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How to improve my soil

camillarosacamillarosa Posts: 4
in Tools and techniques
Hello

Very new to gardening - I need to improve my soil - first summer in this home.
I cannot get hold of well rotted manure so I have put chicken manure instead. 
Is there anything else I can do - if I use top soil - how much should I use?
Anything else?

Many thanks

Posts

  • SlumSlum Posts: 357
    What is wrong with your soil?

    Generally speaking soils are improved by adding bulky organic matter. I’ve used this company for manure before but they’re currently out of stock. They do have this though: https://www.cpa-horticulture.co.uk/compost/organic-compost . It would work well. 
  • Plot75Plot75 SurreyPosts: 69
    Beginning of autumn I always layer damp cardboard then add compost or wood chippings, not normally manure but you can then leave it all winter and then mid spring when it warms up I toss it all round into the original ground. 
    Mix 2tbsp of white,granulated sugar with 1tbsp of water and place on a spoon for a Bee to reach. Sometimes they're too exhausted to reach back to the hives when it's hot and dry. 
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,297
    Do you have a particular problem with the soil, get yourself a compost heap of some sort going.Good quality top soil is expesive, at the moment you probably cannot get either topsoil or manure delivered.  A lot of the time, you have to work with what you have got plant and plan accordingly
  • FairygirlFairygirl west central ScotlandPosts: 49,002
    Yes - but  a compost heap [assuming there's anything to put in it!] doesn't magically make compost for using now. 
    If you can get any kind of compost @camillarosa - and most big supermarkets have it, so you could possibly get some with your shopping - you can add that. Either lay it on top, or mix it in, depending on what you feel like doing. Some GCs are delivering now, so take a look at what's in your area, as that might be a possibility. 
    It also depends what you want to grow, or what's already  growing there. Some plants don't need good soil  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....


  • REMF33REMF33 Posts: 608
    It's difficult getting hold of compost and manure, and indeed most garden sundries, round here (London). But I have managed to get some from Wickes. Certainly a few days ago they had it in stock, but like everything, these days, you need to persevere to get a delivery.
    re how much, sorry to quote the RHS at you - I am trying to improve my soil too at the moment (I've been here several years and only just getting round to it for varous reasons... although it turns out its not as bad as I thought. Leaves falling off the many shrubs and rotting down...) "To improve soil it is usual to apply about 5-10kg (11-22 lbs) per square metre (yard) which is generally about half to one 15L (3gallon) bucketful."
    Reminds me, I still need to dig in what I put down on Monday.

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