Argh.. Claggy mud!

[Dotty Sarah]

Hello lovely experts After years of growing in pots I finally got my allotment last week just before the rain started. It is clay soil which is now soaked and near impossible to work, there are a few weeds, some very deep rooted, and a lot of couch grass. As it's now time to get planting please could you advise what's the best / quickest fix that will allow me to start transplanting out all the peas etc currently sat in my grow house?

[muddyfeet]

I don't know whether there is a quick fix for the wet clay soil, just a matter of waiting. But for the weeds, when it is drier, you could cover the bed with a mulch and plant through holes then put a cloche over. It is still too cold to plant seedlings out where I am anyway

[PyreneesPlot]

When I started with my solid clay I dug out trenches, back filled with organic matter and planted into that. At the end of the season I forked the lot over and mixed the good with the yuk.
Try to never stand on the bits where you want to grow - I use a board if I can't reach where I need to be.
I also covered the lot in black plastic/cardboard. The weeds were weakened, the soil warmed (under the black plastic) but the slugs thrived...
I'm sure an expert'll be along, soon

[weekendwellies]

see if you can get the 'very deep rooted' stuff out while it is still fairly moist, as it is much easier to do than waiting til it is dryer.

[Two_Sheds]

it's now time to get planting ...

well, nearly. It's not spring yet though, we're having a very long drawn out winter.

I'm keeping everything in their pots until this snowy spell goes away

[Dotty Sarah]

Thank you all for your help, I'm just worried that with our weather the soil may not dry out enough until August!

Two Sheds, thanks, I see your point now, just seen the forcast for the next week It's been so much warmer here this week that I'm getting impatient and just want to start sowing more.