Which vegetables thrive in heavy soil?

I'll tell you at the end of the season!

Last year in our last house I grew garlic, onions and shallots with
dissapointing results. The carrots I planted suffered at the hands of
the brother in laws dog (it rolled over them snapping of the tops) and
the spuds gave a light crop and I managed to spear every on with my fork
- and it was hard to wash the clay off.
That said the tomatoes grew well and I got loads of courgettes.
I also had success with parsley (which the guinea pigs love) and
coriander. The rosemary suffered and would have needed digging up even
if we were not moving.

This year, new house (well new to us - built in the 60s), new veg plot
(handed over from the steam rail way that is just beyond our garden). I
spent september removing brambles, weeds and rubble. I started double
digging, after doing a 1/4 of the garden I switched to single digging
and then I put a lorry load of manure on it (8m x 12m plot). At
Christmas I borrowed a rotovator and rotovated it all in.

I have since planted spuds, shallots from sets, carrots, parsnips,
runner beans, peas, brocolli, brussel sprouts & pack choi.

The carrots and the parsnips I started 1 row of each in toilet rolls in
the green house and after 2 weeks put these in the clay. I planted 1
row of each direct in the clay (scraped a line, poured the seeds in and
covered). Then I had an idea, got a bulb planter to cut cylindrical
holes, filled these with compost and puts seeds in. 4 weeks since the
first planting, 1 week since the last planting. No carrots no parsnips
up yet.

The spuds (some planted 3 weeks ago) are not up yet.

The first shallot is up (2 or 3 weeks on)

I planted the runner beans, peas, brocolli, brussel sprouts & pack choi
in the green house and moved them out last weekend (well the first
batch). They are doing OK, but are being attacked - the peas have got
notches around the leaf edges (no signed so slugs or caterpillars so I
suspect mice) and something has cut through the stem to the leafs on
some of the sprout plants (not sure what).

I am hoping I will get enough of a crop to keep me happy in summer (and
with the sprouts, brocolli & parsnips happy in the winter). Also hoping
that a lorry load of manure a year and all the compost I can make will
soon turn the plot in to a fine workable plot.
If not it is raised beds filled with top soil n a few years!


Mike