Heavy Clay Soil

[geordie balfour]

Hello folks, its my first time and I was going to ask for advice on how to deal with heavy clay ! WOW !! did I get an answer!   

[geordie balfour]

[betula]

Welcome to A4A ;D ;D ;D

[tonybloke]

 ;D ;D ;)

[cornykev]

Welcome to the asylum Geordie, you certainly joined on a fiery subject now can we all be nice, come on the suns  8) out for christs sake.  ;D ;D ;D

[manicscousers]

hiya, geordie, nice to meet you  ;D

[Geomet]

An approach I used on heavy clay in the past...is to rotovate 10 mm peabeach into the soil in the autumn/winter with compost /manure....................I,m not taking about a dozen bags of peabeech...................on a 10 rod plot I would use about 10 cubic metres

[geordie balfour]

Thanks for the welcome, you all seem to be very nice people(apart from one) as I would expect from the rare breed that we are.
good to see so many people coming to the ladies defence .   

[bluehousehill]

Hello Geordie welcome to the sight a real shame about the link but on the whole Ive found almost everyone to be real diamonds who have really helped me out a lot. :) ;)

[Robert_Brenchley]

What's peabeach, grit?

[Baccy Man]

Pea Beach
A commonly used term for 20mm single size gravel, particularly from marine sources where material is naturally more rounded.
http://rugby.cemex.co.uk/crossproductpages/GlossaryP.asp

I would stick with adding organic matter myself I've already got enough ffycin stones.

[Geomet]

20 mm is OTT and not what I,m on about for keeping heavy clay open..........10 mmm has proven good for me regarding that problem...Compost/manure is essential too,of course....thats a "forever after" requirement for fertile soil

[geordie balfour]

Hi Sandra, I started my plot about 5 years ago and it is heavy clay which I have dug and added straw and manure each year, this has improved it but I wanted to see what other people were doing so came on this site.
I am very pleased you asked the question and had you not then I would have,   
  I for one have got a lot of help from it.
I am now interested in raised beds (I have got mine on 3 bricks but Mrs GB doesn't like it as she finds it hard to get in, can some one explain how this works please)and mulching (don't tell Mr Grumpy).
Seriously though, I think this is the way I will go.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Lots of organic matter will improve any soil, but I wouldn't want 20mm gravel in it! Liming might help. Nutrients are held on the clay minerals in a loose chemical bond, but when you add calcium it replaces them, so they're released and become available to the plants. It won't change the texture though.

[Gazfoz]

Wouldn't you PH test the soil before liming or would you lime the Brassica bed as a matter of course for club root prevention?

[saddad]

Hello Geordie...  ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'd probably do a pH test, but lime's unlikely to do any harm, and as I say, it will release nutrients from clay.

[legless]

i didn't really believe in clay soil until i moved here LOL. now i certainly do and thanks for the tips here, i just wish it would come off the spade after every dig.

personally, on the topic of the aside, people have busy lives and want their plot to be manageable in the time they have so they may go for the lower work options to help them acheive this. I don't think it makes them lazy, just the way a new type of allotment gardener can manage the work. Be thankful they're out there with the TV shows and raised beds at least allotments have a high profile and while in demand are a bit less likely to be built on.

I wish i could get a plot here though, even if it is on clay - i miss my allotment.

[Barnowl]

Has anyone mentioned using spuds to break up the soil?  Even if you won't eat them all,  they do a great job, are much quieter than a rotovator and inhibit weeds as well. Bound to be some left over seed potatoes around the place that people will let you have.  Don't have to bother with trenches - dib holes and drop them in then put a layer of mulch / compost down.  At the end of the season after digging them up leave the bed rough - more surface area for frost to get at.

[Doris_Pinks]

I have done a couple of raised lasagne beds on my plot over the years on top of my wet clay. (Basically layers of good stuff, on top of cardboard!)

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/1999-04-01/Lasagna-Gardening.aspx

They have worked a treat!
In fact finished another one yesterday, covered it in black weed supressing membrane, and am going to try squash through it for this year, by next year hopefully wonderful soil! ;D (well in that bed anyway!)

Having a clay base is certainly interesting............have double dug, added compost, straw, sand, shredded paper,manure etc. etc. over the years, and it is starting to get there....but still no "fine tilth"!

Good luck with whatever you choose to do, tis all a learning curve! ;)

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

Hi all

Thought I'd revive this one.  I got my plot 12 months ago and have dug over to remove bind and couch then created raised beds and tried to dig in organic matter twice a year.  So far I am convinced the soil is changing (for the better) and will be intrigued to see how it is when I clear further beds for the winter.  I am planning to dig in manure/compost this autumn then maybe do the same or lime in spring, depending what manure/compost I have.  Some beds are better than others and I've also dug in a little sand and grit if any is given to me so I think it is all helping!

Love to hear what everyone else thinks and are they aslo making progress?

Psi