[colonel mustard]

hello everyone,

I am new to the forum. My daughter has moved and has a garden the size of an allotment plot. She has asked her dad to 'do something with it'. So there is a lot of enthusiasm but not much experience. I have turned over some of the soil after hacking down knee length grass and found it to heavy and clay based. How do I turn this into something easier to work with.

cheers

[Springlands]

Hi Colonel Mustard - welcome to the site. You might find the attached link about clearing a new plot useful. Really it all comes down to hard work - I am just working on a new veggie plot in my own garden and it has been a slow process. Best advice is a bit at a time - do not rush or you just get tired and fed up. Try to get one area cleared and plant something that will grow quickly - say salad crops or french beans just so that you have something for this year and then work get the rest of the plot in really good condition for the start of the growing season next year. Good gardening 

http://www.allotment-garden.org/articles/Clearing_a_New_Allotment.php

[Thephoenix572]

Welcome to the fun factory lots of advice here for all your allotment needs

[Pol]

Hi welcome to the site

[Paul Plots]

Welcome to the forum.

Sounds like "Super-Dad" to the rescue. 

Take it easy and mind your back... a little at a time gets you there PDQ. 

[Yorkie]

Welcome to the site 

I'm going to move this question over to Grow Your Own for more people to see it.  I've also taken the liberty of expanding the thread title so people can tell what it's about from the board index.

As far as I'm aware, the answer to improving soil structure is always to add organic matter: well rotted manure, compost, leaf mould etc.  Adding lime can also help on clay soils but I wouldn't bung any in until you knew a) what the current pH (acidity etc) of the soil is, and b) what is going to be grown there first.

[potatogrower]

Hi there, welcome

Had clay soil and to be honest the best thing to do is just roughly break up the soil with a fork, remove any weeds you can find and get some sharp sand and cheap compost, spread the sand/compost all over the soil and hire a petrol rotivator and break the soil that way. its less heart ache and will take less time. all you need to do is hold the rotivator nice and strong and let it dig its way down. they have a clutch so should it hit very hard soil and stops turning then just get it out of the way and break it with a fork.

really work the soil with the rotivator and it should break up

PG

[Kajazy]

From what I understand (I also have inherited a plot with heavy clay on it) the following are tools/methods you can use to improve the soil structure:

Dig deep (double dig if possible)
Dig in lots of organic matter (manure/compost/leafmold etc)
Mix in sharp sand to improve drainage.

Liming, if particularly acidic (and clay soils tend to be), will help the soil form nice little crumbs.

If you're sowing a green manure, one of the ryes (grazing rye, maybe? but check that) has a root system that helps break up the soil

Try not to walk on the soil too much, or it will compact and drive out all the air

There is a product available called 'Claybreaker' - but I think it's expensive, probably not suitable for a large area, and I'm not even sure what's in it!!

If drainage is particularly poor, or you really find the soil isn't working for you, you could consider building raised beds.

But at least clay soils have lots of nutrients in them!!

Good luck....