Tefra wrote:
Hello all, I'm new here and I wondered if anyone could help me.

I've just moved to a new house with a moderate sized garden that the
previous householder had covered with gravel. I've shifted a small
amount and pulled up the lining and the soil underneath is extremely
wet, almost slimy. As I now live on the edge of the Brecon Beacons I
can expect a good amount of rain, there's also a small stream about
50 yards away so it's a damp area generally.

Is there anything I can put down that's particularly good for very wet
soil to give it some nutrients and body? At the moment I've just
bunged down some straw on the small patch so I can at least walk on
it to feed my chickens who don't seem to be enjoying the damp
conditions much either.

I'd really appreciate any advice as I'm a new and fairly clueless
gardener.

Thanks in advance.

This is a very complex subject and the range of solutions that will work
depend on the situation and what you want to do in the garden. Unless you
really must have a quick solution don't rush to fix the obvious problem but
consider what you want to do overall. I suggest that you get some garden
design books from the library and spend time looking and thinking before you
raise a shovel.

David