In article .com,
"Mark" writes:
|
| My question is about ground preparation. We would like to add about 3
| inches of topsoil to this part of the garden to raise it up a bit, but
| dont know if we have to prepare the clay soil below this. It seems
| pretty obvious to me that we need to do something to aid drainage all
| over this area, but im not sure if the 3 inches of topsoil will do this
| on its own.

No, it won't. You must loosen the clay to a foot down at the very
least, and that won't be enough if it is really bad.

| Is it advisable to dig in a tonne or so of sharp sand to aid in
| drainage, or is it really not worth it. We are on a pretty tight budget
| so if we can do without it would be beneficial, but i dont mind
| spending a bit more on sand just to make sure that we arent going to
| end up with a bog in winter.

You would be best off NOT buying topsoil for a lawn, but adding the
3" in the form of sharp sand or fine gravel - it is likely to be
cheaper, too. Dig it in to the top 6" and sow onto the sand/clay
mixture.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.