Hi have moved to house on a slope, heavy clay that is cracking at the moment in the heat; how do i establish gardends here there are some largish dips around the house and I am wondering how to fill and tidy these areas for planting in the future, is sand a good mix for clay does it need churning up with a rotary hoe and removing, not sure what to do. Any help or advice with starting off would be very helpful.
gkgirl,
Jan 28, 1:30pm
I added builders sand to my really muddy clayey bits and it worked really well, the grass eventually grew back through it but it hasn't gotten back to that hard mud state it was before.
Aren't you supposed to grow legumes to fix nitrogen and living matter into the soil! I think you grow something broomy and after it starts to die you dig it in to the soil. Chuck heaps of leaves to go naturally mouldy on it as well, that is the best self making mulch for balanced soil.
You could probably also chuck old wool carpet and newspapers on, and pea straw. and if you dig large 'steps' in for plantings, your new topsoil won't instantly wash away down the slope. I think at some stage though it's all got to be churned around or soil created on it as clay isn't naturally going to start absorbing other textures.
If there are no useful plants growing there at all, could you fence it and put in some chickens! They will keep the weeds down for you too, and their waste and pecking might introduce bugs into the clay.
tigra,
Jan 28, 1:34pm
Rotary Hoe with sand and lots of Gypsum. You will need to go over it several times to make the clay soil friableand even then I would tend to put a 4" layer of top soil on it.Howevera root crop such as potatoes often helps break up clay soils.
kp11,
Jan 28, 1:53pm
*Warning bells in my head**Have you considered the dips (that you want to fill in) might be channeling rain runoff to keep it from running under the house!If you havnt already, i'd wait for a really heavy downpour & watch what happens first, then decide on your planting.
amasser,
Jan 28, 2:23pm
What No. 2 says - not sand alone as it has the opposite effect - water runs straight through. Add lots of compost to improve soil.
net_oz,
Jan 28, 6:14pm
If you are on a slope then have you considered terracing it for your gardens! Get a heap of compost and good soil in to fill them up. Don't waste your time trying to mix stuff into the clay.
tlharrex,
Jan 29, 5:20am
Chuck some lime down too, this will help to loosen and aerate the clay. Then I would do what poster 2 said but also make sure it won't wash away with the next lot of heavy rain. Mrs tlh
si50,
Jan 30, 6:26am
we're in a similar situation -on the hill with very clay-y soil.We've tried potatoes and gypsum over the years, with limited success, so once our house is sorted (post EQ) we're going to build big boxes with sleepers and fill them with new topsoil and lots of compost.
arielbooks,
Jan 30, 12:37pm
We had a similar problem and used ash from our fireplace and home made compost. We now have wonderful soil.
Make sure the ash is from untreated timber though.
black-dahlia,
Jan 31, 8:40am
I've dug a garden on clay, I have corm watermelon cucumber and broad beans in it and they're all growing really well for some reason, I added some fertiliser when planting but thats all
ang_ck,
Jan 31, 9:36am
agapanthus
tigra,
Jan 31, 10:58am
A HUGE NO!
irenew,
Jan 31, 7:13pm
It's taken about 3 years to really get my clayey soil to a standard I'm reasonably pleased with.This has involved a rotary hoe to start with, then 2 trailer loads of top soil, plus lots of compost.The last 2 years I've added gypsum too.I also rotate my crops for best effect.All the best with it.
gkgirl,
Jan 31, 7:53pm
good god lol. i hate agapanthus, or should i say my huge snail hotel.every few months i try and kill 10 % of it with a spade.
edenrose,
Feb 16, 10:46pm
We live on a steep hill, with a clay pan and eventually put 3 large vegie bins on it.Ours are 6 metes long and 1.5 metres wide, no wider otherwise it's too hard to reach the middle.We filled them with homemade compost and some bought topsoil.Put snapdragons and lobelias in the corners to brighten things up. Everything grows really well as the soil is so warm.Needs lots of watering in this weather. More bins to be made in the Autumn.
guest,
Oct 10, 4:33pm
Hi Frankie,Don't take that mother's words sesoiurly. She's so selfish and impolite!You have many fans to support you. Wish you all the best in the New Year Shirley
guest,
Oct 11, 7:44pm
Just finished your book and I loved it. I was thikinng with your vast experience you should write an article or webinar on how an artist can get his/her work branded. I'm off to create with all the inspiration I got from reading your book. My sketchbook was right next to me. Thank you for being you.
guest,
Jun 1, 1:41am
Thank you so very much Margaret for your very kind words, I really acpieprate it. Lots of times when I write an article or tutorial I never hear any feedback until I meet the person in person. I'm happy to hear that you like the book. I'll give your suggestion some thought.
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