newbie clay bed problem

[SuzieP]

Hello all
Just come to this site after getting the GYO mag

Have just taken on an allotment (or rather half a plot as that's all there was)and finally manged to clear it of a rotting tree, old rose trees (too big to call bushes ), buddleia, brambles and loads of rubbish - Phew! Hubby has put four raised beds on it for me, each measuring 4' by 15' (four more are planned for later when materials become available ). I've filled three with well rotted muck and straw and covered in black plastic for the mo but I don't know what to fill the fourth with - I want to grow roots in it but I'm gardening on pure clay and at the moment the soil inside the bed has been dug into HUGE great sods of sticky clay so not ideal for carrots etc. I know I can't fill it with muck like the others as the roots will fork so what do I do? Can I fill it with spent mushroom compost to help add humus to the soil? Do roots mind that?

Once I get the rotation under way I'll be okay (I hope) but any suggestions gratefully received.

Suzie

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi SuzieP and welcome to the vine.

Sorry, I am not able to help with your problem but I wanted to welcome you. I am sure your query will be answered shortly by some of the superhelpful grapes on here.

Good luck with your gardening.

[SuzieP]

Thank you for the welcome Shirley

[shirlthegirl43]

You're welcome - LOL.

Actually, just had a thought about your carrot growing problem. Lots of people on here suggest growing them in containers to avoid the problem soils encountered by many. There are some varieties which don't grow long roots but form a ball instead and these are supposed to be pretty good. I did some carrots at the end of last year in a 10 litre pot and we enjoyed them with Christmas dinner so it does work. at least that way you can have perfect conditions for them until your lottie is beaten into submission!

[Two_Sheds]

You could try (like Shirl suggests) growing short round carrots, like Paris Market - they look like golf balls

[SuzieP]

Thank you for carrot suggestions. I have already planted some pots of Early Nantes after someone else suggested I could plant them now but it's not just carrots I want to grow in the bed - I want to grow parsnips too, onion, beetroot and celery so really need to sort that bed.

[SuzieP]

Oh and thank you whoever put me in the correct section . Wasn't really sure where to put it.

[Lesley Jay]

You are welcome Suzie. Welcome to the madhouse!!

[Sue]

SuzieP
Welcome to the vine and a fellow sufferer of heavy clay I see.
I'm doing raised beds too and have learned to leave the ground alone in the winter, too horrible for words. I wait until the ground has dried out then dug out the intended raised bed area, two spade depths and then sifted all the earth. This gets rid of couch grass (well most of it) and other nasties like broken glass.
Then I've heaped up and mixed the soil with manure and compost.

It takes ages, I know but they do seem to stay fairly weed free and much better draining.

Following some other notes on the vine I have got two "experimental" raised beds on the go. Thick cardboard layer, semi-composted material mixed with grass cuttings topped with a layer of finished compost. I was going to use these for peas and beans. Well, see what happens anyway.

Good luck, clay is horrible at first, but the bits I did first, that have been well composted, grit added etc, I can see a difference, another seven years and it will be wonderful....
best wishes
Sue

[taylorlej]

Good luck, clay is horrible at first, but the bits I did first, that have been well composted, grit added etc, I can see a difference, another seven years and it will be wonderful....


the grit that you added - what exactly is this - i have some sharp sand/building sand - will this do. what else do you use.

thanks

[rustylady]

Once you get it workable clay is wonderful stuff. Add sharp sand, and as much compost/manure as you can get hold of. As for root veggies - onions shouldn't be a problem, nor should round roots such as beetroot, round varieties of carrots (although these shouldn't be put in freshly manured ground). Parsnips may be a bit of a problem as they are tap-rooted like traditional carrots, but celery isn't a root veg so should be OK.

[NOG]

Add anything green, grass cuttings, leaves, seperate the straw from the manure and add that then dig it over. then add sand and keep doing it for the next 20 years.

[Pippin]

Hi Suzie,

Welcome to the GV.

I`m glad your doing some raised beds - much easier to manage and crops can be grown more intensively.

The plus for clay soils is that they hold moister and nutrients a lot better - I`m sure I don`t need to tell you the down side.

I built a number of raised beds this winter and filled them with compost purchased from my local recycling company (Virador) - those people who pick up your rubbish. I don`t know if it is nationwide but my company compost all their organic stuff. It is done to very high standards. I borrowed a friends trailer and filled it with just over half a metric tonne and it only cost me £10.

You might like to check to see if your recycling company does this or ask your council.

Pippin

[NOG]

I built a number of raised beds this winter and filled them with compost purchased from my local recycling company
You might like to check to see if your recycling company does this or ask your council.

Our council do this as well I buy tons of it, but there is a big downer on it at
our allotmetns.

[Pippin]

Why is that Nog.

Pippin