How would you fill this large hole I dug out?

Nothing grew there for years so I dug all the soil out, removed roots from nearby trees and plants, and gave it away. Now, I have a big hole for a veggie bed and access to a lot of free manure and leaves. What would you do with this space?

I think that the problem is the solution to your other pond problem.
Aka turn the hole into a pond 😁

if you dont make a little pond and you have access to lots of organic matter you answered your own question, fill it up , and maybe add some fungi like many folks here say wine caps work great for breaking down leaves and wood chips and stuff to make new soil.
wonder why nothing grew in previous soil?

Sounds to me like that space would be a good compost pile. A compost pile will also help fill in the hole eventually.

Hi Tim,
Realistically, my suggestion would be to fill it with manure and put 4 or 5 inches of leaves on top and let it sit for a year or so to "digest".

Depending on where you are, and what the orientation is, this looks like a great start for a "hot" cold frame. Historically in some parts of the world, they would dig down 12-24 inches I believe. Fill it about half way with fresh manure. Fresh being important. Then cover it over with dirt. As the manure composted, it would heat up. They would cover this over with a traditional cold frame of some sort. If timed right, they could start things in that cold frame due to the root warmth and cold frame far earlier than they would otherwise be able to.

It looks pretty shaded. Does it get enough hours of sunlight for vegetables?

This would be a good candidate for a double dig -- mixing the subsoil with a ton of rough organic matter. You've already done half the work.

Matt McSpadden wrote:Depending on where you are, and what the orientation is, this looks like a great start for a "hot" cold frame. Historically in some parts of the world, they would dig down 12-24 inches I believe. Fill it about half way with fresh manure. Fresh being important. Then cover it over with dirt. As the manure composted, it would heat up. They would cover this over with a traditional cold frame of some sort. If timed right, they could start things in that cold frame due to the root warmth and cold frame far earlier than they would otherwise be able to.

Yes! My grandfather did this. It works.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:It looks pretty shaded. Does it get enough hours of sunlight for vegetables?

This would be a good candidate for a double dig -- mixing the subsoil with a ton of rough organic matter. You've already done half the work.

It gets too much sunlight: afternoon Mediterranean climate sun is scorching. Here, about four hours of morning sun is enough.

I wonder about those tree roots. Sure, you can cut them back; but I find they come back with double vigour. Disturbed soil equals opportunity. Unless you have a hard barrier, they will suck all the life out of your new bed. My 2c.

Douglas Alpenstock wrote:I wonder about those tree roots. Sure, you can cut them back; but I find they come back with double vigour. Disturbed soil equals opportunity. Unless you have a hard barrier, they will suck all the life out of your new bed. My 2c.

I wouldn’t be surprised. Nothing was ever able to grow there so this won’t be a loss anyway. Maybe I’d need to keep cutting the roots back every year?