By Muddy
United Kingdom 
for bulbaholic and avkq47. last december i said how i had gardened for over 50years on light sandy soil, and had just moved to a house with shallow soil with clinker underneath, followed by solid clay. this is an update on your advice. using your ideas and some of mine. i have dug and turned the soil as best as i can (a bit hard in the winter as it was practically under water) i have added more gravel. loosened the clinker and also am in the process of digging up approx; 1 ft of clay under the soil where i can, and i am making as much compost as i can for later. we have grown and started eating potatoes, and have other veg and fruit well on the way. being a bit set in my ways i havent decided yet on raised beds. so thanks for you help, any more advice gratefully accepted. ps i am allowed to dump the clay on waste land at the bottom of my garden.
18 Jun, 2012
Answers
Can I just add, keep growing the spuds Muddy as well as adding humus. I went through similar, though not by the sound of it, quite so bad some 15 years ago when we moved here. Spuds do help to break up clayey soil so keep it up.
18 Jun, 2012
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I am very please to hear that things are working out for your garden, Muddy, it sounds as if you were living up to your name, lol!!! I think that you must have been working very hard and have done very well to be getting crops from the garden so quickly. It is always nice to have an area to 'dump' stuff like unwanted clay close to the garden. The only three things that I can think of to add now are humus, humus and humus.
Our neighbour has decided to build raised beds across the area of her garden that we have been using for growing vegetables. I have never used them and don't see a reason for them up here so we will probably pull out of the garden.
18 Jun, 2012