On Wed, 05 Feb 2003 09:24:00 +0000, Victoria Clare
wrote:

I think the type of soil you are on makes a big difference. My Cheshire
clay responded eagerly to manuring, and seemed to hold the nutrients
well for a couple of years.

For the OP, let me remark that clay soils are widely considered
to be very good because they retain nutrients and moisture so
well. It's just that they're damnably hard to work with: often
sticky when wet, brick-hard when dry.


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. A friend here had a gravelly
soil and used to use newspapers to keep soil admendments from
disappearing so quickly. Once the plants are well-rooted, the
roots alone will help keep things in place.

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

(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. A friend here had a gravelly
soil and used to use newspapers to keep soil admendments from
disappearing so quickly. Once the plants are well-rooted, the
roots alone will help keep things in place.

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!)

A lot of my garden is planted into layers of newspapers and compost on the
top of the underlying gravel bed, 'cos digging into it is a curiously
unrewarding experience.

Victoria

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

"Sarah Dale" wrote in message . co.uk...

I quite agree, a bit of brave exploration of your local stables compost
heap should yield some well matured horse manure.

Thanks for the advice, everybody.

I'll go back to the stables with my strongest digging arms and nosepeg
for the drive home ;-)

(The stable hand also mentioned he had some old feed bags which would
be stronger than binbags and which I could take, too)

In article , Katharine
Mill wrote:

Thanks for the advice, everybody.

I'll go back to the stables with my strongest digging arms and nosepeg
for the drive home ;-)

Um, your not anywhere near Gravesend in Kent are you? I have a large
pile of horse manure which is completely free of bedding. It keeps
asking me if I have found it a new home yet.

--
Adrian

"Theory and practice are the same in theory, but different in practice"

Adrian Chapman wrote in message efuge.co.uk...

Um, your not anywhere near Gravesend in Kent are you? I have a large
pile of horse manure which is completely free of bedding. It keeps
asking me if I have found it a new home yet.

Sadly, no :-(. Born and bred in Catford, but now gardening in Brussels.