Help!

probably need a miracle,Madperth

Same here MP but we're hoping that the soil is getting better over the grass side of the garden where the border will be.

We've hopefully covered up most of the clay on the veg side and dug it out for the pond!!

Horrible stuff though innit!!

Cheers Suey! LOL!
I'm going to have to try to get more compost from the tip!
I've got more sand too, under the slabs still to be moved......
Yep, it's a nightmare!

If you have containers, you must empty the compost into the ground at the end of each summer. Sand (sharp, builders, etc) also helps, but I realise that you are on a budget and sand would have to be purchased, and delivered. I get the impression that your garden is flat, i.e., not on a slope. Creating raised beds/borders, and filling with a mix of topsoil and compost, would allow you to have a lovely garden each year. The soil/compost mix will also "leech" down into that clay graduallly, and help, over time, to improve the drainage.This is my own experience, anyway. Sorry that it is not an instant "fix" solution.

Thanks David!
There's still a lot of sharp sand under the offending slabs, & that seemed to help in the big bed, mixed with compost, but I realise there wont be an instant cure!

Think it's a 'time' thing MP.

Ours seems full of stones & rubble, as well you know!!

We'll get there girl!!

Yep! wont let it beat me! I'll just take up pottery (but although I loved "Ghost" I'm NOT into Swayze these days!) !!
:~)))

Not sure what to do but with all this rain why don't you dig a pond that should help :o)))))

No room! Lol!

aww, i do know how you feel. ;-(

Raisse the beds M. its the quickest easiest way out of your problemeven if its just 6 inches higher it will drain easily , as to the surrounding areas, lawn mostly by the look of itget a short length of scaffold pipe about 3ft long and hammer it into the lawn so it goes down at least a foot pull it out again and fill with sharp sand and compost if you can find a piece of iron bar ato hammer down in the hole made by the scaf pipe and get it as deep as you can then fill that with sand before topping out with the sand/compost mix all the better it will aid drainage immensely!

The fastest way but doesnt do much good or for long is to drive a fork (diggin var) in all over the lawn and then filll with sand.

But short of double digging and incorporating huge amounts of sand and org matter theres little hope of a quick fix.

I double dug the big bed (to about 18") & mixed it with sand & compost, which seems to have helped.
This bed is by the patio, & kinda on its own, hence the gravel showing (which I used as hardcore under the slabs). That partcular spot is getting another slab, for access to my "mini-greenhouse" But I can use the old wall units from the kitchen to make temp raised beds til i can afford wood!!

Love the title on the page tab Help; Grows on you! brilliant!

You didn't hurt yourself when you fell did you M.
Ive got a set of rules for falling over if you need them! LOL

Hee hee!

Should have thought of the raised beds, folks, as have had to do this in my current garden - no soil or borders at all. And, for one, I used contiboard shelves (1ftx 6ft) which I got for free from work. I spray-painted the outside, and lined with black bin bags. It'll do until it falls apart. I have 2 large shrubs in it and some Heucheras. Filled with a roughly 50/50 mix of topsoil and compost.

Now, talking of using kitchen units as planters, I took a great pic of a "kitchen garden" at the Gardening Scotland show last year, but never posted. Will try to find it for you, Mp.

Ok, Ta!
My units are about 3ft x 2ft I think!
I'll consider it, but not sure, given what I want to do with the garden.

We have clay soil here and in my other garden where I used to live down the road, we had a quarter of an acre. The soil at the top was wonderful but the soil at the bottom of the garden went hard at the slightest sunshine, so I bought some bags of spent mushroom compost and got some horse manure from a girl down the road. I kept the manure in a wire cage for a year then added that to the beds. The spent mushroom compost certainly helped to break up the clay as it's got straw in it.

we have clay soil to mari thats why i have raised border, but also near the house we were getting floods so baz dug down and put a drainage pipe down so there was somewhere for it to go, but saying that its close to drain cover to,,other than that lots of composs and sharp sand,

It's nowhere near the drain San, it's beside the shed.
But the bed Is going to be raised, now I just need a volunteer to take me for the compost!! LOL!

well i would but a little to far mari lol

Aw thanks Honey!