Clay soil and a frost..........

adouglasmhor

I find a bit of compost some sharp sand, some garden lime and a season of growing spuds in rows breaks up clay soil very well.

Pixiechic

I read today that growing potatoes in the soil improves it, thank you for letting me know it works! I'll need to grow quite a few spuds this year.........

It's been a good digging day today, I have turned most of the soil on that side. One bit I just couldn't get the fork in, it's really hard. The weather forecast says that it will rain on Saturday. I hope that that doesn't undo all my hard work! It is breaking down though, slowly

Leif

olly300 wrote: »

It only works if you don't want to ever plant bushes or anything else with deeper roots a few years later.

If you do want to plant something deeper depending what it is then dig in sand, grit, humus or a mixture of one of them with sand before planting.

You can spend months digging over the soil but I found out it's worth just digging a lot in, in one go and then putting the plants in. Otherwise you will find the worms will bring the clay up from the bottom and you will have to start again.

That is what I wondered. There are people who use no dig gardening as described to crow food crops including carrots.

My garden had some shrubs planted in clay soil and they seem to have improve the soil with time.

I have always wondered what determines the depth of the topsoil. Below maybe 50cm I have a sandy clay, which seems not to have worms in.