On Thu, 06 Feb 2003 09:26:08 +0000, Victoria Clare
wrote:

(Rodger Whitlock) wrote in
:

Down here in arsenic-rich gravelly Cornwall,
I seem to be endlessly feeding and mulching, and the stuff just washes
away. (it is *so* much easier to dig and weed though.)

Next time you prepare a border, put a *thick* layer of newspapers
at the bottom of the excavation...

I do, but even that doesn't hold the nutrients from manure in the way that
clay would (not that I am complaining! Would much rather *not* have the
clay!)


If there's clay soil anywhere near you, watch for a construction
site and beg a few buckets full of clean clay subsoil. Dry it
out, crush it (not too finely), and broadcast on top of the soil
in the fall, then let winter weather wash it into the soil. It
has to be exposed to the wind, rain, and frost for this to work.
If you try to dig it in, you'll end up with gravel punctuated by
lumps of clay.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada