubs. If there is only a
moderate amount, leave it; the roots will grow around it.

The netting is probably the result of a grass lawn installed as sod
rather than seed. Sod is farmed on shallow soil about 2-3 inches --
5-7.5 cm -- deep in which plastic netting is laid at half that depth.
When the grass roots penetrate through the netting to the hardpan below
the soil, the sod is cut in long strips. It is then rolled up with the
grass inside and the roots outside for transportation and installation.
Installation requires preparing the existing soil and then unrolling
the sod. Poorly installed or poorly maintained sod lawns often show
bare patches with the netting quite visible.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary