Heavy clay soil

Hi Folks
How do I go about improving wet and clay soil do I use
1. Grit
2. Sand

Baxter Chilling

 

Lots of organic matter is the key to it. Clay is naturally very nutritious but the particles are round and too small, so bind together very tightly hindering drainage. If you use sand it must be 'Sharp Sand', otherwise it will just bind to the clay and make it worse.

So you want manure, organic matter like compost, mulch, newspaper, dig in part done homemade compost, sharp sand (not the builders type as it contains limestone).

Here is the ultimate way of sorting it out
http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=000134;p=1#000000

Whatever you do will require a lot of hard work.

 

If you can spread bonfire ash onto the ground that will help lighten it up

 

Im on heavy clay, and as above lots or organic material, and grit is the key. Try not to work on it in wet weather as you can compress it even more. Dig it over as oftn as you can keep adding more organic an dgrit and you will improve it.

Clay isnt as bad as many people think, it just needs work.

 

This is sooooo true. I thought when i moved in and started in the garden, especially as a brand new gardener, this is going to take forever to sort. But if i wasn't a lazy arse i could have probably sorted it all in a few months. Instead of the two years so far :(

See my sig, i've still not got rid.