Planting into very compacted soil

[annie8]

Before I got my raised beds we had really compacted and poor quality. I found potatoes did well and improved the solid ness of the soil. So if you could dig over a bit might be worth a try. I haven't put my potatoes in the ground yet

[Muddy_Boots]

Firstly, the lawn ....... forget it as it will be more compacted than the pavement.

Secondly, as suggested nip to somewhere like Wilko's to buy a cheap spade to dig that plastic covered area. No need to go getting stainless steel expensive digging implements, take up the plastic and chippings and put away ready to be put back when you've finished.

Dig the area and remove all the bricks, rubble and plastic and put into a pile in a corner. You need to dig the area else you won't get much out of your endeavors and then try planting potatoes as they are the easiest to grow and you will be able to then decide what else you want to grow. I suggest trying a few Tomato plants in between the rows plus lettuces, radishes and spring onions, anything like salad crops are also good.

[self-contained]

Do you have a local farmer who
Might deliver a couple of bales of straw (or hay) to you? If so this might be an option...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardenin...-any-good.html

I had considered it, but am not too sure what I would do with the straw when I am moving out in a few months. I suppose I could spread it out under the plastic sheet to hide it.

[self-contained]

I can get ya big grow bags that have really decent compost in them for £1.80 each from the farm shop - it's not far from the hospital either. If you haven't got a car, I'm happy to go get some for you. I bought some there just the other day.

I'd sow carrots, beetroot, salads, radishes, french beans - anything that is quite quick You don't need much compost to be able to sow into it. For that area, I reckon four grow bags would be enough to sow into

I mean, I feel like I might be foolish to say no to an offer like that, but really wouldn't want to put you to any trouble. If you are going back again anyway, and can manage the weight, then it would certainly help. However, I have been pondering my options overnight and think I am going to remove the plastic from the entire area, then rake soil from the shaded part into the sunny part. That way I will have soil available to earth up potatoes, though the underlying ground will still be pretty solid.

[Can the Man]

Potatoes and cabbage plants will help break up the soil. But you do need to consider one or two tools like a fork which can operate as a rake also and a hoe.

[self-contained]

Personally, I would just buy a cheap fork or spade. You can get one for less than £10.
It's not like you'd need to make a trip out just to get one - large supermarkets sell them (or at least they normally do; not sure what stock levels might be like at the moment), so you could just pick one up at the same time as your weekly shop.

Unfortunately, as a non-driver, buying a spade/fork means bringing home around a third less food (I carry a rucksack and two bags-for-life usually). I haven't seen any at Lidl either, and the bigger supermarkets seem to have ridiculous queues to get in. Having done a shop this week, I'm not planning to go back for another three weeks or so. I'll do what I can with my rake!

If I were making a long term investment in the soil here, it would be different, but I just want to get something growing to add to my veggies intake while I'm trying to minimise my trips to the supermarket (being a dirty great lump of a healthcare professional, I'm concerned about my risk of being an asymptomatic spreader!).

[self-contained]

I have made a small amount of progress.

I started with this:



Then raked all the mulch into a pile, wrapped in the plastic. It looks like a small pile in this picture, but it's actually huge!



Then I've started removing the biggest stones and bits of pother debris. Here's what I've removed so far:



But there's still a lot to go, and I've found this big chunk of concrete that I am not going to be able to move at all:



However, the soil is less compacted than I thought and I'm managing to break it up to a trowel's depth. Blooming hard work and slow progress with a trowel though!



I do need to be careful not to wreck my wrists too much as I need them for work!

[broadway]

I have made a small amount of progress.

I started with this:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]90925[/ATTACH]

Then raked all the mulch into a pile, wrapped in the plastic. It looks like a small pile in this picture, but it's actually huge!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]90926[/ATTACH]

Then I've started removing the biggest stones and bits of pother debris. Here's what I've removed so far:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]90927[/ATTACH]

But there's still a lot to go, and I've found this big chunk of concrete that I am not going to be able to move at all:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]90928[/ATTACH]

However, the soil is less compacted than I thought and I'm managing to break it up to a trowel's depth. Blooming hard work and slow progress with a trowel though!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]90929[/ATTACH]

I do need to be careful not to wreck my wrists too much as I need them for work!

Looking good SC

[Dynamite]

I had considered it, but am not too sure what I would do with the straw when I am moving out in a few months. I suppose I could spread it out under the plastic sheet to hide it.

Hi SC, I would stick to your pots and not bother with the garden if you are leaving the property in two months time. That way at least you can take with you what you do manage to plant. I personally don’t think that you will be rewarded with anything to harvest if you are leaving in two months so will be a complete waste of time. Better spent working on your containers I reckon and save the money for the new place.

Kind Regards..........Rob

[self-contained]

Not two months, a few months!

I have enough time to get my early potatoes, some beetroot and some other things harvested. And goodness only knows if I'll actually get to move when I'm supposed to. My long awaited house buying ship has sadly sailed, and it's hard to know how I will even move to another rental if we are all still social distancing (Who helps me? How do I get removals people? How do I view new properties?) I'm not sowing anything that won't give me a crop before August (though a few things that might not be entirely done by then), even though I may regret that when it turns out I have to stay here after all.

[muckdiva]

I had considered it, but am not too sure what I would do with the straw when I am moving out in a few months. I suppose I could spread it out under the plastic sheet to hide it.

Absolutely, spread it under the plastic and water it so it becomes compost in a few months.
I like the grow bag idea too... sounds like the least work option.

[ameno]

If you could get hold of some sort of steel pole or crowbar, that may make easier work of it. You can use that to break up the soil into largish lumps, and then break those lumps up with the trowel and rake afterwards.
You just need something with a bit more weight and leverage than a rake or trowel, and strong enough to withstand the force.

[Dynamite]

If you could get hold of some sort of steel pole or crowbar, that may make easier work of it. You can use that to break up the soil into largish lumps, and then break those lumps up with the trowel and rake afterwards.
You just need something with a bit more weight and leverage than a rake or trowel, and strong enough to withstand the force.

Yes that would work Plus, once you make an initial hole, just keep breaking the edges off and moving backwards.

Kind Regards..........Rob

[self-contained]

This is where I'd got to by this morning:



I wasn't able to remove the biggest concrete chunk, so I used the hole around it to bury some of the rubble. I will plant some shallow rooted crops above this, and use part of it as a path:



I put down some cardboard after filling some dips with bramble and grass clippings from last August:

[self-contained]

Then, the wonderful SarrissUK dropped off three big bags of compost (at a distance!) and I did this:



Then this:



I respread the bark mulch on the plastic and now it's actually looking like a veg garden:



The obelisks aren't necessarily in the right place - I was just seeing how easily they could be pushed in.

Phew. Now I just need to plant something!