Preparing a new bed

Hello,

Complete beginner so looking for some advice please! I've removed turf from an area that I want to convert into a flower bed. I know you're supposed to add soil conditioner in the autumn to give it time to do it's stuff, so what's the best thing for me to do now so that I can plant some grasses and perennials in the spring? Should I still buy in some manure/mushroom compost/composted bark and dig it in now or is it much too late? It's clay soil by the way...

Thank you

 

Hi Posey...Welcome to GC

I should imagine ,depending on where you live in the country it will be quite wet at the moment which will make for hard work to dig it over especially being clay,but if it's not too bad i'd dig it over to open the soil up a bit and leave it for a while,nearer planting time i'd add some well rotted manure and some grit to aid drainage ....if the surrounding lawn is wet i'd try to keep off it if you can

 

Thanks for the quick replies! I've read that for a 15 sq m bed I'd need around 1000 litres of organic matter. From what I've seen that would cost me over £100. Is that volume strictly necessary? I don't want to cut corners but at the same time I don't want to be spending over the odds...

 

Thank you, I'll get reading! I'm not sure really. The ground doesn't seem as heavy and sticky as in my last garden so I don't think it's too bad.

 

If it is heavy clay I would rough dig it with a spade - in big lumps - and hope we get some cold weather. That will do wonders to break it up.

But the big problem with clay is that it sticks together, so it will compact. Adding organic matter will help to keep it open. As will never walking on it. Use a board every time you need to get to the middle of the bed, even when it is baked solid in summer (probably overkill, but it avoids having to know when is OK and when is not )

Mine is too wet, just now, to do as Loofah says, but if I were digging it in the Autumn before it got sodden then that is what I would be doing.

I reckon you want 2 - 4 " of organic matter - lets say 2" dug in and a 2" inch mulch (and not of Bark, that would do to keep the weeds down and moisture in, but a mulch that will rot down quicker will help the soil more - rotted manure, mushroom compost, spent hops, etc.)

15 square meters x 2 inches = 762 litres - so your 1,000 Litres is about right. And same again for a mulch.

Any stables nearby? They may well let you have bags of manure for the bagging-up-and-taking-away yourself. Or a bulk delivery will be cheaper - if there is room for a tipper vehicle to get somewhere near the plot - hard work moving several tonnes from the road into the garden all-in-one-go!!

 

Try eBay, free cycle and gum tree as people who own horses offer free horse poo on there as well. That's what I did and found a free local supply. Which reminds me I need some more.

Rusty.

 

And the grit is important, too, as it improves the drainage permanently whereas organic matter disappears with time. As much grit and sharp sand as you can get hold of!