Dealing With Clay Soil in New Gardens
Many new garden sites consist of little but rough ground and boulder's debris.
It is always hoped that the good top soil removed during excavations has been placed on one side for subsequent redistribution.
In any case, levelling the ground and carrying out any necessary soil improvement is a necessity.
Many gardens have more than one type of soil.
For example, a garden could have gravel near the surface at the top of the garden while the lower part of the garden could have clay.
The most common soil type is clay, which can be very difficult to work with.
With clay soil, drainage is important as it tends to retain moisture as the individual soil particles are very small.
So, if you do have clay soil, there some things you can do in order to improve the soil for planting.
Mixing the clay soil with light sandy soils break up the close packed soil particles and so allow excess moisture to drain freely to lower levels.
Another important factor is when to cultivate the soil during the year.
Working them in wet weather for instance is not a good idea because you could compact the soil and so create more harm than good.
By digging during good weather during autumn and creating a rough surface can help during the winter rainy months for the water to drain easier.
At this early stage it is essential to determine if the natural drainage is sufficient to cope with all likely weather conditions.
If there is any reason to doubt this, it is a good idea to dig two foot holes in several places around the garden and see if they hold water after heavy rain.
To fix drainage problems within the garden, 3 inch diameter drainpipes can be laid about 2 feet underground that leads to a suitable outfall.
It is also best to use plants that are best suited for clay soil, rather than trying to change the soil to suit some of the plants you would like to grow.
It is always hoped that the good top soil removed during excavations has been placed on one side for subsequent redistribution.
In any case, levelling the ground and carrying out any necessary soil improvement is a necessity.
Many gardens have more than one type of soil.
For example, a garden could have gravel near the surface at the top of the garden while the lower part of the garden could have clay.
The most common soil type is clay, which can be very difficult to work with.
With clay soil, drainage is important as it tends to retain moisture as the individual soil particles are very small.
So, if you do have clay soil, there some things you can do in order to improve the soil for planting.
Mixing the clay soil with light sandy soils break up the close packed soil particles and so allow excess moisture to drain freely to lower levels.
Another important factor is when to cultivate the soil during the year.
Working them in wet weather for instance is not a good idea because you could compact the soil and so create more harm than good.
By digging during good weather during autumn and creating a rough surface can help during the winter rainy months for the water to drain easier.
At this early stage it is essential to determine if the natural drainage is sufficient to cope with all likely weather conditions.
If there is any reason to doubt this, it is a good idea to dig two foot holes in several places around the garden and see if they hold water after heavy rain.
To fix drainage problems within the garden, 3 inch diameter drainpipes can be laid about 2 feet underground that leads to a suitable outfall.
It is also best to use plants that are best suited for clay soil, rather than trying to change the soil to suit some of the plants you would like to grow.
