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claggy ground

• Message 1. 

  Posted by DDgardenguy (U14764571) on Friday, 20th January 2012

  i'm trying to grow in my new garden but the soil is very sticky. I have about 2 feet of soil then clay. i tried to grow on a raised bed last year with not much compost on top so ended up with short fat carrots and leeks which hardly grew.
  
  the ground had loads of Ivy in, which i removed as far down as i could (roots clear at leat down to the clay).
  
  what can i use to loosen the soil and to add some fertility to the soil??

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Kleftiwallah (U13700999) on Friday, 20th January 2012

  Anything you can get your hands on will help. Manure, Compost, leafmould even wool shoddy if you are in that part of the world. Grit sand will help drainage. If you have any, blitz it in a small area, don't spread it thinly over all the ground. Cheers, Tony.

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Tee Gee (U10012255) on Friday, 20th January 2012

  but the soil is very sticky. 
  
  Then I would recommend that you keep off it while it is in this state or you may make matters worse.
  
  Go to this link and you will find quite a lot about soils and their cultivation.
  
  

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by Kleftiwallah (U13700999) on Friday, 20th January 2012

  I don't know if this will work, but there is a Cumbrian dialect word that describes this type of ground perfectly. If it doesn't appear, some wordsmith has removed it.
  
  Clarty. Cheers, Tony.

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Friday, 20th January 2012

  Hi,
  
  You need some thing which will improve the structure of your soil which in turn helps improve drainage, Manure, compost and leaf mould all do this although they will take time to work.
  
  Good luck.
  
  I've heard of the term Tony, hadn't associated it with sticky soil though but it would apply those of us from the cumbrian side of Lancashire sometimes refer to having a clarty mouth whilst eating something like sticky toffee pudding or treacle toffee.
  
  

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• Message 6

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  Posted by pjgolf (U2469936) on Saturday, 21st January 2012

  I`m from Cumbria Tony and clarty sounds about right to me. It also means someone who always seems to be lucky !
  
  PJ

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• Message 7

  , in reply to message 6.

  Posted by Kleftiwallah (U13700999) on Saturday, 21st January 2012

  Surely you mean a Jammy Gadgee. How about the word Chora?
  
  I believe quite a few Cumbrian words are actually Gypsy in origin. Cheers, Tony.

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• Message 8

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by ccman (U14596058) on Tuesday, 31st January 2012

  I have a local supplier of used mushroom compost - currently a fiver for 3 lags sacks. I also make compost using the Californian method - Google it - which makes really good stuff in less than a couple of months. We've been putting both on our raised beds reclaimed from a clay meadow and 5 years on, we now get good root crops and leeks. It isn't a quick job!!

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