[mumofstig]

The soil in my garden is dark (a good thing?) acidic (not so good) it's not clay but has very little organic matter in it. Very few worms. Crops were small last year although nothing actually refused to grow

Anything to add to it must be bought in and delivered as have no car, then barrowed along long footpath (no road in front of house)so can't have bulk containers.
Now, what shall i add Bags of manure (problem with weedkiller?) bags of peat (green issues) multipurpose compost, mushroom compost or other.Of course money is tight, that's why i want to get it right first time.

I know to add lime to help with the acidity and the small amount of homemade compost i have will help a little but it's a puzzle what to do for the best.

What would you do

[penance]

Spent mushroom compost is good as its quite bulky.
Id, get as much compost or mushy compost as i can and dig it in.

Also try green manures near the autumn.

[woodburner]

I think compost is acidic too but I don't know of any non-acidic way of adding humus. If it needs it go for it and add lime later or grow cranberries and bilberries or blueberries.

I have always been under the general impression that dark soil is a sign of organic content though.

[mumofstig]

Woodburner wrote

have always been under the general impression that dark soil is a sign of organic content though.

I think in the past a lot of soot has been dug into the soil, it stains your feet if you garden in sandals :shock:

[woodburner]

ahh I should have thought of that.  I knew a chap that does that. To help the soil warm up faster for his early crops IIRC.

[richyrich7]

What did you use as fertilizer last year ?

I'd be tempted to get your hands on as much organic matter as you can, search about try freecycle you may get horse muck for free.
Try growing green manures as they do help, and are light to transport in and cheapish to buy. Give it all a good digging over to help get air in to the soil, try spuds they will help break it up.
I wouldn't worry too much about the pH at this stage just lime where you want brassicas etc.
Perhaps consider raised beds, not with wood just defined beds dug over this will raise them over time and not harbor pests as wood ones do.

I think all you can do is preserver, you will improve the soil but it takes time no quick fixes I'm afraid.

I'm on my 3rd year on the plots I have now and are only just starting to see an improvment in the soil it's very impoverished but I can't justify spending £'s on bought in manure when there's more important things to pay for.  

[mumofstig]

Thanks Richy, I used Rooster booster chicken manure (not pellets) and  organic fertilizer granules (from Wilko) half way through to try and cheer everything up

Would you still chance brought in farm/stable manure after the problems last year?

[richyrich7]

Thanks Richy, I used Rooster booster chicken manure (not pellets) and  organic fertilizer granules (from Wilko) half way through to try and cheer everything up

Would you still chance brought in farm/stable manure after the problems last year?

Ok to "cheer things up" then you really have got to go down the growmore miracle grow route that will do mid season for a fast fix, what you have put down is more like the slow release method. Best done a week or so before you plant, then an application hoe'd gently in once a month.

Personally because your doing it at home ? then you've probably got no where to store manure if it is no good, so I'd give it a miss this year. Stick with the poultry manure and things like blood fish and bone. Grow some quick growing green manure like mustard on any empty beds, I'd not worry about the crop rotation thing with a quick crop of green manure, but it does need to be dug in at least a fortnight before planting.

Hope this helps  

[Greengirl]

Mushroom compost would add some lime to help reduce  the acidity - they add it before growing the crop I believe.

[Aidy]

Mushroom compost would add some lime to help reduce  the acidity - they add it before growing the crop I believe.

True, mushroom compost is very alkaline, therefore useless if your growing spuds but good for the brassicas as RR7 mentioned, also as RR7 mentioned I would go the raised bed way.

[mumofstig]

Thanks for the help all...........sometimes there are just too many choices  :? and a bit of guidance goes a long way  

[Bombers]

I think longer term you might be better off making your own compost 'on site'. I've got the same problem shifting a volume of material along our very long lane and down the side of our house to the garden. I don't need much more than a couple of 'Daleks' full for my little garden. I've just turned one over, and I recon there's about 150 litres of the stuff!

[mumofstig]

I did fill my dalek up by october but as i add my kitchen scraps each day i can see that its rotted down to only about a quarter full, so that won't go far.

Will get there eventually though !!

[Salmo]

Tell us a little more about your soil please Mumoofstig. A little more information might stop us guessing and be able to give some really focused advice.
If you rub it between your fingers does it feel quite sandy or is it smooth? Or what does it feel like?
When it is damp and you squeeze it does it stay in a ball or is it easily broken apart?
If you dig down what is underneath the topsoil.
Is it like soil in other gardens/park flowerbeds near to you?
Is it an old garden and how much do you know about soot or ashes that might have been added?

[mumofstig]

Salmo said

Tell us a little more about your soil please

It feels quite gritty and when wet it holds together but touch it and it falls apart not sticking together like clay does. It is blacker than next door's which i am assuming is from soot as it's a victorian railway house. The fields locally are brown soil and as i say the black does stain your skin.

The subsoil is yellow clay which was only found when my son dug a hole to put a linepost in....it's at least 2'6" down.I presume the depth of top soil means that it was well cultivated at some time in the past.
 
The garden had overgrown conifer trees along 2 sides which have now been cut out. Last year was the first time the garden has had any sunlight for at least 10 years an elderly neighbour told me. It only had very poor and mossy grass growing before i stripped half of the grass off and dug it for my veg beds.
Hope this gives a clearer picture of what i have to work with