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Clay soil improver
Chris Jones2
Posts: 4
Have a large area of heavy clay soil to work with, and to make things worse, it's on quite a slope. Thinking of creating some raised beds as a way of using the ground, some plants and some for veg.
have extensive amounts of tree chippings that can be used as mulch from 3 ash trees that are coming down - will this be a good material to dig into the soil?
0
Posts
Any bulky organic matter like this will help in the long term but anything uncomposted like wood chippings will deplete the nitrogen levels in the soil (as nitrogen is taken in as they decompose), so plants will not grow very well for a year or so if you dig it in fresh. Much better to compost the chippings first, adding as much green matter as you can lay your hands on to provide the nitrogen required for them to decompose. You can also add other high-nitrate sources such as urine or high-nitrate fertiliser as a compost accelerator.
I think raised beds are an excellent solution for a clay slope though and you can use them to terrace the slope, making it a much more useful area to grow things in.
You can make your raised beds and then simply buy in topsoil, but I think it is more satisfying to improve what you have. Each year it gets more and more loamy and rich and beautiful and you can say 'I did that'. Make sure the base is well broken up, to avoid a 'pan', then add every bit you can get of grit, fine gravel, composted manure and garden compost. Mix it up when you can, like a fruit cake, mulch autumn and spring and in a few years you will feel like Monty Don!