Poor Soil

[slugcatcher]

I have a plot that hasnt been worked for a long time and the soil is very uneven in depth and quality.
I have to be careful when digging, and more times than not it is only a small spade depth down. If any further I bring up a mixture of a orange coloured fine substance and a load of pebbles. The soil that is there has no body to it, very fine, and when planted and watered it compacts very quickly.
Advice on what to do please.
My intensions was at the back end to add a lot of manure, but I am thinking of importing some soil as well, but this would be expensive I think

Thanks
Ron

[slugcatcher]

[Justy]

i have a similar problem however the poor orangy subsoil on my lottie is compacted clay.  I have been working on the plot for 18 months and in the beds that I have made I have been adding mushroom compost, homemade compost and manure.  It has made huge difference although there is still some way to go.  Having the beds has helped because I only need to improve and enrich the soil in the beds which cuts down on cost.  My neighbouring lotties all use long rows the length of their lotties and it must have been backbreaking to get all the soil improved.  You could also keep an eye out in local paper for people getting rid of topsoil when doing building/garden works.  I have done this sucessfully in the past however you do have to be careful because you may just end up with loads more subsoil and someone elses weeds!

[derbex]

If you use beds you could rob the soil from the paths to build up the beds. Much of my soil is on the space. next door, whoever weeded skimmed the surface and dumped the lot over the fence, I have partially solved this by taking over that space, now all I need to do is to move some of the soil back :)

Jeremy

[Robert_Brenchley]

The answer to that is compost, much, dead leaves or grass cuttings if you can get them, anything organic in fact, and time. Six years of it have made an enormous difference to my plot.

[Rose.mary]

I have just been helping to clear a plot that has not been cultivated far a number of years, and has been used as a dumping ground by everybody (including the neighbours) Lots of rotting wood on it old doors windows you name it.
The point I want to make is that somebody told me to burn the wood and make charcoal and it can then be used on clay to break it down. He says this is one of the best things to put on it.
When I dug my plot and discovered clay I just put loads of gritty sand and cheap grow bags on it and it seems to have done the trick.

Rosemary

[slugcatcher]

I have only had the plot for about a month so all these suggestions are welcome and can be used.
I will be adding compost and other organic materials as and when I get them.

Keep the ideas coming all.
thanks
Ron

[kitty]

our plot is very dark clay in patches where they are i'bve done much the same as rosemary-cheap growbags and as many bags of fym as i could afford(which aint many!)i have started my compost ing and i shall buy3 for £1 bags(lots of these!) of real horse poo to rot down for next year-theres lots of horses round here.....where its not clayified there are patches of reasonable soil-quite poor in quality tho and large areas of stony/bricky sandy soil... back breaking!
still.....got a fair bit done already.bit by bit!

[wardy]

A lady on our street has two horses and is DELIVERING to my allotment.  I didn't ask her but answered an ad in a shop and went and collected it from outside her house.  Now she knows where I am she has been bringing it in her van.  She also gave me  a bale of straw.  It pays to be pleasant to folks  ;D  I just replace her bags and I will give her some produce in return  :)

My allotment has not been touched for years so I'm growing on manure such things as spuds, courgettes and french beans, oh and pumpkins.  Well will be anytime soon if we get a break in the weather.

I'm hoping the worms will take the manure down into the soil for me and help me break it up without digging

[Merlins Mum]

I'm hoping the worms will take the manure down into the soil for me and help me break it up without digging

wardy, is that fresh manure as opposed to well rotted manure you are using?

MM

[wardy]

Fresh as a daisy.   I got some back in Feb which has had time to age a bit and I'll be growing directly into that but not roots - just courgettes and squashes etc.  I put my spuds in it when it was fresh though as no time to let it age as I was doing no dig.  I'll report back on whether it worked or not.  I have grown my spuds last year  in good stuff turned out of my compost bin and that worked a treat but unrotted horse poo is a new one on me so it could turn out pants  ;D

[redimp]

our plot is very dark clay in patches where they are i'bve done much the same as rosemary-cheap growbags and as many bags of fym as i could afford(which aint many!)i have started my compost ing and i shall buy3 for £1 bags(lots of these!) of real horse poo to rot down for next year-theres lots of horses round here.....where its not clayified there are patches of reasonable soil-quite poor in quality tho and large areas of stony/bricky sandy soil... back breaking!
still.....got a fair bit done already.bit by bit!

Kitty

I think I bought some from a 3 for a quid place near you April time.  I thought it was a bit fresh and have covered it but I really do not know much about manure.  If it's the same stuff - sold by the road side on the Harby Road, is it well rotted or should I leave it for a while.  Manure is not the easiest stuff for me to get at the moment (no two bar) so have to conserve. :)

[kitty]

wardy-i think its supposed to rot down for a season as it could burn your plants-its a bit stong straight from the geegee..BUT!that could be a n old wives tale-i mean-has anyone tried fresh horse poo on their lottie???
you could be breaking new ground gel!
literally!

clanger!
tis the place around the corner alrighty!very fresh i would think-she mucks ou everyday and theres no  pile accrueing so its very new stuff...use it next season-put it on in the late autumn for the woggums to take into the earth,
from my spying position a field away she seems to have about half a dozen horses-and a CONSTANT supply of poo!¬3 for £1..i have to be extremely careful when transporting it-the oh doesnt have the same attitude as me about horse poo in the car-a TINY car with no trailer and no seperate boot so-poo right behind driver!looovely! ;D
we went to scothern nursery yeasterday and there is a HUUUUUUGE pile next to the roadside..... :(
want it want it want it!!!!!!!!
cant have it!belongs to someone else.....
tempting tho.... ;D ;D ;D

[littlegem]

RAISES BEDS!!!!

[Diana]

I just put loads of gritty sand and cheap grow bags on it and it seems to have done the trick.

Rosemary

What do you call cheap when it comes to growbags?

[wardy]

Cheapo growbags 75 p

[Diana]

where? I need to get about a dozen or so tomorrow + the cheapest I can find is 99p so that would save me quite a bit!

[waggi]

cheap grow bags
try asda and aldi and pound strecher  ;)

[Rose.mary]

I got my growbags from Asda 99p. I probably could have got cheaper if I had shopped around,but by the time you have paid for the extra petrol you have saved nothing, so just go to the nearest cheapy.

Rosemary

[wardy]

Local garden centre.  They're ok for what you want them for but aren't the fattest by any means  :)  Co-op ones are cheap too