By Elmtree
I have moved to a house with a small garden which has been neglected. The soil is heavy clay, Help! Which plants can grow on clay? Thank you.
- 30 Jan, 2016
Answers
Good suggestion. And try roses and Michaelmas daisies.
30 Jan, 2016
Had the same problem until I used the Lasagna Gardening method. This works wonders on a clay base. To get the details on this method just go into the " google custom search" engine on this page(to be found on the top right hand corner) and type " Lasagna Gardening". To see the results check my photos section. I had such a heavy clay base I could sculpt with it. Might add that this is a lot easier on the back than digging and mixing in constituents into the clay.
30 Jan, 2016
Loosestrife, I clicked on your avatar as i wanted to read the blog but got a message saying your account had been deleted???
However, looked the method up on line - looks great, (if you can get enough mulching materials) thank you for the info.
30 Jan, 2016
Sue,I tried after seeing your comment,but L,strife's account is still there?
30 Jan, 2016
That's weird - just looked again and there it is!!! And I'd done it three times to be sure I hadn't made a mistake.
30 Jan, 2016
Oooh..spooky ! never mind,all is well..we haven't lost him :o)
30 Jan, 2016
HALLELUJAH!
30 Jan, 2016
Ha ha..:o)
30 Jan, 2016
Like the disappearing Loosestrife I also used the lasagne method on clay in my previous garden.
It was the only way I could grow anything there. On top of your existing clay soil put down a layer of cardboard, then a layer of manure or organic compost and finish off with a layer of straw. By next year it will have turned into lovely soil in which you can plant and do the same thing again.
30 Jan, 2016
I might add that another biodegradable bottom layer would be several layers of newspaper...don't worry about the ink, these days soy based ink is used. What you must never use is membrane.
31 Jan, 2016
What is the soil pH? Adding Gypsum to alkaline soils, or limestone to acid soil will flocculate the clay, improving friability and drainage. It can, however, be a slow process, and it requires at least some drainage.
31 Jan, 2016
Loads, but it would be good to dig in some composted animal manure or the like before you plant, and when you're clearing/weeding the garden anyway, before planting. If you look at the bottom of the page, select the letter C and look for clay under there - you'll find clay shade plants, clay sun plants. The other factors, though, are how much sun does it get - often, small gardens don't receive a lot of sunlight, depending on the situation, and temperature/exposure, that is, where you are in the country
30 Jan, 2016