[kennethc]

Hi all

I dug my plot over last October, it then got flooded and is now rock hard and parts are like small concrete clumps.  I've managed to get to grips with the section I had potatoes in last season but the rest, as I said above, is like concrete clumps.

I'm in Kent and the soil is heavy clay.  Is there anything I can do now to get the plot ready for planting this spring.  I don't really want to go down the road of raised beds and I'm just one man with a spade & fork!!!

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Many thanks.

Kenneth

[dumplings]

hi kenneth,
i had a similar situation a few years ago, I am afraid it was a matter of digging in very large quantities of manure, and using a few raised beds to get things going quickly, and for those crops that need a good soil like carrots.
the other thing i did was to grow veg like cabbages in a small circle of compost, once the roots got down they liked the clay. other people also used an organic product that breaks down clay, a bit, I am afraid I do not remember the name, but it came in a bag like compost.
a pick axe was also quite useful

[al78]

If possible, try to break up the clumps into smaller clumps with your fork. I have found that smashing a fork down on them is pretty effective in shattering the big clods.

Are you intending to sow seeds direct on the plot? If so, break up the clods as much as possible then make a shallow groove in the soil where you intend to sow, fill with compost and sow into the compost.

If you are intending to plant out established plants then you can focus on breaking up the soil in the area where you intend to put individual plants.

Unfortunately there is no easy option. You could try hiring a rotavator, I have never used one before but I understand that they can also be hard work, so again, not necessarily an effortless option.

[mumofstig]

A mattock or Azada is easier to use on very hard soil - sometimes it's easier if you water a patch at a time, or wait till we get a little rain, before digging.

[sunshineband]

I agree with dumplings. My plot was heavy clay mixed with flints and alluvial gravel plates --yuck!

Breaking up the lumps as much as you can, especially when it has rained or the day after you have soaked it a bit, and digging in as much organic matter as you can get your hands on --home made compost, rotted manure, mushroom compost, old bags of compost or green manures -- to improve the structure, is key.

Making sure you have clearly defined paths even if you are not going to have raised beds, and avoiding treading on the soil is helpful, as then you are not undoing all your good work.

I cover any empty beds with black plastic weighted down with bricks and planks in the winter, and this saves them getting waterlogged (unless the site floods of course like this year) and they are good to go come the Spring.

On the plus side, clay soils tend to be very fertile 

[gobs]

As per above. There is no quick fix. Bar a rotavator. The soil breaker product is not worth it, in my opinion.

You can use planks of wood to work from instead of treading on the soil.

You need to wait for a time when it's optimal to work the soil. Now as you describe it, the coming showers will give a chance to break it more easily.

Everything will grow in it, do not worry!

For roots chose short ones, carrot Ingot is good for clay growing and cover the seeds with compost.

[BabbyAnn]

I dug my plot over last October, it then got flooded and is now rock hard and parts are like small concrete clumps.

I know you said no to raised beds but if flooding is a regular issue, it may be worth considering.  You don't need to have wooden surrounds but simply pile the earth up so that it is a few inches higher than the footpaths.  As already mentioned, lots and lots of compost, manure etc dug in will greatly improve the soil structure, but you will have to do this every year.  My plot is at the bottom of the hill and prone to waterlogging rather than flooding, and the saturation levels rot down the materials very quickly and soil goes back to heavy clay.  The "raised" beds help to drain it quicker so water doesn't compact it so much.  I also added lots of sharp sand (not fine sand) and this does help.  In autumn I also make trenches in beds and fill with autumn leaves - come spring, the soil is loose and easy to turn over.

[Rampant_Weasel]

Hi all

I dug my plot over last October, it then got flooded and is now rock hard and parts are like small concrete clumps.  I've managed to get to grips with the section I had potatoes in last season but the rest, as I said above, is like concrete clumps.

I'm in Kent and the soil is heavy clay.  Is there anything I can do now to get the plot ready for planting this spring.  I don't really want to go down the road of raised beds and I'm just one man with a spade & fork!!!

Any advice is greatly appreciated.



Many thanks.

Kenneth

cover it with a good thick layer of well rotted manure and leave it for a month ,it will soften underneath in time, ive had the same problem, it will soften just enough to work it.i presume its in the spade bouncing off state?

[kennethc]

Many thanks to all who replied, your responses have both enlightened me and given me food for thought.  Moreover, they have inspired me to keep going. 

Once again, many thanks, Kenneth.

[Hampshire Hog]

You could also try watering a particular section of bed before you attack it . Let it have some time to soak in  and it will soften to a degree of course if you get rain that will be the easy way. No good for now but for next season perhaps keep an eye on the soil condition and turn it over again incorporating compost etc before the weather turns dry and hardens the clay. Hopefully you won't be flooded again!

Good luck 

HH

[Headgardener22]

Following up what BabyAnn said, when I got my allotment 4-5 years ago, I had to use a pick-axe to dig it throught however, after the first year, I defined my allotment with permanent paths and beds (which are gradually raising themselves). It means you don't ever need to dig the paths (which reduces the amount needed to dig) and as you put compost onto the beds, they gradually raise up and improve.

Last year I put weed suppressant fabric on the paths because I was spending time cutting the grass on the paths. This has significantly reduced the amount of work. But like everybody else, it takes time and effort.

[BigPaddy]

I find that digging for winter and adding lime for flocculation - making the particles combine, works well. The frost breaks up the lumps.

In spring I add the compost or well rotted manure. Keeping the ground covered either with mulch or with plant leaves helps keep it workable. Spuds are a good crop for getting the ground working. It takes time, but you will notice results in a couple of years. That sounds like a long time, but it is just a couple of seasons.

Keep at it.

Paddy

[Goosegirl]

I find that digging for winter and adding lime for flocculation - making the particles combine, works well. The frost breaks up the lumps.

In spring I add the compost or well rotted manure. Keeping the ground covered either with mulch or with plant leaves helps keep it workable. Spuds are a good crop for getting the ground working. It takes time, but you will notice results in a couple of years. That sounds like a long time, but it is just a couple of seasons.

Keep at it.

Paddy

The product Dumpling was trying to remember is called Gypsum. There is a commercial one called Clay Breaker but I suspect it is the same thing but more expensive. Liming will help but, as mushroom compost usually contains lime as well as manure/straw, try and get some of this - two for the price of one! 

[Salmo]

There is no quick fix. Normally clay soils dug and left over the Winter break down to a fine tilth as they begin to dry in the Spring. Even then you have to treat them carefully, choosing the right time for cultivation. One false step and big hard lumps are the result.

What you need is advice on your current situation where waterlogging has ruined everything.

Your best friend is the weather. Your lumps will crack next time it rains. When this happens hit them to break them up and avoid bringing more lumps to the surface. Then the smaller lumps will dry and crack further when it rains again. Work with the soil and weather, no point in fighting it. Rotovating will probably just bring up more lumps.

Sowing small seeds will be difficult so you will probably need to raise plants and plant them out. Some crops eg carrots may just have to be missed out this time.

[azubah]

Mine was like that when I first got it. It was like digging up concrete. Loads of manure helped a lot. Now there are plenty of worms. There were almost none when I started.