Hi peeps. I need to fill this trampoline pit and was wondering if adding a mix of cardboard, vegetation (cut grass, hedge trimmings, etc) and soil would work or if it's a silly idea. I'll need far too much soil to fill it with just that and it'd be difficult to get it to the pit as I'd have to lug it up some narrow steps. Thanks in advance for any advice
by 6-Elle
45 Comments
Make it a pond, I mean it’s already dug
Put some benches around the edges and a fire pit in the middle 🙂
It’s not the best idea as it will take years to rot and it will be constantly getting lower requiring it to be topped up again and again (destroying any grass you’ve grown). I don’t think there’s any option other than partly filling with hard core then topping off with 6 inches of soil. I’m not expert though, just giving my humble opinion!
I agree it’d be a great pond. However.
>was wondering if adding a mix of cardboard, vegetation (cut grass, hedge trimmings, etc) and soil would work
It will, but aside from soil all this stuff breaks down slowly so it’ll take multiple years of adding stuff before it stays level. It’ll be great soil, if you do.
it would be good use as a killing pit. Get the kids to fight each other to death and the winner gets all the inheritance.
Buy another trampoline? Sorry, if you don’t want a pond, then filling it with top soil is the other option. I’d pay someone if you dont want to diy it, its not a skilled job, just want someone that can lift a wheelbarrow.
Befriend a builder they will happily dump a load of bricks in there for you.
Swimming pool?
Some ideas: recommission a trampoline!, pave the bottom and make a BBQ area, deck it over with decking boards, fill it – you can often find garden soil for free on sites like gumtree, plant tall glasses in the bottom, make a pond, plank it over and put a shed or storage box on top, fill with concrete (pumped in by a co.)
another trampoline, a pond, a fire pit with steps down, a seating area, a sand pit or ball pit, a doggy play area, an anderson shelter.
Got any enemies that you want to go away?…
films ahve told me that about 6 bodies will fit that space.
I wouldn’t use any vegetation, wood or cardboard to fill it. It‘ll just break down and keep sinking. *source, my garden has several “pits” filled with broken up logs and branches.
A sunken garden area? Couple of steps down into it and you could play with planters or pots around the edge to change the ‘height’ of the sunken area when you’re in it. Bistro table and chair and it could be quite a nice hiding spot!
Or fill it with jelly.
Ok if you will have a kid – any chance of making it into a cute play area? Obviously you’d need to work out safe access – railway sleepers might work as steps with a handrail on one or two sides. and you could maybe remove the boards and rails for the other sides and make a gradient (uses less soil). Add a mini-climbing wall to a third side, with a small slide to go back down. Put some easy plants around edges, add a covered sandpit or a little mud pit, some digger toys, shade sail if needed, mini-playhouse… kids love confined spaces so might be quite cute? But – won’t hold it against you if you say access and safety don’t work for you!
Could you get someone to level it off a bit more at the bottom and drop in about an inch of gravel? Then I would use it for large potted plants. You could put plants on escalier shelving in each of the four corners, then it might look more intentional.
Ball pit or sand pit for the little one.
Take an inch or so off the top of rest of garden and fill it until all level? 🙂
I wouldn’t backfill with rubbish though – it’ll likely keep subsiding and you’ll need to top it up with more soil.
Layer it, so its not a big drop and fill it with things frogs and toads like
Or a pond but I saw your comment about children, maybe fence it off slightly?
Keep it as a seating area / fire pit. You can spend a lot of nights chilling with family having a little drinky poo
Dead prostitutes?
With the bodies
Fashion a giant decking lid and store all your garden stuff in it. Then later upu can turn into a pond if you still fancy it.
I would start with loads of cardboard down first, loads of branches leaves etc on top, then a good amount of compost, then the last few layers id put top soil down, you’d then have an amazing space for growing veg!
Look on Facebook marketplace for anyone giving away top soil, cut down trees, rubble and hardcore for free.
I would fill it as much as possible with big logs and then top up as necessary with vegetation and soil.
Big logs, they would effectively be water storage for whatever is planted there.
If its just going to be grass then hardcore and 6″ topsoil/sand then turf.
Vegetable garden? Fill it with good quality soil up to the top.
You could of course get a replacement for the trampoline springs etc
How big is it? Could you get a purchase spa in there? It would be safe for the little one as it has a cover & once you are the parent of two you’ll need somewhere to relax with your wine after a hard day with both of them…
Honestly if you have a toddler get a trampoline to fit in there. I would love to sink our kids trampoline into the ground but it’s too much work. If they’re a toddler now then they’ll love it and use it till they’re like 10!
Put a greenhouse on top…a common practice in Victorian times was to dig your greenhouse into the ground to achieve more stable year round conditions. Very good for more sensitive plants. You can cut stairs into the pit and make it safe.
Turn the hole into an asset
Become a gardener with plants…use this as your compost heap…only a few years to fill it then you have a fantastic soil for growing in.
Small steps down into the pit, with bedding around it. Leave a space in the middle big enough for a chair. Then you can sip Lemonade while feeding the baby surrounded by your favourite flowers
Filling it is going to be an expensive job, unless you manage to find lots of hardcore/rubble for free. Check Gumtree and Facebook marketplace.
Personally I’d get a wooden box frame made and just have decking put over the top. If you don’t plan on staying long term a new buyer might like the giant pit.
I filled in a trampoline pit about double this size about a year ago. It’s a lot of work!!
The main challenge along with finding a volume of stuff to fill it, is finding material that is “proper” but won’t sink too much. What I did that has mostly worked was:
* a bottom layer of hardcore/rock;
* gaps filled in with gravel/sand (depending on soil type)
* lots and lots and lots of soil.
* you can get “sub-soil” from some places, it’s much cheaper than topsoil and is just unfiltered soil so it has small rocks/gravel in it. I would use this for the bulk of the fill as it’s cheaper and will sink less, then fill the last 10cm or so with topsoil.
I would avoid vegetation etc. as it will either be too deep and not compost properly or will compost and then sink.
Surely a pond?! Lovely garden feature and great for wildlife
5 complete bodies with decent coverage. More if you chop them up and arrange them
Make it a fire pit, bench on one side, nice campfire on the other, roast some marshmallows 👌
I would maybe post this in r/Landscaping as they may have better suggestions as it’s more their speciality.
However, yeah the best bet to do it properly is to fill it with a proper ground medium.
Sometimes people do just giveaway topsoil on local community groups, but it’s likely you’d be responsible for its transportation.
Otherwise… My suggestion would be to leave / adapt it for kids to play in. You could make one hell of a Sandpit out of it (providing you find a cover to stop Cats poopin’). Or just a play pit.
Killing pit is for the inheritance is also not a bad shout
I’d turn it into a fire pit with seating personally
Sunken seating and firepit in the middle!
Wildlife pond
Facebook market place.
Look for free bricks, paving, rubble and soil.
Fill it in as the stuff becomes available.
Buy a bit of top soil to do the top layer.
Speak to a firm taking down trees and filling with chippings and branches then top soil. As the stuff composts down you’ll need to top up but at least you should get chippings etc for free