[Ian_A]

Last autumn I manured the area that will be the brassica bed for this year - not a lot of manure it has to be said ie) not total, thick coverage.

If I am to add lime to this bed, when should I do it? (the soil is not acidic): soon to let it work in or prior to planting out the brassicas?  Or is it better to add compost and/or more manure. Obviously if I put more manure in soon, I wouldn't add lime because of the reaction.

[DD.]

I throw a handfull of lime into each hole as I plant the brassicas. Helps a lot with the club root.

[Muddylou]

I throw a handfull of lime into each hole as I plant the brassicas. Helps a lot with the club root.

I do this now after reading you describe the method a couple of years ago, works fine (cheers). Also, this way your not putting lime over the whole area.

[Christine]

I'm told that the technical explanation for adding lime is to make the soil neutral because brassicas like a soil that is around 6.5 pH.

When to add lime? Up here they do it about four weeks before they plant brassicas and three months after they have added the manure.

We're on clay and it works for me that way.