Improving Dead Soil.

[gness]

I have skimmed off a fairly large area of lawn to make beds. The soil is, as you can imagine, very compacted and as its on a slope it's dry. The earth underneath, when exposed, becomes like blocks...erosion of the dusty soil I guess.
It's not red clay....that is quite deeper but the soil, even when dug over remains clumpy and looks dead.
I shall buy soil improver and later some good topsoil but do you have any hints on what else I can do to make the soil good?
I am hiring a young, fit lad to dig over tomorrow as it's almost beyond me but if I haven't lost half a stone today I'm giving up!

[sunny-dave]

I would suggest digging in the usual "blood, fish and bone", but knowing your luck you'd find Richard III's horse buried in your garden :)

[SlackAlice]

sunny-dave

gness has got stocks in her garden, if she leaves the bodies too rot then she will have plenty of blood and bone available ☺☺☺

Any farms near you, they've normally got manure to sell.

[gness]

Thanks both....the stocks are full. Just waiting for the rotting down process but will source manure in the meantime.

[Spoonboy]

A bit late gness, and probably a little unhelpful, but it seems to me that you some of the fertile crescent in your garden.

[shoota]

You need a good shot.
He'd have a lot of bulls hit....

[Spoonboy]

Digressing, since it is well past the water shed...
...in fact, its closer to the Atlantic...
...I tried taking the F out of Bone the other day.

[Spoonboy]

I'll probably get spanked for it, but I might just survive.

[gness]

Hmmm?

[tonyav]

but I might just survive.

Doubt it Spoony, she has weapons of mass destruction !.

[Spoonboy]

Is that a good hmmm? Or a bad hmmm?

[gness]

A thinking...hmmmm....and Tony knows about my thinking...hmmmms...x

[tonyav]

When she does that Hmmm, your in trouble Spoony.

[carrust]

Get some spent hops from your local brewery. I've put loads in my allotment & garden....Gorrem for nowt as well:-)

[gness]

Thanks, Rusty...I have ordered a bulk bag of spent mushroom compost but this is going to take some getting into shape if anything's to grow..x

[carrust]

You could also plant some field beans as a green manure. let them grow & dig 'em into the soil.

[gness]

Hmmm...will think about that one...x

[shoota]

Best thing to do is to put some grass seed down and water it well....

[giveup]

What are field beans?

[gness]

What Shoota will be hiding in if he doesn't behave himself!

[paddywak]

It might pay you to buy a kit to test the soil Ph level. You can pick one up for about a fiver from any decent garden center and it will let you know if you need it treating with lime or anything.