Since we want to start working on our garden, I received an important piece of advice yesterday.
Our plot is located on what used to be a forest area. The soil is very clay-heavy and rocky.
Yesterday, a landscape gardener said that the top layers need to be loosened with sand; otherwise, water would remain standing in the garden after every rain.
Currently, we need to add about 30 cm (12 inches) of topsoil anyway. To me, his advice sounds reasonable, but out of three companies that visited, he was the only one to mention this.
Is this a valid recommendation, or is he just trying to make money?
Our plot is located on what used to be a forest area. The soil is very clay-heavy and rocky.
Yesterday, a landscape gardener said that the top layers need to be loosened with sand; otherwise, water would remain standing in the garden after every rain.
Currently, we need to add about 30 cm (12 inches) of topsoil anyway. To me, his advice sounds reasonable, but out of three companies that visited, he was the only one to mention this.
Is this a valid recommendation, or is he just trying to make money?
We bought some bags of sand at the home improvement store and worked them into the soil yesterday using a rotary tiller (PowerPlus motor tiller 1050 W). The results are surprisingly good at first and second glance, and incorporating the sand went quite quickly, although it was still physically demanding. It’s no comparison to digging or loosening the soil with a pitchfork.
In this way, with some patience but without heavy machinery, you can gradually turn clay soil into vegetable beds through your own effort.
For nutrient supply, I would still recommend adding compost, which can be mixed in using the same method.
We are cultivating our garden little by little this way.
In this way, with some patience but without heavy machinery, you can gradually turn clay soil into vegetable beds through your own effort.
For nutrient supply, I would still recommend adding compost, which can be mixed in using the same method.
We are cultivating our garden little by little this way.
Tunix schrieb:
We bought some bags of sand at the home improvement store Tip: Sand is often available in smaller quantities at building material suppliers, usually cheaper than at the home improvement store.
Jochen104 schrieb:
Tip: Sand is often cheaper in small quantities at building materials suppliers than at hardware stores. Correct, for the remaining areas, that is definitely the first choice. The hardware store was just for testing to see if it actually makes a difference. However, we probably won’t need "small quantities" anyway. We have about 700m² (7,535 sq ft) here that still need to be worked on.
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