Large soil clumps

Hi all,

Quick question from a newbie. What's the best way to deal with large clumps of dirt? The plot that I have is very clay soil (although it's been very well looked after for years). When preparing the plot for my first early potatoes I was using a fork to thin out the soil, but this resulted in a collection of large clumps of dry soil at the ends of each row. Some of these clumps are as hard as rocks. I don't really want to chuck them on the compost, so is it just a case of breaking them up. Also, I haven't yet invested in a proper soil rake (which is why I was using the fork). Would a proper rake be any help?

Thanks for your help

I let the clumps dry then give them a taste of a heavy stick. Same goes for grass clumps. Beat the soil out, then the rest onto the compost heap. Show no mercy...

I make sure my 'scoops' are not to thick and then after picking it up I throw it down

At the end of season I leave it be: the frost and rain will break down the rest of it, but when I want to plant or sow right away, I stab with my shovel and rake with a 3tooth rake loosely over the top to break it down to very little lumps. The clay needs to be moist to do this, otherwise you get stuck in the big lumps all the time or you're just moving them about.

Maybe I use the wrong term for what I use. Translating through the internet is not always the best choice
It is very efficient for crumbling the top layer and preparing for sowing. I I added a picture.

It's worth a try!