This is really interesting hearing people's experiences! We also have a heavy clay, north facing garden with an odd shape as we're a corner plot.
We do have a lot of worms which makes me think the soil is full of nutrients, but as people are saying here it's compacted so the plants can't access them.
I am trialling one small area where I'm mulching with spent compost from pots and bought peat free compost to see if that helps the structure over time, hopefully those worms are working some magic! For now I've been gardening in raised beds, though we have recently had our ivy eaten fences replaced and I'm keen to start prepping some proper borders/planting areas.
I'll report back here if the spent compost mulching does anything, but I think a few bulk bags of manure (and lots of time and patience) might be what my garden needs too
Spent compost is an excellent addition for clay - any kind of organic matter helps to improve the soil structure. All of my spent compost gets put on the borders, but manure is hard to beat as a soil improver. All of my beds which aren't raised ones, were given rotted manure.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
My garden is similar, but the top 9 inches tend to be fairly good soil (with the exception of one border where the topsoil gets washed away in heavy rain).
I’ve been trying to add perlite over the last few weeks, in hopes that the worms will take it deeper.
Is this a rubbish idea? I don’t generate enough compost each year to mulch everywhere.
If your border is properly planted up, and contained, the soil shouldn't wash away readily @Catherine-25 , so it's worth looking at how you have it planted. Even some basic ground cover will help
Perlite is a very expensive way of helping drainage, and it's really just for pots/trays - for cuttings and seeds. Organic matter, as described, is by far the best method. Rotted manure in particular, which you can buy bagged from GCs etc, or any cheap compost if you don't have enough home grown stuff. Leaf mould as well, if you can gather leaves in autumn and store them somewhere. Over time, that will improve clay soil tremendously.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thanks Fairygirl. A very good point about planting up the section which gets washed away.
It’s only about 2 foot deep and 5 foot wide, but because it’s rock hard I’ve tended to fight shy of doing much tilling there in favour of the rest of the garden. However, I now have some old roof tiles which I can use as a tiny wall to stop the soil from running under the fence and into next door, after which I will definitely get planting. Thanks
@Catherine-25 You could try plants such as hardy geranium, alchemilla or anything with fibrous roots that will spread and anchor the soil. You probably already have plants you could lift and split and now is a good time .I would plant them closer than normal to hold the soil.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
If the drainage isn't bad you can improve the soil by adding muck and possibly coarse grit - NOT sand of any type
Are you saying don't dig sand into the clay sub base, or don't mix sand into the soil above the clay?
I'm on heavy clay too, I seem to have a shallow layer of topsoil over the clay. I'm about to convert part of my lawn into a border for planting. My plan is to raise that area by adding topsoil over the top of the clay by doing the following..
1) Strip off the turf. 2) Inspect the sub base and maybe loosen it by digging it over with any top soil that is there, otherwise just leave it alone. 3) Lay the stripped turfs upside down over the area. 4) Add manure, top soil and sharp sand over the top of the upside down turf, mixing this upper layer together.
I'm hoping this will raise the border above the rest of the lawn that will be next to it, and provide deeper soil for planting. I've considered inserting a timber board to retain the border where it meets the lawn, but this creates mowing issues. Then each year mulch with compost from the compost bin, and from used plant pots, and home made leaf mould.
Well, a lot depends on how bad the clay is. If it is really solid, you need to break up the base, which could otherwise form a pan - an impenetrable layer below your top soil.
It is then possible to improve the soil itself. The key to this is organic matter, muck. Lots and lots and lots. I found coarse grit helped, too but never sand of any sort. The particles are too small.
I have never tried upside-down turves. My clay is too dense to just pile stuff on top, so I dig everything in and mix it up but if the soil is just a bit heavy you can do it that way. No sand, though. Muck. That is the magic ingredient!
The main problem with sand is that people often use the wrong type, and make the problems worse. The turf at the bottom of the raised beds will be fine @LeadFarmer. I do it with all of mine. Then I add a suitable mix to ensure plants will have a well draining medium as that's always the biggest challenge here
Almost any kind of planting will help @Catherine-25, and woody shrubs are particularly good, but your Alchemilla will be fine as well - just keep an eye on it as it can spread easily and become a nuisance rather than an asset.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Posts
We do have a lot of worms which makes me think the soil is full of nutrients, but as people are saying here it's compacted so the plants can't access them.
I am trialling one small area where I'm mulching with spent compost from pots and bought peat free compost to see if that helps the structure over time, hopefully those worms are working some magic! For now I've been gardening in raised beds, though we have recently had our ivy eaten fences replaced and I'm keen to start prepping some proper borders/planting areas.
I'll report back here if the spent compost mulching does anything, but I think a few bulk bags of manure (and lots of time and patience) might be what my garden needs too
All of my spent compost gets put on the borders, but manure is hard to beat as a soil improver. All of my beds which aren't raised ones, were given rotted manure.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Perlite is a very expensive way of helping drainage, and it's really just for pots/trays - for cuttings and seeds. Organic matter, as described, is by far the best method. Rotted manure in particular, which you can buy bagged from GCs etc, or any cheap compost if you don't have enough home grown stuff. Leaf mould as well, if you can gather leaves in autumn and store them somewhere.
Over time, that will improve clay soil tremendously.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I'm on heavy clay too, I seem to have a shallow layer of topsoil over the clay. I'm about to convert part of my lawn into a border for planting. My plan is to raise that area by adding topsoil over the top of the clay by doing the following..
1) Strip off the turf.
2) Inspect the sub base and maybe loosen it by digging it over with any top soil that is there, otherwise just leave it alone.
3) Lay the stripped turfs upside down over the area.
4) Add manure, top soil and sharp sand over the top of the upside down turf, mixing this upper layer together.
I'm hoping this will raise the border above the rest of the lawn that will be next to it, and provide deeper soil for planting. I've considered inserting a timber board to retain the border where it meets the lawn, but this creates mowing issues. Then each year mulch with compost from the compost bin, and from used plant pots, and home made leaf mould.
It is then possible to improve the soil itself. The key to this is organic matter, muck. Lots and lots and lots. I found coarse grit helped, too but never sand of any sort. The particles are too small.
I have never tried upside-down turves. My clay is too dense to just pile stuff on top, so I dig everything in and mix it up but if the soil is just a bit heavy you can do it that way. No sand, though. Muck. That is the magic ingredient!
The turf at the bottom of the raised beds will be fine @LeadFarmer. I do it with all of mine. Then I add a suitable mix to ensure plants will have a well draining medium as that's always the biggest challenge here
Almost any kind of planting will help @Catherine-25, and woody shrubs are particularly good, but your Alchemilla will be fine as well - just keep an eye on it as it can spread easily and become a nuisance rather than an asset.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...