New bed on compact ground - what type of digging?

josephhumphreys

Hello,

I'm fairly new to gardening and looking for advice. I would like to create a new planting bed where previously there were stones / gravel laid on top of a weed suppressant layer. It gets part sun but alongside the house and a boundary wall so fairly narrow. Naturally the ground is fairly compact and the soil looks quite poor (FYI it's generally clay around here). I've bought some bags of farmers manure and soil improver and I have two questions...

1) Is there any particular technique I should follow to dig the organic material in? I've read about single digging, double digging etc but I'm not sure anyone of those fit, particularly as it's not a regular sized plot. I was thinking dig the ground up to 1 to 2 shovels deep then lay the organic material on top and dig it in again. Would this work?

2) Although I've remove the vast majority of stones and gravel, it's still quite a stoney bed. Do i need to worry about getting as many of them up as I can before digging or will leaving it as is, help with drainage?

I've attached some photos so you can see before (the grey stones) and after once removed and current situation. Any other advice appreciated.

Thank you!

JennyJ

It'll work. You're aiming to break up the compaction and mix the organic matter in to a depth where plant roots will be. Don't worry about small-ish stones (up to an inch or two across). My soil is naturally full of them. If they're limestone it might mean you can't grow acid-lovers, but you might not be able to anyway.

Is that the house wall or the boundary in the picture? If it's the house, make sure the soil level doesn't end up above the damp course. I can't see a damp course so I guess it's the boundary wall, but just in case .

josephhumphreys

Thank you very much for the reply and help Jenny. It's a boundary wall in the picture so should be ok but thanks for pointing out.

A follow up question if I may? Does it matter that I'm going to do this now (in August), particularly with it being so hot at the moment? I have some plants that are ready to go in (ferns etc) so thinking they will be ok but the rest of the bed will be added to over time (and more likely from spring onwards). Was just a bit worried it might all dry out doing it so early but i guess i can always mulch later.

Thanks again!

Loxley

It isn't actually ideal to do it now, as the soil is so dry it will crumble to a fine dust when worked, which could become quite concrete-like when you wet it. However adding the organic matter will help a lot and I think you'll probably be OK! I would wait until the current heatwave is over and some cooler preferably wetter weather is forecast before planting.

Topbird

Whereabouts in the UK are you Joseph? Are you in a bad drought area or facing the prospect of hosepipe bans? If so - I probably wouldn't plant until we've had some rain / moved to cooler times. It will all be easier to manage then.

You can certainly prep the soil now - if you're feeling up to it 🥵

josephhumphreys

Thank you Loxley. I'll wait until the current heatwave is over and some rain (ha!) is forecast as you suggest.

josephhumphreys

Topbird said:

Whereabouts in the UK are you Joseph? Are you in a bad drought area or facing the prospect of hosepipe bans? If so - I probably wouldn't plant until we've had some rain / moved to cooler times. It will all be easier to manage then.

You can certainly prep the soil now - if you're feeling up to it 🥵

Thanks for the reply Topbird. In South Derbyshire so don't think a hosepipe ban is on the way immediately but who knows. Thank you, I'll wait a little while

JennyJ

I agree, it will be easier to dig when it's had a good bit of rain, and better for planting too. Meanwhile if any weeds appear you can pull them out or hoe them off.

Obelixx

i would carry on removing larger stones as you see them.   Once you've had some rain, fork over the bed - easier than using a  spade - to the depth of the fork just to loosen the soil into clumps.   Use the fork prongs to pierce holes below your digging depth and loosen the soil to improve drainage but no real need to dig deeper.

Then pile on the manure and loosely level it then wait for more rain.   Fork it over again and then rake level before you start planting. 

The best time for this is autumn when the soil will be damp but still war enough for roots to develop and establish the plants well before winter.   Don't be tempted to do it now.  It will be back breaking and the plants will struggle in the heat and dry.  Keep them in the shade and moist.

MikeOxgreen

The smaller stones may help the soil as ferns need well drained soil which clay isn't.
If you can lay your improver/manure on top, then dig it so it all mixes in it'll be best. If the manure is too fresh then it's no good for plants until next spring when it will have been broken down and converted naturally. It needs to be blended in with the clay to break it down, a garden fork would be my tool of choice as you can smash the hard lumps of clay which come up and really mix it up well.

Research when it's best to plant your individual plants, but now is not a good time. Ferns can be put in Spring & Autumn, so i'm thinking Spring is best for yours after the bed has had time to settle and sort itself out during Winter and Autumn.
If they require a certain Ph then test the soil before planting and adjust accordingly if needed.

josephhumphreys

Thank you very much for the advice MikeOxgreen and Obelixx - much appreciated!