The right soil/enhancer

[TracyP]

I apologise because at the momenrt I am just asking questions and can't give too much advice at the moment, but please forgive me if I ask another one - I promise by this time next year I will be very much a giver of advice, even if it still novice!

I have built one raised bed, the others (3) are work in progress. Bearing in mind that I will be planting in them in about 3 weeks, what is the best soil enhancer? I have added sharp sand, as the soil is very clayey, but it has been dug a lot, maybe even too deep (red stuff down there). any advice on what I can add, that will be available from the garden centre.

Thanks again

[gojiberry]

Anything from the garden center is likely to be expensive. Best bet is a local farmer and a wagon full of well rotted manure.

Ian

[Paulottie]

Yep, Muck is good (if a bit weedy sometimes) and start a compost heap too. Try your local council for a ton of their compost, or even contact a mushroom farm for a spent compost delivery.

Good that you have broken up the bottom to allow drainage.

Don't worry about asking questions its what we are here for.

[phil the shed]

watch out for the mushroom compost though readily available it is a bit limey great for brassica's but not potato's it sends them scabby.

[StarPlanter]

Well I just dug some "rock dust" into my soil, it has every mineral known, and someone told me it restores the ground back to a time when it was untouched by humans.. its my first year using rockdust.. it is claimed it will improve yield and flavour.. if you google "rockdust and hit the link concerning the "seer centre" all the info is there.. i tried to do an article but it went to moderation and subsequently never appeared?

[crichmond]

Cant go wrong with a couple of tons of manure, unless your planting your root veg there of course.
I will give rock dust a miss for now until there is factual evidence rather than just what the advertising says, I look forward to your results and the results of PW as well, I would also assume that it depends on the type of rock used as well.

Cheers Chris

[ClayGarden]

Cant go wrong with a couple of tons of manure, unless your planting your root veg there of course.
I will give rock dust a miss for now until there is factual evidence rather than just what the advertising says, I look forward to your results and the results of PW as well, I would also assume that it depends on the type of rock used as well.

Cheers Chris

That was phrased a lot better than i could have put it.

[crichmond]

Also if you rockdust the whole garden you cannot say if it improves things or not as it may just be a better year ie weather and such like, you would have to have seperate beds one with rockdust and one without then grow exactly the same seeds in both beds preferably from the same packets as well so as to get a true comparative test. You would also need to water and feed them the same as each other so that the only difference between the two would be the addition of rockdust.

Cheers Chris

[ClayGarden]

And if its so fine and round particles, that is really going to make a clay garden even worse. Having researched clay any organic matter is always the ultimate advise. And from a couple of years experience it has improved my soils drainage no end.

[TracyP]

Thanks all
My council does sells their compost at a quid a bag, so will get some, also some manure.

Bed no 2 is now in - horray! I'm going to make one long slim bed rather than 2 more as I have discovered a wall below the soil which will stop me ramming in the stake posts to the right depth. That one will be for my salad crops this year. Very excited!

Thanks again

[mrs dog]

Hi, my garden was just solid clay when I first moved here. Everything is grown in homemade compost. I have just collected all household waste in empty dog food bags then when they are full just dig them in and the worms do the rest. Everything grows. More orange and lemons etc if you are planting ericasious and non in the bags for the rest. I also rip up and soak cardboard the worms pull it down and break up the soil at the same time. I would use manure but as I don't have transport its a bit difficult.

[StarPlanter]

I will grow some toms in buckets crichmond, on a 50/50 basis.. gardeners delight and marmande? and let let people know my results.. too late for the actual garden as its been rockdusted all over wish i hadn't now, but great advice about doing a study, thanks