Sand under soil?

[SallyLovesCheese]

Hi, can anyone here help me? We have someone sorting our garden. We had concrete down the side of the lawn that was removed (quite deep) and wanted it filled in so we could plant things in it. He put down some pinkish hardcore stuff, then appears to have sand then soil on top. We weren't in yesterday so didn't see him do it but there's a section with no soul yet so we can see there's compacted sand. It doesn't appear to be too thick, but I've tried digging a little and it could be clay (?) underneath?

He's not here today but I wanted opinions before he comes back tomorrow so I know whether to ask him to rectify it and how, or if it's fine and just leave him to it.

I'm really frustrated as I know little about gardening but just assumed it would be hardcore then soil. I know you can mix sand in with the soil but I'm not sure if a layer of sand is okay?

*soil,I mean, but yeah, it has no soul yet either!

How deep is the layer of soil ? If the soil is very light then sand wouldn't be a lot of help. If it's clayey (you can test it by taking a bit in your hand and if it sticks together then it's clay ) If it is clay then the sand would be helpful because it would help with drainage. If it's not then it may be too light in which case you'll need good compost.

Ask the chap . it may need good compost anyway.

Thank you, the soil layer on top of the sand isn't terribly deep, perhaps an inch or so. It is fairly clay-y underneath the sand so perhaps that's why there's the sand. I'm guessing we mix it in with the soil (and compost?) when planting? Google is frustratingly unhelpful with this stuff!

Yes give it a good mix, you need worms really, to do the mixing properly (and save you a lot of time!!) : maybe buy some with a wormery compost maker. I don't know if they sell them on their own in the Garden Centres. You could add them to your own compost if you've got some.

Amazing, thank you! So much to learn...

It's fun though maybe you could buy some grass seeds to throw down while the ground is wet (not flooded though), you can then buy potted up shrubs , to move about until you like, and they like, the situation where you put them (they have boxes for different types of grasses) ,like shade lovers and strength of the quality.

I meant to come back and say thank you again! We had grass seed down, although it's been quite wet since. We'll see if anything grows.

I like the idea of moving potted plants around to see what works. I've put the borders on hold while we get the veg patch up and running.

It is fun! :D