Mike Lyle wrote:
[H]omer wrote:

I finally took the plunge and started digging to discover the cause
of my drainage problems. Surprise, surprise - it's heavily compacted
soil on top of solid clay ... lots of clay.

I've decided to start from scratch and just excavate the whole site.

What I need to know is this:

1) ... What depth should I dig to? (I have a digger).
2) ... What type of aggregate and organic materials do I need?
3) ... What depths should each material be, and in what order?

my experience of hardening up a west Wales clay patch about 80' x 35'
suggests a foot of 4" to 1" limestone with what little soil and compost
I could spare on top (varying in depth from 6" to 1/2"

So you reckon 12" of chips followed by 6" of organic material?

6" doesn't sound very deep. I was planning on planting trees as well.

Is that really all I need?

It sounds as though you may have a bit more money than I did, so you
can do a more refined job.

Well I can pretty much afford to do anything I like with this garden, so
yes, I want to do the best job possible.

Thanks for the info.

-
[H]omer