"Mike & Karen" wrote in message
...
| Well I say clay soil, but really it is just clay. I'd probably be very
| happy if I was a potter, but for growing veg I am finding it a bit of a
| challenge.


snip...

When I moved in twenty odd years ago I also had the problem of yellow clay,
but now the ground is dark and grows some really good stuff.

The way I tackled it was to concentrate on one small area at a time, as this
seemed a waste of space I decided that the crop that would help the most was
potatoes. Potatoes require you to dig the ground once and then to set
furrows, earth up and then dig out when you need them. So potatoes went
into the spare space - we cooked them every which way that year!

As we had a sugar beet factory a few miles away I had 6 tonnes of sandy soil
delivered to dig into the smaller area. We then put lettuces, radish,
tomatoes, runner beans and beetroot into it. All the weeds, grass cutting
and waste products were composted ready for next year.

At the end of the season I had workable ground on the larger piece and
pleasant soil on the smaller piece. The next season we moved to another
area and so on.

Dig lots of compost into the ground and eventually you will manageable soil,
which will grow a lot of different crops to perfection, and who can resist
the taste of runner beans that were growing on the plant 30 minutes before
you eat them?

Treat the ground, and your back, with care and you will be rewarded.

Best of luck
Steve