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Sticky clay

Lyn Plant-WellsLyn Plant-Wells Posts: 338
in Problem solving
I have had 2 raised beds removed from my very small garden - which is getting a makeover. There are now 2 borders in their place and I’m trying to dig them over with the help of nightly Ibuprofen. 
Besides rocks and stones there is a lot of sticky bluey grey/beige clay. I have dug out a fair bit but there’s no way I can get rid of all of it. I have numerous flowers and shrubs to plant and will get some manure to go in. 
Any advice on how to manage/combat this would be welcome.
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  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Rather than getting rid. You might be better off adding organic matter. It works in my sticky yellow subsoil which was brought closer to the surface when orchards were dug up in the 3Os. I'm told my topsoil is 6ft under in places. Great for plants with deep roots😉 Clay is quite fertile when you loosen it up.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • CeresCeres Posts: 2,698
    Do you have any top soil at all where you are digging? If you do, then double digging may be the answer though you might want to get someone else to do it for you as it is guaranteed to make every muscle ache. It's a good way to gradually improve clay soil.
  • gardenman91gardenman91 Posts: 429
    Lots of organic matter dug in will help, adding some sharp sand would also help.
  • Lyn Plant-WellsLyn Plant-Wells Posts: 338
    Thanks very much for your suggestions. There is some topsoil - it seems to be a real mixture, including sand in places. I’m told that the developers dump material from the previous site onto the property they then start on - which accounts for the poor quality soil in the gardens of recently built houses.
    Mine is a 6 years old ‘David Wilson’ house (Isle of Wight.)

  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    Blue grey clay isn't ideal. How deep down does it occur?

    However I'm a fan of working with what you have rather than breaking your back trying to fundamentally change it. A generous mulch of organic materials will promote worm activity and improve soil structure without digging. And research plants that cope with, or actively prefer, claggy clay soil. 
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • shane.farrellshane.farrell Posts: 207
    edited March 2021
    Agreed @Loxley
    I tend to lay a good mulch on top and let the worms do it. 
    There are lots of plants good in clay. Do some 'digging' and find some that suit. It makes life easier.
  • Lyn Plant-WellsLyn Plant-Wells Posts: 338
    Thankfully- most of the plants I already have (temporarily in containers) seem to tolerate clay - bearing in mind I will be adding manure/sand/compost. 
  • Lyn Plant-WellsLyn Plant-Wells Posts: 338
    Loxley - in some areas the clay is quite near the surface, in others it’s about 6” deep.
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    Not sand, grit! Sand makes it worse. Six inches of top soil is a blessing, I started with about an inch. Digging muck in is better than waiting for worms with this sort of clay but do a bit at a time and it won't break your back.
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Mulch it as thick as you can now, in Spring. Don't mulch it in the autumn - which is usually the best time to do it - leave it as clear as you can so the frost gets at the ground through the winter. Frost is the fastest clay breaker. Then mulch again next spring. After that, take a view on how it's going to decide whether to revert to autumn mulching or stick with a spring cover, but keep mulching once a year for as long as the ibuprofen supply holds up
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
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