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, as it compacts the soil.  But you are meant to mulch when the soil is damp.  What should I do?  One of the beds is really big, so I'd have to tramp around on it a lot to mulch it.  The subsoil is clay but the top soil is not too heavy. Many thanks Use a plank

as not to deplete the soil of essential minerals. That and plenty of cow or horse manure gave me magnificent crops for over 20 years and saved me lots of money and trips to the shops. It was a forcing greenhouse from s nursery which closed down and sold its land

Toby Buckland makes a soil sieve (or riddle) for sifting out large lumps from soil, leaf-mould and compost, to leave you with a fine material suitable for seed sowing and potting mixes.You should aim to make your soil sieve slightly bigger than your

It's February in Detroit, MI USA and both my compost pile (three, actually) and my soil are still frozen. Nonetheless, it has been my habit to mulch heavily in the fall, dig this in as the weather warms and apply fresh compost (or other mulch, if I

Hi all I have a north facing bank, the soil is very heavy, more or less subsoil with some compost thrown in. It dries out and cracks in summer and although I'll water to get something established, long term watering is not an option. I need more

Yes, clay soil and NNE facing... Many plants do well: helebores, ferns, geranium, phlox, globe thistle, euphorbia; some do okay: astrantia, roses, geums. I need some suggestions. Have you grown plants successfully in similar conditions? If it helps

but wondering if maybe too early for them - last year I think it was around June.  I'd like to start planting potatoes and carrots now but wonder if I should treat the soil with anything first? - and does anyone know what they're likely to be?

Hi I have a border which has been covered with weed suppressant fabric and bark. I'm now ready to lift all of it up and start to plant a new herbaceous border. I was looking for ideas on what to use for improving the soil. It's not clay but I think

In order to get the best out of your garden plants and crops, it’s worth testing your soil pH. In the UK this ranges from 3.5 (strongly acid) to 8.5 (strongly alkaline), with 7 being neutral. Most fruit and vegetables prefer soils that have a

Hello, I am new to gardening.  Our garden used to have a septic tank and therefore a leaching bed.  It was removed at least 5 years ago.  I would like to have a vegetable plot on the old site of the leaching bed.  Would the soil be safe by now