Me either. MD's soil looks lovely. I can't recall whether he's telling people it's essential or just an option. The former would be wrong of course.
Most of the research seems to be to do with specific crop plants. However it's not very expensive for the amount I use (small garden, not that much planting of trees and shrubs going on) and I'm confident it doesn't do any harm.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
Going back to @Dedekind's original question, I think it depends very much on your soil whether you add anything to the planting hole. At my last house the soil was very poor, alkaline clay on top of limestone rock. Over the years I added loads of manure and compost to the beds and I always dug compost into planting holes. I knew by experience that if I didn't then plants would die.
The soil here at my new house is heavy. I've been making new beds and dug in a lot of compost. Also adding it mixed in the soil when I plant. I wouldn't bother if I had soil like Monty's, but his is probably like it is because he has added loads of compost over the years.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
Advice given to us when planting some fruit trees from pots....do not make a circular hole as this is just like the pot but make a square one and the roots do more searching.
The trees are looking great and do seem to be doing better than the ones that had a round hole (before the advice).
I remember seeing a Monty Don programme at the start of the series in the garden he has now, he had compost delivered in a tipper lorry. He got it from the council, when I asked our council for it they said they wouldn’t sell/give to the public because people complained it had too much weed in it, they keep it for their own municipal beds.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
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The soil here at my new house is heavy. I've been making new beds and dug in a lot of compost. Also adding it mixed in the soil when I plant. I wouldn't bother if I had soil like Monty's, but his is probably like it is because he has added loads of compost over the years.
He got it from the council, when I asked our council for it they said they wouldn’t sell/give to the public because people complained it had too much weed in it, they keep it for their own municipal beds.