peterlsutton wrote:
Loads of organic bulky material on the top will help a lot.

On a practical level how do you cope with applying manure to a
border
with a bark chip mulch. If you want to manure and mulch every
year,
does this rule out bark chips.

Good question. On the whole, I think it does. The best mulch for most
plants is well-rotted manure or compost. Bark chips are a mulch for
people, if you see what I mean. What I mean, of course, isn't mass
burial of my fellow-subjects, but that a bark chip mulch isn't there
for the benefit of plants, but of humans who haven't got time for
weeding, or who have been trained by some public displays to think
there has to be bare space between plants. I think it's often quite
revolting.

--
Mike.

On a practical level how do you cope with applying manure to a border with
a
bark chip mulch. If you want to manure and mulch every year, does this
rule
out bark chips.

you could scrape back the bark, put down the manure, then put the bark back.
Hayley

On a practical level how do you cope with applying manure to a border with
a
bark chip mulch. If you want to manure and mulch every year, does this
rule
out bark chips.

Thanks for your comments. The main reason for the interest in bark chip is
that I have just found an excellent source at a local saw mill. There is a
pile bigger than my house and they are chargeing 50p for a dustbin full.
If I could get manure or compost at that price I would use that. I
understand that any decomposed organic matter will improve clay, by binding
the tiny clay particles together into larger particles. The tiny particle
size being the cause of all the problems.

Peter

I too have a clay garden. When the gas pipes were re-done round here they had to abandon their little diggers in some areas and get in the ground with spades!!
I might try some of the suggestions here, although I've pretty much given up trying to create a nice layer of topsoil.
If you choose plants that don't mind clay soil and water well when they go in, you can create a lovely garden and save your back.
Clay soil is pretty nutritious once a plant has settled in. I've found that aquilegia, ribus, astilbe and many others have been happy with just a potsized hole cut out of the clay and plenty of water in the first couple of weeks. Even a very mature wisteria I just put in is flourishing (and the way I put that into the ground was shameful considering the size of the plant!!)

I'm going to get told off now for being so lazy.....

peterlsutton wrote:
On a practical level how do you cope with applying manure to a
border with a bark chip mulch. If you want to manure and mulch
every year, does this rule out bark chips.

Thanks for your comments. The main reason for the interest in bark
chip is that I have just found an excellent source at a local saw
mill. There is a pile bigger than my house and they are chargeing
50p for a dustbin full. If I could get manure or compost at that
price I would use that. I understand that any decomposed organic
matter will improve clay, by binding the tiny clay particles
together
into larger particles. The tiny particle size being the cause of
all
the problems.

Peter

Right. Your binful will be more like a few shovelfuls when it's
rotted down properly, which takes for bloody ever unless you add
nitrogen. In small quantities, uncomposted timber waste won't do any
harm; but you can't compare it with rotted manure or compost. I
reckon 50p a binful is a swindle. You're doing them a favour by
taking the stuff away: what else are they going to do with it?

If the money doesn't matter too much, then you can mix it with the
cheapest source of nitrogen you can find or manage, and it will be
good -- certainly a lot cheaper than the loads of dubious topsoil
some of our enquirers seem to be happy to lash out on for no clear
reason. That said, I'd be happy enough to dig in lots of sawmill
waste, or straw or spoilt hay, if I had pure building-site clay; but
I wouldn't expect it to turn into ordinary soil for a few years, even
if I dug in a lot of sand and grit at the same time.

But having said _that_, I admit plants want to grow; so we shouldn't
worry too much about the conditions, but just keep on growing what
did well the year before, and add new ones all the time to see if
anything's changed. The very fact of plants growing in a soil will
improve it.

--
Mike.

"kate7" wrote in message
...

H Ryder Wrote:
On a practical level how do you cope with applying manure to a border
with
a-
bark chip mulch. If you want to manure and mulch every year, does
this-
rule-
out bark chips.-

you could scrape back the bark, put down the manure, then put the bark
back.
Hayley

I too have a clay garden. When the gas pipes were re-done round here
they had to abandon their little diggers in some areas and get in the
ground with spades!!
I might try some of the suggestions here, although I've pretty much
given up trying to create a nice layer of topsoil.
If you choose plants that don't mind clay soil and water well when they
go in, you can create a lovely garden and save your back.
Clay soil is pretty nutritious once a plant has settled in. I've found
that aquilegia, ribus, astilbe and many others have been happy with
just a potsized hole cut out of the clay and plenty of water in the
first couple of weeks. Even a very mature wisteria I just put in is
flourishing (and the way I put that into the ground was shameful
considering the size of the plant!!)

I'm going to get told off now for being so lazy.....

kate7

This isn't lazy, its gardening with what you have. You will be improving the
ground as you go as well.
I have clay, and the first thing I did when I moved here was to give up on
those plants that need much work, like the transplanted hhp/a's.

Hazel