In article , Joe Jamies
writes
Hi there,

I would like to improve the soil on my property, which is clay-like
and very hard to work with (hasn't been worked for over 40 years). I
would like to try to add a large amount of compost to improve the
quality of soil, but I need a large amount to do this. I have a
compost pile going, to which I add kitchen waste, grass clippings, and
twigs, but the resulting quantity is not enough and seems like only a
symbolic amount when I look of the size of the potential garden-to-be
(I have about 400 sq. m. available for gardening, but will not use
that much in reality!).

We are gardening about 1 hectare (2 acres) of which about a third is in
cultivation and needs composting every so often. I've done an urg FAQ on
large scale organic composting which can be seen at:
http://www.nugget.demon.co.uk/MetaFAQ/organic.html

A certain amount of chainsaw chippings, sawdust and shredded woody
material is used in our system, some of it in composting and some as
mulch, but all of them need to be applied to soil with caution. Most of
ours finish up improving our grass paths in wet seasons. Some of that
kind of material would help to loosen heavy clay providing it is put in
fairly deep - i.e. around 12".30cm at least.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.