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Preparing hard-packed soil to start a garden from scratch

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  • LeifUKLeifUK Posts: 573

    Find out what the soil is, by digging in several areas. Wet it if it is too hard, and wait. If it is clay, then you might want to dig in sharp sand where the lawn will be, maybe an inch at least. I found a rotavator worked well. I did dig manually an area about 15m by 4m at the end of my garden, to remove perennial weeds, and uncover septic tanks, which I filled with flints. I wish I'd rotavated, it'd have taken half a day, not several months.  A rotavator will loosen perennial weeds, and you can pull them out. Once dug, and levelled, you might want to wait, then glyphosate weeds when they appear. Then seed in autumn, or spring. For the beds, you can just pile on well rotted manure, 2-3 inches will be drawn down into the soil by worms. after a year or two you will have very good soil. I have poor soil, but beds with buddleja had good soil, as over the years the fallen leaves had broken down into the soil. Why make work for yourself? If you are planting into heavy soil, and the plant does not like that, then by all means dig in compost. 

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