Building up!

[devon-surfer]

I'v ehad my plot for 6months now, so not much happened last year. My plot it clay, so does waterlog in heavy rains.
I've added grit and manure, to help drainage and nutrients. The beds do seem lower than others and it seems that only mine holds water!
Should I:

1. Add more compost/manure
2. Add top soil to build up?

Advise appreciated

Mike

[Paulottie]

I think option 1 is universal garden panacea....if in doubt - add more muck!

However, You may need to think about breaking up the subsoil with grit and creating raised beds and/or channelling the water away.

[kentvegplot]

lots and lots of organic matter - compost,muck whatever. Ir helps make the clay more workable. You can raise the beds by just a few inches and it will make quite a difference.

Although clay is harder to work, it is much more fertile than sand, so your veggies will be very happy :-)

[lynda66]

apparently adding gypsum helps too as it breaks up the clay ... fine horticultural grit, and lots of compost and muck and a good deal of digging or rotavating

[Plot17B]

Hi,
Manure it up but......depending on how bad the waterlogging is, is it worth digging a french drain in to remove the excess water? Guess if it's only waterlogged in really bad weather, you don't want to drain too much in good weather! But you could empty into a resevoir pit/pond for reuse or wildlife? You can buy specifically holed wide bore drain pipe, but you can "build" a french drain easily. Just an idea, depending on degree of waterlogging of course.
P17B

[carlseawolf]

i would say dig in some sand and compost to make it more free draining.

[Tori]

Dig a soak away at one end of the plot? A big hole filled with rubble then gravel and a bit of soil on top.

[faerieprincess]

If you've got clay soil, you should be adding some lime to the soil - it apparently "binds the sticky clay particles together into larger, more manageable crumbs by a process called 'flocculation'", or if you don't want to increase the soil's alkalinity, mix 1 part dolomite (magnesium limestone) with 4 parts gypsum (calsium sulphate). Apply at a rate of 400g/sq.m in autumn and spring, after 2 years reduce to 65g/sq.m. But don't apply lime and manure at the same time as there will be a chemical reaction, you need to do it several weeks apart.

(Borrowed this from "The Allotment Book" by Andi Clevely - a great read!!)

[devon-surfer]

Thanks for all the advise I've written down all the options, the soak away looks a good option as its only one area that really collects water. Ive got a free supply of farmyard manure (lucky living in the country) Ill also grow some green manure.

But what I wont do is try and hit the whole plot in one go.

Thanks again

And for all those that know me, and those that don't I'm going to be on the new series of Gardeners World! (big head) I'm going to be one of Carol Kleins students having masterclasses throughout the spring/summer. She has clay soil so hopefully pick up many tips :-)

[faerieprincess]

And for all those that know me, and those that don't I'm going to be on the new series of Gardeners World! (big head) I'm going to be one of Carol Kleins students having masterclasses throughout the spring/summer. She has clay soil so hopefully pick up many tips :-)

Excellent! I'll keep an eye out. Still waiting for my allotment but I'm pretty sure it will eventually be a clay one too.

[jackie j]

Devon surfer some of us from devon are meeting up. Join us if you want I will pm you with the details.

[devon-surfer]

Yeah sure PM with the details and I'll see if I'm free

[carlseawolf]

devon surfer where abouts are you in north devon for reference perposes when answering questions.

[devon-surfer]

Just down the road from you. Barnstaple