[Russell Atterbury]

I have in the last days been offered a half plot on my local garden field. The people who had it before used it more for recreation, and to most of the area had plastic grass laid down. This seems to me to be a blessing in that their is not a weed in sight, but a negative might be that the ground is quite hard. My intention was to try the no dig method as I should have access to enough cardboard for requirements. The allotment association use a local farmer regularly for deliveries of manure, and there is piped water for all plot holders (although watering from a hose is not allowed, only hefted from a plot barrel that can be refilled when wanted) So my question is: do you much more knowledgeable folks think my idea to try this way might stand a good chance of working. The soil doesn't seem like it's so heavy.

[Christine]

I'd be apt to fork it over to about a spade depth as I go before adding cardboard and manure on your first working. Doing the first small area will tell you if you have a compaction problem.

[mumofstig]

I'd be apt to fork it over to about a spade depth as I go before adding cardboard and manure on your first working.

I agree, if nothing else, just pushing the fork down and wiggling it a bit does really help with aeration, and allows water to get down into the lower levels. So you can give it a good soaking before the other layers go on the top. Good luck!

[Russell Atterbury]

Ok, so at least a bit of loosening up seems to be the order of the day. And a soaking before doing anything else. I am sure that I will need advice further down the line, but thanks for the above replies.

[Goosegirl]

I'd dig a couple of small holes or trenches and fill them with water to see how quickly it drains. Also, if you need to improve drainage and/ or aeration in your soil I'd get some coarse grit and dig it well down into the ground, along with whatever will help the soil to achieve more humus to encourage worms such as mushroom compost, well-rotted horse manure, grass clippings mixed in with shredded brown waste paper etc. 

[Blewit]

If there are no weeds Russell do you really need the cardboard to act as a barrier. So long as the surface is fairly level (no big lumps) you could simply spread your mulch over the surface. When mycorrhizal fungus increases within the soil it'll create glomalin (a type of glue) which causes the soil to form into clumps, rather like a slightly sticky aggregate, improving drainage and air channels naturally. If there is already mycorrhizae in the soil disturbing it will shatter the strands and effectually set you back.
The main thing is to get the soil covered asap so the process can get started.

PS our rockery at home is rock hard clay and never gets much attention. One autumn I covered it with old growbag compost and by spring the soil was lovely.

[Ema]

I would sow late summer crops like radishes and rocket in a shallow drill made by running a hand trowel along a straight edge like an old plank.

The rest of the plot I would add 4 inches of manure or compost directly onto the areas you want for beds. I would use cardboard or wood chips to mulch your paths. By spring the beds will be lovely and the worms will have done all the hard work.

[Russell Atterbury]

Ok. So the advice of Blewit has added a different tilt to my plan. But I sort of understand it. Thanks Blewit. I would like to clarify with you the point you make about covering it as asap. My only possibility would be to try getting a delivery of well rotted cow manure before the standard time for this, which I hope would be possible. Today I was informed by one of the other plot holders that my part of the allotment has quite sandy soil, and it certainly looked this way to me. The village of Little Irchester, Northants, was for many years central to iron ore mining and I could see in the colour of my patch that it truly looked a throwback from this. I was also informed not to expect the worm population to be high, at least to start with. So, if my plan changed to asap, spreading 4/6 inches of manure over whatever area my delivery will cover, maybe a good soaking before, if I was lucky could my patch be ready for next spring. Needless to say, I could also give regular soakings to the ground after the manure is spread. Also GG, I will dig a bit of a trench and fill with water. It's interesting for me to see what happens.

[Blewit]

I would like to clarify with you the point you make about covering it as asap.

When soil's exposed to the elements and UV light, beneficial microbes and fungus are killed. Covering the ground with mulch protects the good guys, keeps them in a damp environment - which they like - and consequently promotes healthy soil. (It also stops most weed seeds germinating..)
You probably already know but most of the soil life (bacteria, microscopic bugs etc. even earthworms) excrete food for plants. So you look after them, provide ideal accommodation that they can also eat and they provide nutrients for your plants.
The sooner the soil is covered the sooner the process can get working for you.

[rowlandwells]

we suffered with soil capping on one of our allotments for years I asked the so called local garden experts that couldn't give me an answer so I tried many things to stop the ground capping and we found the best thing was plenty of straw manure I ploughed that in winter and then spread another load on in spring prior to cultivation and bingo it worked

now I keep sowing green manure mustard that has also kept the soil open   putting  humus  back in the ground  We have to start the same process on the second plot that needs the soil really improving as we are not able to get farm manure its going to be intense sowings of green manure possibly need several sowings to get some humus  back in the ground?

[Russell Atterbury]

Bought the Spear and Jacson spade and fork set from Screwfix.....up to the plot newly armed thinking to dig a bit of a hole/trench, And with a bit of shoulder stretch, I slammed the said spade viciously toward ground. Problem, the darn thing bounced and what felt like busted my wrist (it hasn't)....so folks my whole plot of compacted soil is a concrete playground......any suggestions, to me it might even be look elsewhere.

[mumofstig]

Leave it until you've had a good amount of rain. Until it's had a good soaking you really can't tell..... mine's like concrete right now, as well 

[rowlandwells]

I dug some raised beds over the over day with a fork although hard I did manage to turn the ground over hopefully when and if it ever rains again the water will soak in the ground definitely would not be able to dig the ground with a spade definitely a no no

[Growster...]

After the early spuds came out, I raked up the halms and ran the Mantis over the whole lot...

It's now a dustbowl, and little (large) dog runs around on it, chucking it everywhere as it's so dry, so I'm just going to forget the perpetual spinach etc'., which was going in, and grow it in trays!

I've never known our topsoil to be so dusty, there's lots of compost and old growbags dug in!

[Russell Atterbury]

The tale continues. A day off work today and a chance meeting with one of the committee members had me truly blessed by his goodwill in that he lent me a small but powerful rotovator. Very tough going on my patch, but after about 2 hours of fighting the machine I have a strip about 6 by 2 yards loosened quite well to a depth of 4/6 inches. On Saturday I can continue, and hopefully will get the whole area done. It won't be long before we can start having manure delivered and my thinking is to cover this thin loosened layer with the stuff, wait until November-ish time, then try to get down deeper with the rotovator, thus digging the muck in as well......I welcome advice from you more learned people as to if this is an okay thing to do.