I know I'm not that bad a gardener people always try to bring you down or pick you up on something on forums there's always a top dog and his lieutenants that's why I don't use them only in emergencies.
Hopefully most folk on this forum are trying to help … not bring you down. There’s sometimes one or two who just don’t get how to encourage rather than otherwise … but most of us rememember what it was like to be a beginner and we’re all still learning.
With clay you just have to keep adding organic matter. The land of the area known as High Suffolk was almost solid clay years ago and land was sold cheaply … but over the years farmers kept on adding manure … it’s now some of the most fertile and valuable arable land in the country. 😊
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
The problems I've had with both properties I've owned is the lack of organic material available no trees or vegitation to speak of. That's half the problem with this garden few mature trees one of them is evergreen Holly the other is a alimanchir with very small leaves so I have to import everything in by the bag which gets expensive. But the person who gets property after me will get a good garden.
Neighbours’ children might have pet rabbits, Guinea pigs, chickens who you could ask for manure?
You could even buy a couple of bales of straw from the dirt if place that sells pony and chicken feed and add them to a compost heap. You don’t have to buy the finished product. You can make your own.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
All my garden clippings go straight on the garden as a mulch in spring if I had leaves I would use them but no trees only thuja and hawthorn hedges. I have a kitchen waste bin but it gets used by rats that tunnel up into it so I'm getting rid of that and I'm gonna probably use a sealed container instead.. I use my grass clippings to dump on top of my ground elder and field bindweed which is Ancestral here.
I know I'm not that bad a gardener people always try to bring you down or pick you up on something on forums there's always a top dog and his lieutenants that's why I don't use them only in emergencies.
On this forum we have top female dogs and their lieutenantes, but I think you will find them harmless enough.
I garden on Surrey greensand. I's ex woodland not ex farmland, so not too poor. But shady; dry shade, it's the worst.
Grass clippings are far too valuable to waste on weeds. Try to find another solution. Hoeing, weedkiller? Raking out the bottom of a hawthorn hedge might provide useful leafmould and thuja droppings too. Holly takes some time to rot down, but don't ignore it. I can see that Amelanchier leaves might blow away.
Why not choose plants short-term specifically for compost/green manure? Comphrey srikes a chord.
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I think your comment is quite unkind @youngalistairyoung4K0pr0XO, and it certainly isn't the usual case on this forum, apart from the odd troll or troublemaker, and we do have some of those now and again. There are some at the moment unfortunately. As @Dovefromabove says, most people are willing to help with problems. Adding organic matter is the best way to amend clay, but if you don't have suitable access to any, you may need to rethink what you want to grow
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
@youngalistairyoung4K0pr0XO It may well be frustrating but in the end you need to either grow plants which will do well in containers or improve your soil to be able to plant in the ground. Both methods will require time and maintenance and the right choice of plant/shrub or tree. I can't see anyone trying to bring you down - simply offering advice which you asked for. No one can alter the type of garden you have or its location. You aren't alone in finding it difficult to obtain material to improve your soil if you can't provide it yourself. It is a situation that many are dealing with. As for Top Dogs - I'd take that with a large pinch of salt..........just don't spread it on your garden
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Neighbours’ children might have pet rabbits, Guinea pigs, chickens who you could ask for manure?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I garden on Surrey greensand. I's ex woodland not ex farmland, so not too poor. But shady; dry shade, it's the worst.
Grass clippings are far too valuable to waste on weeds. Try to find another solution. Hoeing, weedkiller? Raking out the bottom of a hawthorn hedge might provide useful leafmould and thuja droppings too. Holly takes some time to rot down, but don't ignore it. I can see that Amelanchier leaves might blow away.
Why not choose plants short-term specifically for compost/green manure? Comphrey srikes a chord.
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Adding organic matter is the best way to amend clay, but if you don't have suitable access to any, you may need to rethink what you want to grow
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I can't see anyone trying to bring you down - simply offering advice which you asked for. No one can alter the type of garden you have or its location. You aren't alone in finding it difficult to obtain material to improve your soil if you can't provide it yourself. It is a situation that many are dealing with.
As for Top Dogs - I'd take that with a large pinch of salt..........just don't spread it on your garden