[Salmo]

These are just my thoughts and they may not be right.

The yellow clay will have very few nutrients and will probably neither let water up or down.Some plants like to grow deeper than this.

The topsoil may have been introduced or improved with large amounts of sand. The dark may be soot or it could be organic matter broken down into fine particles. Both will stain.

This soil will always be hungry and to grow vegetables you will need to feed and water it little and often. Liquid feeds or slow release fertilisers, organic or chemical. Miracle Grow comes to mind. Mulches will help.

Follow others advice on organic matter. Grow green manure. I like phacelia as it is easy to manage and grows rapidly wherever there is a gap. Bees like its blue flowers. Chop it up with a spade or strimmer and work it in.

If you lime follow advised dose rates for light soils. Be careful not to overdo it. (click information and search lime for dose rates)

[mumofstig]

Thanks for help..have to look out for green manure seeds

[Kagganz]

Hiya mumofstig,

How have you gone on with your soil?

I've decided now to container grow in my back garden and grow veggies in the ground in my front garden.


I've measured it properly and its 18 ft x 16 ft
I've been here 17 years and have NEVER fed it, I've only had bushes and dwarf conifers and bulbs growing in it (soon to be moved)

Soooooo what did you decide to use to improve your soil, and have you decided what  you growing there.

xx

[mumofstig]

I bought a soil test kit which said the soil was quite acid so i'm liming it as i dig.

By the time i added all the old potting compost from my pots and growbags to 2 of my beds, they seemed a lot better.I now have worms YAY Will  use blood fish and bone there this year and see how i go. The third bed will benefit from 2 x 100l bags of potting compost i bought cheap.Probably last year's stock but it's only to improve consistency of soil. Will use the B F & Bone here as well.
As i've got 20 huge pots to use this year by the time the used compost goes on the beds at the end of the year i think they will be fine. Also will have another Dalekful of home made compost to useby then
Luckily the soil under the turf in the newly dug bed seems good... already full of worms have dug a trench for kitchen wastes and B F & B here as well.This new bed will have runner beans and peas in it.
The other beds have bed 1 )potatoes, then mustard greens...some to eat some to dig in 2)brassicas and 3) everything else i can cram in
Bit long but ...you wanted to know. Hope it helps in some way

[Kagganz]

Helps tons!

Thanks Hun xxx

[penance]

Not liming the spud bed tho, i hope?

[mumofstig]

No i'm not didn't make it very clear did i Oops

[penance]

Just checking

[Coltar223]

If I had any type of soil I would invest in a professional soil test. I do not meen the easy N,P,K test you but at the local garden center.

Don't know what the cost is in the UK for these tests (been gone way too long) but as a long term investment I am confident it is worth it.

I have owned my present property for five years now and each year I spend $50 (25 quid) on a test. I get a five page analysis with recommendations, well worth the cost. Also, interesting to see over the five years how much I really have improved the soil. I am in a clay area.

[FCG]

Is it possible to rake up leaves locally and make a leaf mould bin on site? The organic material from this would be very useful to you.

[Kagganz]

I do have a beech tree in the corner (quite a big one) and I dont sweep up after the leaves fall, so could it have been giving some feed to it then?........without me knowing

  :happy: hopes the answers is  YES !!!

xx

[mumofstig]

Yes and no the leaves will have fed the soil but the tree will have empoverished the soil. That is why the soil was so bad in parts of my garden..a big tree at the back and my 3veg beds are in the middle. The newly dug one is nearest the house (so farthest from the house) and that soil was ok.

So you may have the same probs as me.
Hopefully your soil will be ok tho .....good luck

[penance]

Really dont need 5 pages of reports to help with home growing