I would like to make a few raised bed around the house and was thinking about the fish pond we just drained and all the black mud on the bottom. I figure it has to be made up of years of decayed organic matter and fish manure. Could I use this as a soil for beds? Any thoughts on this idea? Any type of quality soil is hard to come by and the locals look at me like I'm the village idiot when I'm making compost piles that amending the soil. I think most have given up on the idea of growing anything but rice.

Hi marke,

Think this is one for the horto guys.

The dams i've cleaned out in the past were just slop,turning to concrete then back to slop when soaked.

I'm thinking the same, i have a couple of ponds with filters, flush them once a month, thinking of building some kind off sump to catch all the fish poo and use it as fertiliser. At the moment just flushing fish shit around the garden and onto the mango trees. Have to say though better trees and more mangoes than anyone around our end.

Perhaps a good idea to check the pH level of the mud before using it as is. The last thing you need in Isaan is to add to the soil acidity. Many fish ponds are limed before refilling to increase the pH level. Because it has been under water, the organic matter will not have had much oxygen so will have putrefied more than decomposed. I would suggest mixing some into a compost heap and letting it sit for a while to get the bugs back into it.