How to make free draining cheap soil.

youngalistairyoung4K0pr0XO · February 2023

I live in a slightly clay area not too heavy but all the plants I like dont self seed so I have to do everything one by one every year dahlias rot out easy and no where dry to store them. Bulbs are often difficult as I can't afford loam-based soil in bags. I'm on a budget so buying soil in bags is a no-go for plants in containers. So I have to make my own up and I find it difficult to find anything cheap to mix with my clay soil to make up a good free draining soil mix. There is organic material but that rots down anyway and can keep the soil a bit mushy when it's rotted down. I need crushed stone/brick that lasts forever. I guess a ton bag of sharp sand would do the trick . Generally everything seems to have gone up 50 per cent so I can't keep throwing money at this 3 year old garden much so I have to I have to make cut backs.

MikeOxgreen · February 2023

Organic material does the job and is often free.
Sand and grit don't work and are rarely free.

GardenerSuze · February 2023

I have worked with clay soil for thirty years it is much better now than it was but it will always be a challenge. Organic material is the way.

bédé · February 2023

Leaves, garden waste, vegetable trimmings ... Organic matter rots away, but it can be continually added to FREE. And does a good job with clay.

Every garden should have a compost heap. Small garden, small heap.

Work on expanding the list of plants you like.

Fairygirl · February 2023

If you have clay soil, you need to add lots of organic matter. I don't know why you say it turns the soil mushy. Is there a solid surface or clay pan below the top layer of soil that's preventing the soil from improving? That would affect any additions you make.
I'm slightly concerned that you're mentioning 'loam based soil' as that wouldn't be helpful at all - it helps retain moisture, rather than the opposite, so wouldn't be great for anything that needs good drainage. In containers you can use it with some grit or pea gravel, or use plants which prefer good moisture retention. It's ideal for that. Most daffodils don't mind very moist soil, and snowdrops love it too, so again - it depends on what you're planting

If you haven't anywhere to store dahlias, it's better not to bother, especially if you can't afford to buy them each year instead, although you can grow them from seed, and you can keep them potted, so that might be easier.
It comes down to using plants which suit, rather than constantly fighting your conditions, but there's no quick fix with clay - you have to add organic matter regularly, and it will gradually improve. In large beds/borders, you'd need tons and tons of grit to make any long term difference.
The easiest way if you can't wait, is to build raised beds. Once filled, it's just a case of adding a layer of compost/manure/leaf mould etc each year, depending on the plants.

JennyJ · February 2023

For planting bulbs in pots the cheapest multipurpose compost is fine, the kinds you can get during the spring and summer in the budget supermarkets. It's probably cheaper than buying in grit to mix with your soil, and when it's spent you can spread it on your beds/borders.

If you want bulbs to flower in the same containers for another year you'll need to feed them when the flowers are over so that they can form next year's flowers in the bulb while the foliage is dying down. I get better results planting them in the ground when the flowers have gone over where most come back year after year with nothing more than a sprinkle of general fertiliser if I remember (exceptions are non-species tulips and dwarf iris so maybe steer clear of those).

Nollie · February 2023

Clay garden soil is generally too heavy and claggy for potting mixes, especially for growing bulbs. You might get away with about 20% but the bulk of it does need to be compost and ideally added grit/perlite. As JennyJ says, the cheapest supermarket stuff will do. Broken up polystyrene packaging makes a decent and free grit/perlite substitute. If you can make leaf mould, also free, that is great to use in potting mix and means you can use less bought compost. As will a layer of hardcore/broken construction rubble/garden stones in the bottom of the pots, which will also help drainage.

Fairygirl · February 2023

@youngalistairyoung4K0pr0XO -If you can give us an idea of the plants you'd like to grow , perhaps we can make viable suggestions that won't break the bank.

As @Nollie and @JennyJ have said, cheap supermarket compost is fine for most bulbs if you want to have them in containers. Some places may have old tomato growbags too at a reduced price. Coming into spring, it's also fine for lots of seed sowing, so you can have annuals in the pots, and then put bulbs in through autumn, for next spring. Then add it to your soil as said.

If you still want dahlias, that cheap compost is also fine as long as the dahlias get enough food and water through the growing season, and they can be in pots as I said earlier. I grow most of mine in pots as I don't have a lot of room now in beds/borders, and I can't leave them in the ground over winter either as it isn't suitable.

I still remember how difficult it was to afford even one bag of compost out of the household budget when we had our first child, and mortgages were still expensive etc, and I was desperate to grow things and buy plants, so I also understand it can be difficult to make headway

JennyJ · February 2023

For feeding flowering plants in pots, the cheapest high-potash stuff (which is what you need for flowers) is probably tomato food, not the big brands, the cheaper ones are fine. I feed my containers and hanging baskets at the same time as the tomatoes with the same feed, once a week or so from late spring through to autumn.

Fairygirl · February 2023

I do the same @JennyJ, and I've used all sorts of different makes of tomato food and never found any great difference.
I don't feed the toms more than 2 or 3 times in the season though, just the heavy flowering annuals/dahlias etc

JennyJ · February 2023

My tomato buckets are smaller than some people use, so I can fit them closer together (trained as cordons against the south-facing side of the garage) so less compost but more frequent feeding needed - and I usually do it at half strength so little but often.

How to make free draining cheap soil.

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