We had the same thing in our yard. We excavated as much as we could and then gave up and built a patio over the site. Luckily, the stuff was confined to just one part of the yard. Is this stuff all over your entire property?

I am SO glad to hear from you!!!! Thank goodness someone out there understands! My yard is not very large and the ashes and charcoal are almost everywhere. There's one very small (but sunny!) spot where I haven't found it. I really wanted to make a cottage garden, but now I don't what to do. I'm so disappointed. Did people just use their yards as dumping grounds back then? My neighbor offered to let me use her pick ax. Were you able to break through it all? How deep was it?

Pam

Most plants (not trees or large shrubs) will do pretty well with 12-15 inches of decent soil. Drainage may be the big issue. Water stays in the hole, but does the soil as a whole stay really wet for a long time? Does it get really dry in a drought?

Depending on the answer you may want damp ground plants, or plants that can tolerate big swings. Aeration of the soil is a big issue - if the soil is well-aerated, the roots won't be so likely to rot. So work in organic matter, lay more on top and don't tread on it.

I have "swing" ground in places. Some plants that do well for me in these conditions are hosta, liatris spicata, daylilies, japanese anemones, coneflower, sedum and hellebore and siberian iris. They can also tolerate some to alot of shade. Some spring ephemerals like Virginia bluebells and mayapple also do well. Maybe spicebush.

Cottage garden plants are pretty tough - English cottage garden plants may not be tough here, but they are tough there. You have to pick plants that are tough here.

There was an issue of Fine Gardening magazine some years back where a landscape designer dealt with her niece's new NJ house - developer spread a teeny bit of topsoil on impermeable grading clay - sounds similar to your problem. One thing the designer did was look along roadsides for really tough plants that flourished there.

Look for cheap plants at HD and Lowes, start some seeds. Help some friends in their garden and get some divisions and advice. Fool around. Experiment. See what survives. I've gardened where I couldn't dig four inches without hitting interlocking rocks stuck together in the clay. Still got a pretty decent garden even after I gave up on deep digging.

Lisa

you could build a raised bed and plant in that...

I 2nd the raised bed idea. Since you are just starting out, this is the time to do it. If you don't want to go to the trouble birdgardener has given you a good list of starter plants. But if you're there for the longterm raised beds will give many more plant options. Options become very important the longer you garden in one place. You won't be happy as you discover how many wonderful plants you can't grow unless you dig out your existing garden and start over.

Interestingly we ran into this at a state historic site this spring, putting in roses. About 10" down we hit coal clinkers and it was like paving. We broke it up with a pickax, filled in with a lot of compost and the roses are doing fine. But we did do a soil test since coal ashes tend to be acid. It came back about 6.5 - we had limed a year ago which probably accounts for the results.

I don't have ashes and charcoal - but I do have huge hunks of cement and bricks in areas of my yard - it's called fill - and I could kill the jack#** who put it there. We can't even get an auger through it.

Thanks so much everyone! This has been so helpful. I really like the idea of making a raised bed. That way, I can experiment with planting in the ash-charcoal soil, but I won't get discouraged if things don't work out. Excellent advice, what a great forum!

Pam

So that's what that grey stuff is. I was wondering...I haven't had too much of a problem with it but mine isn't everywhere. One area where we had some was built up a bit when we dumped our leaves there and we also dumped a mushroom compost delivary there one year. The plants do very well in this spot actually. I don't think ours is as hardpan as you describe though. I'll have to pay attention now.

My neighbor, who has lived here in the 'hood for about 50 years and has tons of gorgeous rose bushes swears that the ash/charcoal stuff is good for plants. She says to use a pick-ax and cut out a large plant "container" in the ash/charcoal and fill the bottom of it with manure for drainage and decomposition and then garden soil.
I'm going to give it a try, I'm so curious now!

I spent several years unearthing by hand LARGE quantities (I mean many tons) of asphalt, cement rubble, old sidewalk blocks, usable bricks, as well as sifting out a couple hundred pounds of glass rubble and old bottles from a couple of areas. I once rented a jackhammer to break up concrete slabs. A sledgehammer was my constant companion. Part of the back has a 6-8" layer of coal ash. I filled the builder's dumpster and put small quantities out for trash pickup for several years. After clearing brush, vines, and trees, and repeatedly covering heavily with woodchips in some areas, I have excellent soil overall. A very few spots still have soil problems and need extra iron to alleviate chlorosis. The bricks edge beds adjacent to lawns and a scattered pile of rocks of all sizes is now retaining walls, and edges.

Do you live near Princeton by any chance? (just kidding). You should get a prize for your determination. So many people would have thrown in the towel on that project. I bet your neighbors were impressed. Sounds like your garden has made all your hard work worthwhile. Thanks for the inspiration and the chuckle.

Pam

Actually I'm in Western Burlington County.

And what County was buried beneath your yard?

Best of luck, you deserve the nicest garden in Jersey after all that!

Pam

I had a similar experience with our 1880s house in an urban/suburban Boston location. In one area of the small backyard there were old (REALLY old) glass bottles and rusted iron pieces everywhere, about a foot below ground. I gathered the inhabitants had simply dumped their trash back there. I also found large deposits of broken slate roofing tiles, some covering several square feet and a foot or more in depth. It was a mess.

I chipped away at it, a little at a time, all by hand. Over the years I got most of it under control.

I did find one minor treasure--an intricately carved brass or bronze implement for stamping sealing wax. It has cherubs, vines, the works. Unfortunately most of the old glass was broken.

Good luck!

The raised beds came to my mind right away, too, but you want to be sure they will drain well enough for the plants you choose. Soil test is a good idea ... a pH test at the very least.

If you want to choose plants that will do well in a site that swings from very wet to very dry, try looking up plants that work well in a rain garden - that's exactly what they're chosen for. If you need help finding a list, let me know and I'll find one for you and post a link.

I agree with the other posters who've commended you for your determination ... don't give up - your garden will be all the more satisfying for the obstacles you will have overcome. (Maybe I'm just contrary, but I get a good chuckle sometimes while tending my perennials, roses, flowering shrubs and vegetable/herb garden and think of a former neighbor who laughed at me, saying I'd never even get grass to grow on this site.) Good luck ... may you, too, savor sweet victory!

Diane

Steve_NJ HAS one of the nicest gardens in NJ. If you have a chance to go to one of his plant swaps, jump on it.

WW