[nicklord1]

Ok my soil is  very pebbley and rubbish. I intend to hoe it and rake it and sieve it a bit in the month of september-october then lay compost in. IS there anything else i should do  to make the soil more fertile so its  ready for march when i want to start planting   veg and  flowers.

Thankyou

[Trillium]

Yes. Add as much humus to the soil as possible: shredded leaves, old growbag contents, old straw (but never hay), etc. Add old manure that you're sure hasn't been in contact with the dreaded weedkiller mentioned in other threads, and add lots if you're sure its free of this chemical. Rotovate if possible (after sieving) and let it all rot for winter. By next spring you'll be in good starting shape. Repeat everything next fall.

[nicklord1]

how do u sieve ?

and what is rotovate

Thank you

[Rampant_Weasel]

http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/soil-sieve/

u sieve to make teh soil fine but most ppl are just wanting to get the stones out to grow straight carrots etc

rotavate means  to use a rotavator to make ur soil very fine.
rotavator is a mechanical digger sometimes called a rotary cultivator

http://www.merrytiller.co.uk/

[nicklord1]

whats the cheapest  rotatvator and it will work on a very pebbley soil.

[PinkTequila]

A spade

[peapod]

A spade

   

If there are any perennial weeds (bindweed,mares tail etc) , then they need to be all out before you rotavate or you could be making a bad situtation worse..Id also make sure that the soil isnt so stony that it could damage the rotavator that you hire/buy.  If you decide to rotavate, decide on a price you want to pay and post again :-)

Seiving the soil will take a long time, but its really the only way to go if its really bad..it will be worth it in the long run.  My neighbour got some top soil full of stones a few years back, he seived it this year and added manure compost etc...his crops look fabulous..hes delighted he took the time to do it. You can buy a seive in most of the big stores..b&q etc, but garden centres tend to be cheaper.

Paula