[richy]

Well ive just come back from the allotment,(heavy clay) i thought while i was up there i would rake all the leaves( i put about 10 inches on last year) off 1 of my beds to see what it was like underneth, well it was lovely and moist (not wet like the rest of the sodden plot) and crumbly and if i was going to i could have dug it over no problem, my spade went right in with no problem what soever, most of my plot has been covered with about 10 inches of compost and manuar with the idea of digging it all in this spring, maybe i will just turn the top in or should i dig it right in? What are your thoughts on this?




title edit for search purposes

[Benandbill]

I'm not exactly sure, I think the idea is possibly to tur it in.  I expect if you're planting it's better to plant into manure enriched soil that the worms have made good for you than straight into the rich stuff as it might be too strong for some seeds.  Truth is, I'm not sure but a lot of mine looks like it's still in big chunks so turning it in is going to be quite a task!   

[upert]

dig it all in. every winter i put tons of muck on my plot. never got chance to spread it about this year though. nor did i green manure anywhere. i have lovely soil but i go mad over winter with manure, compost and green manures as there's little else to do.

[Hamani]

Having distinct patches or layers of different mediums (topsoil, manure, etc ...) is bad for plants. They'll grow towards the richer material then produce thin, stretched roots which become dependant (and for longer term crops, like brassicas and spuds, it makes them vulnerable to drought and reliant on being fed).

As such its best to dig any manure, leafmould, green manure, etc ... into the soil.

You can't do this all at once, so I tend to do it as and when the plot isnt waterlogged over the winter. I start by just shoveling it on in the autum and gradually break it up by forking over for a few weeks. By Christmas I can start lightly digging it in when the weathers nice and by spring its been completly (and evenly) worked into the soil.

Hope this helps,

- Gary.

[richy]

Thanks for your replies, dig it in is what i will do then, the plan was to dig it in to start with.
Just thought that after seeing how good the soil looked underneath the leaf mould i would leave it, i think next year i will be trying to get more manuar to do the whole plot i just need to find a farmer to deliver it instead as my van is a bit smelly now

[Kirpi]

Interesting to read how others do this.

I hae seen much success doing the exact opposite. I literally dump compost materials - some fresh and some well rotted straight onto the beds oer winter and they are well rotted and dragged down by the worms by spring ready to plant.

Locally soil is on the sandy side so any amount of rotted vegetation is a welcome addition.

[Sparkyrog]

Thanks for your replies, dig it in is what i will do then, the plan was to dig it in to start with.
Just thought that after seeing how good the soil looked underneath the leaf mould i would leave it, i think next year i will be trying to get more manuar to do the whole plot i just need to find a farmer to deliver it instead as my van is a bit smelly now

I wouldnt do the whole plot it is like ly to cause your carrots and parsnips to fork possibly beetroot too

[Totty]

I have a large area of land to manure and ideally cover it with manure, leave a moth or so, let some rain and frost get at it then during a dryer spell I'll rotorvate it in nice and deep. Come spring it will have settled and needs just a good rake over. Not convinced at all by no dig.

Totty

[Rexmundi]

Hi, Newbie here!

I've recently moved to a house with large back garden which is a 'blank canvas'. Got a 40m2 area turned over with a mini excavator in December (quite heavy clay) and after that dumped around a ton of horse manure on the top. I tried using a fork on it a couple of weeks ago, but it was heavy going and a lot of soil was sticking to my wellies! As the weather improves and the soils dries and warms up, do you think the condition will improve? Thanks