On 11 Aug, 09:20, AngeTheUnsure AngeTheUnsure.
wrote:
Morning Chaps, Thanks so much George.com. Charlie P & 'Mike'. This is
the help I needed. This property is only 5 years old, so the ground is
not good - typical of new builds. I've put in quite a few shrubd
already, so if come Autumn/Winter I dig in compost near to those, it
wld be ok then? Also have a wormery (4 months old) so have the compost
from that to use too. Have got just one sackfull so far, and I think
thats good going as they can take 6 months at first to really get
going.

I live on clay land in Lincolnshire, and although the structure is
very heavy it is very fertile. Don't break your heart about trying to
improve all your soil all at once. Things will grow spectacularly in
it as it is, especially if you just turn it over before planting
things to get some air in and encourage a bit of drainage. Try and
visit local independent garden cetres (Rassels at Little Bytham, for
example) who will be growing things that are happy in the soil you
have, rather than shipping in mass produced boxes of stuff from all
over.

Look at, and talk about, your neighbours gardens, see what is doing
well for them. Plant a few things like Potentilla or ssghrub roses
that will grow anyway, with the intention of taking them out in a
couple of years when you want to work that location over more
intensively.

Sometimes small-scale care - like digging what compost you have into a
planting hole before putting in a tree, or just putting in a few
handfuls of bonemeal to encourage root growth, or putting half a
bucket of grit into the top inch of soil around things that are
inclined to damp off, is all you have to do. Not attacking the whole
area like a mad cultivator, or the people you see on TV.

Don't rush at it like a bull at a gate. Take your time, make a few
experiments, and try to live a bit with what you have. Save your
energy for the long haul. You need a challenge every year, not just
on the first one!