Starting new beds in neglected compacted clay lawn

Posts

• BobTheGardener Posts: 11,385

  February 2021

  I would use a sort of semi-double-digging in this case.  The process would go something like this:

  1. Starting at one end of the new border, dig out a slot from front to back of the new border to a spade or two's width, and to a spade's depth, putting the soil into a barrow.
     
  2. Spread about 2 inches of manure over the whole length of the rest of the border.
  3. Break-up the clay in the bottom of the 'slot' with a fork, adding some manure as you go.
     
  4. Now dig a new slot next to the original, turning the soil into the first 'slot' and filling it. The manure you previously spread on top will get mixed in as you turn it into the hole.
     
  5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 until you get to the other end of the new border, then tip in the contents of the barrow to fill the final 'slot'.

  It will be hard work, but I find this method takes the least amount of effort for doing such a thorough job, and you can leave and resume the work as and when you please (or, more likely, when the weather and aches and pains dictate!)
  
  

  
  
  

  A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  

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• K67 Posts: 2,506

  February 2021 edited February 2021

  Mark out your border, either straight or curved then try and be organised and start at one end and work from the fence out so you are not standing on soil you have dug. Standing on a board helps as I am always 6 inches taller when I have finished digging on clay as it does stick!
  It's hard to tell if you will need more soil until you have dug down. 
  In several  of my gardens on clay i could dig out clay lumps that i could have made bricks from so I did dig out a lot of the clay and obviously had to make up the soil level.
  I enjoy digging so do tend to go down 18ins but on clay you can lift it out in chunks so it's easier although quite heavy.
  I then stick a fork in the bottom of the bed and wiggle it about to loosen the sub soil a bit, then put back any good soil.
  I think digging the area over will help with the water problem. Check by digging a hole about a spades depth and fill it with water, if the water doesn't drain away after several hours you might have to consider making raised beds.
  You will need to let the earth settle for a while before you plant.
  Unless you buy mature shrubs you will need to allow room for them to spread,  as an example a fatsia japonica is a lovely evergreen shrub, happy in shade,  which usually is sold with about 6 leaves, it will soon grow to at least 6ft x 6ft.
  
  

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• Posy Posts: 3,601

  February 2021

  I would follow Bob's directions with a couple of additions. I wouldn't bother with 2 inches of muck, I'd put in as much as I could get, mixing it up with the soil as I replaced it. Perhaps 4 -6 inches. If you have solid clay, I would also add coarse grit, not as much as the muck, but generously. It is REALLY important to break up the material at the bottom of the trench or it will form a 'pan', a solid layer that will trap water and prevent drainage. When it all settles. I would put another layer of muck on top of the new beds and leave it to the worms before you plant.

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• Anna33 Posts: 316

  February 2021

  @BobTheGardener , @K67 , @Posy - thank you all so much for the advice.
  

  
  

  I'm definitely not afraid of hard work, and realise the task ahead of me, but knowing how important having good soil is, I want to get it right from the start.
  

  
  

  It's also been a good reminder to me to let the soil settle for a bit before planting. I'll probably end up popping in a couple of things that are fairly easy going, just to get me going, but perhaps I'll hold off planting it fully until autumn.
  

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• delski Posts: 274

  February 2021

  Wish I'd followed some of the advice on here! I widened my borders and just loosened up the planting holes for the new plants I wanted to put in, so a potential spring project for me is to take out all the plants into pots and improve the whole bed which I should have done in the first place. It's just so expensive.

  I found that 40L shop bought compost barely covers 1sqm at 1cm thick as a mulch, so a very expensive endeavour for the whole border! I started to make my own lockdown compost in March and the stuff I spread on the shady border is still lying there on the top, along with fallen leaves etc. I thought the worms (and there are plenty) were supposed to work this into the soil below and make it lovely?!
  

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• JennyJ Posts: 10,576

  February 2021

  You can always plant up a few pots or hanging baskets of summer bedding for colour.
  

  Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  

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• Posy Posts: 3,601

  February 2021

  Worms are slow, especially in winter. It may not be necessary to dig up all your plants unless the soil is REALLY bad. You can mulch round them - don't  let the stuff touch the stems - and just mix it up with a hand fork. Many plants like clay so check before you dig!
  I buy builder's sacks of stable manure. Many horse owners bag it up and sell it. Some give it away if you bag it yourself.  It's better and cheaper than that garden center stuff but make sure it's well rotted before you use it.

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