Improving soil and protecting from wind

daigo75 · Rank attained: Hawthorn Tree Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 63

Hi all,
I moved recently and, where I live now, the soil is very heavy and muddy, due to the presence of water nearby. Should I "thin" it with sand and/or compost?
Also, the area is frequently swept by strong gales. How can I protect plants such as tomatoes? Thanks. Smile

kindredspirit

medieval knievel · Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:57 pm Post subject:

another way of making the soil more friable would be with the addition of gypsum, if you can get your hands on it.

daigo75 · Rank attained: Hawthorn Tree Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 63

Thank you all for the replies. I can probably get manure from the neighbour, he has a big stable with several horses. I just hope he has some well rotten one. Thanks also for the wattle fencing, I'll check it.

Blowin · Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 8:36 am Post subject:

Just a bit of personal experience. I've always been aware of this need for 'well rotted' manure that the gardening books always stress but last year a local beef farmer offered me a trailer load of cow manure that was literally as 'green' as grass.

I'm not in the habit of turning down things like that so I said 'Yes'. It's amazing how much a tractor trailer holds and I spread it all over my plot to a depth of 2-3 inches. Apart from carrots, which I understand need poorer soil, I've never had such a year for produce and even parsnips, that are supposed to fork if sown in freshly manured ground, were enormous. In fact it was difficult to find the bottom of them, even with a big fork.

When you think of it, Nature applies manure to the ground 'green' so my advice is, if you get offered some, take it.