[Shelle]

I plant mainly in containers, but am creating one small bed for garlic and onions.

The soil itself is quite clay, but VERY much full of rubble (blooming builders must have used it as a dumping ground   ) The rest of the borders (flowers) werent as bad as this so it is quite frustrating the one bed I am trying to do is full of stones.

My question is after spending 2 days trying to clear it from the stones and rubble, varying sizes, am I wasting my time?  I know for carrots it has to be stone free, but does this apply to garlic and onions?  At the rate I am going, it will take me at least another weekend to clear the rest of it (and its not that big either (dont know measurements - about a lawnmowwe and half width and 2 lawnmowers and half length).  Just wanted to check whether it is worth spending the extra time.

Your advice as always greatly appreciated  

[Little Miss Muffet]

for the clay soil dig in mushroom compost it works a treat.
are soil is quite sandy but also quite stoney and we had a great crop of carrots this year.

[muntjac]

course it is .. get some smal mesh chciken wire n make a large riddle . cuts the werk in half . fed it with manure / compost as for winter onions n garlic .. not my thing .wg for garlic me thinks he the vampire scarer

[Shelle]

Aaaghh!!  :cry:

I have spent the last 2 weekends clearing one single bed from rubble and was just about ready to plant my garlic and onions this weekend.

Now need to re-dig over the bed due to being trodden all over today!  Got a new three piece sofa delivered, could not get it through the front door, ended up going through the garage, through the back garden (at this point walking over the new bed) and after taking the patio door off through into the lounge!!!!!

Doesnt look too bad (at a glance), so hopefully not too much extra work  :?

Sigh!

[DD.]

Aaaghh!!  :cry:

I have spent the last 2 weekends clearing one single bed from rubble and was just about ready to plant my garlic and onions this weekend.

Now need to re-dig over the bed due to being trodden all over today!  Got a new three piece sofa delivered, could not get it through the front door, ended up going through the garage, through the back garden (at this point walking over the new bed) and after taking the patio door off through into the lounge!!!!!

Doesnt look too bad (at a glance), so hopefully not too much extra work  :?

Sigh!

That's nothing. Having prepared my carrot & parsnip bed last year, a very large tractor delivering manure to an adjacent plot ran over it.  It ended up 12" lower than the rest of the plot & made a good pond.

[Shelle]

OMG  :shock:

You are right, I have nothing to complain about  

[DD.]

OMG  :shock:

You are right, I have nothing to complain about  

Not only that, it turned around on someone else's plot.

It even demolished the tap adjacent to the plot that was having it delivered. The plot holder is sourcing from elsewhere this year! (I think he got a bill from the council!).