[Roll Roll]

As half of my plot is empty at the moment, I was thinking of digging some sand into it to try and loosen it up.

My soil is very heavy clay. What's the cheapest type of sand I can use.
Building sand?
Sharp sand ?
?
?
I will need rather a lot, so it greaves me to spend a fortune just to bury it.

Any ideas???

[tode]

I wouln't start off by adding sand. Have found that clay +  sand = concrete 

Plenty of strawy compost is much more effective, and liming before the winter helps a lot.

[Salmo]

Agree with tode. If you add sand use sharp sand or grit, not builders sand which is finer. You will need a lot to make any difference.

[zazen999]

I also have clay soil. Liming is good for breaking it up; but not in the bed before spuds!

I also add any sand I've got [and I had a load this year due to some building works; I wasn't going to chuck it out]...and also add coffee grounds as this really helps to add fine grained organic to the soil.

Also, mulch with cardboard if you aren't using it....it breaks down over winter and really helps to add much needed organic.

Plus loads of home made compost of course

[Brambles]

Yes I agree...  as much compost as you can get...  I would also get a load of manure from a local stable and just lay it on the surface to let the weather break down the straw/bedding and the worms to pull it down.... also, you won't have many worms in a clay soil (and you need them) and plenty of manure will attract worms.   I hope you get the problem sorted for your crop next season.

[Roll Roll]

Thanks for the advice all.

I have some good compost on the go at the moment, but it has a lot of the duck/chicken bedding mixed in with it so it'll take a bit longer to mature.
Thanks again all.

[Swing Swang]

I have heavy clay soil and over the last two years have incorporated A LOT of manure (eqivalent to a 6"-8" compact layer over the whole plot in total).

I also increased the depth of the shallow soil by digging out paths, putting drainage pipes into the base, filling up the 18" deep trenches with scalpings, then sharp sand, and finally slabs, and throwing the soil over the rest of the beds. This did a lot to improve the drainage (ie I improved the drainage and raised the height of the soil).

I also over ordered on sharp sand (and extra 6 cubic meters over and above what was needed for the paths for a 105 sqm plot).

Over the last year I used the sand as a 2"-4" mulch for beans, peas, toms, peppers, root veg. Mixed it into the bottom of potato trenches too. Most stuff in fact. In fact the only place that it wasn't used was on the seed bed. Then forking it into the top spit of soil as the plants were harvested.

I  now have a fertile, moist, much lighter, free-draining soil.

I asked for some advice with respect to this and the consensus was that it was a BAD THING to consider because so much sand could contain salts that would damage the crop. I chose to ignore this advice as they would probably be washed out after a year anyway. I might loose some crops, but it's all experience!

The sand mulch kept the slugs at bay. Where forked in the drainage is brilliant. No problems with yields either. My experience is that sharp sand is cheap(ish) and will do the job well, but that depending on your soil you might need quite a lot of it. I wouldn't incorporate it into the ground during winter although there's not reason why you shouldn't - I'd dig in loads of manure etc. I'd go down the sand mulch route because there was no weeding or slugs on those crops.

Shop around, haggle. I paid £28 per cubic meter delivered, but it did take a bit of negotiation and I probably got it close to trade price.

SS

[Swing Swang]

PS - I don't have a lottie, I have a garden so any improvements are 'mine' so the 150 quid was a reasonable investment, and it's permanent, and compares well against the cost of a new polytunnel/greenhouse etc. Spending this on a council site does raise other issues.