New to allotments. How do I get my soil and get it from boulders to a fine lovelyness

[sumonoid]

Hello fellow grower's.


I am just after some advice.

After been given my first allotment back in early march I have strimmed over the plot removing as much weed as i could then dug the whole plot over and covered it with raised beds.

My problem is its time to start planting out but my soil is still very hard and in the form of big lumps and boulders. It is not clay and not full of stone and rocks but no matter how many times I dig it over i cannot achieve a fine workable soil.

Am i going to have to bite the bullet and buy/rent a rotovator or is there a easy way to get the fine soil i'm looking for.

Please please give me some advice.

Happy Growing

Dave

[Jeanied]

If it is not clay then I wonder what is making it clump into big lumps? Where abouts are you growing - as in which part of the world? Is the soil still frozen? Or weed roots holding it together.

[sumonoid]

Hi Jeanied,

Thanks for the reply. No the ground is not frozen and the allotment is in not so sunny Newcastle (Northern England).
When the soil is wet after rain it can be broken up but as soon as it drys out it just hardens up and turns into lumps

[Bigmallly]

Try & get some organic matter into it Dave. Compost, Manure & you will get there.

[Raybon]

See if you can get hold of a mattock. The end has a solid blade on one side and a three-pronged fork on the other. You pull up the lumps with the fork and break them up with a chopping action using the blade. Keep digging and chopping, you will be surprised at how quickly it breaks down. The addition of organic material will be absorbed so much more quickly!
The Polish ladies on my allotment put me onto this, they are ace gardeners.
They use it instead of a hoe too, much more effective at chopping/pulling out weeds and keeping the soil soft between rows.

[Jeanied]

It does sound like you have a clay based soil, so you need organic matter - whatever you can lay your hands on- to break it up. I don't have clay but I still use as much manure and home made compost as I can lay my hands on, and buy in some compost from my council recycling place, sold as soil conditioner. And mulch as much as you can!

[n/east lee]

hi dave,

wot part of newcastle u in.
i got my first allotment in nov and soil was clay and i got 2 ton of soil conditioner from council. it helped alot but gonna take abit of time..

[WendyC]

With a clay soil it is all about timing. If the soil dries into hard lumps then don't let it dry out, keep it covered with landscape fabric or similar until you are ready to plant into it.

[Bill HH]

If you keep putting compost on as a mulch 2 or three inches thick the worms will drag it down for you, as in all things gardening it takes time. If you are digging it them leave t rough and let the weather break it up.

[Knight of Albion]

Sounds like simply a case of the ground being impoverished and untended. Once you start to work the soil, water it and add fertilizer the soil will 'come back to life' again.

[sumonoid]

Lee,
I am im St Peters but the allotment is up on welbeck road.
What do you think of the council soil conditioner?? Im about to pick up the phone and order some.