Topic: Clay soil - what grows well? Advice please.

[Squash64]

I've just spent a couple of days helping my son set up his new plot on allotments in Harpenden.

The soil is clay, very different to the light sandy soil on my plot. 

I was just wondering if there are any crops which do well on clay soil, and any which do not. 

He is hoping to grow sweetcorn, courgettes, French beans, peas, carrots and whatever else he can fit on his tiny 19ft x 19ft plot.

[Trevor_D]

I've got London clay.

Most things do well, although carrots & parsnips are always difficult. And King Edward's don't do as well as a lot of other varieties. But I do OK for sweetcorn, courgettes, peas & beans, tomatoes, potatoes, onions (apart from white rot!).

But the site is a century old and I have dug the beds twice a year for 10 years and incorporated rather a lot of well-rotted horse manure. I'm sure that's helped a bit.

[saddad]

Brassicas... anything except roots. It holds moisture and nutrients well. Just depends on how much it has been worked previously... can be tough work at first!  :-X

[lewic]

I had loads of beans, peas, courgettes and squash last year, and have been told that roses love our clay soil. Carrots did surpisingly well but I had to add loads of compost to the bed first.

[1066]

Well I've been digging and growing on my clay allotment for 3 years, and so far, with lots of manure and mulch I've done everything you mentioned and it all came out pretty well. Carrots I do in boxes. And most things I start off in pots and then plant out.
The one thing I would add is -  mulch, mulch mulch!

Good luck to your son and his new plottie  :)

1066

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

i am on clay.  You need to work he soil well - clay tends to 'cap over' when you create a fine tilth which makes it hard for seeds to get through.  That said i have been successful with most things - beetroot, turnip, radish.  is great for squashes/courgettes as the clay layer retains water lower down once they get their feet in.  likewise for fruit.

[BarriedaleNick]

I cant for the life of me grow turnips and Sweedes on my clay but that could just be me.  Carrots not so good either.
Getting things going can be the tricky bit - so I get a lot started at home or a make a nice furrow and plant seed coved with some compost.  Once started most things grow pretty well - all the staples should be no problem..

Mulch well and dont walk on it!!!

[nilly71]

Do as much digging as you can now, it will be like concrete in the summer.

I took over my plot september 08 and added mushroom compost as i dug, apart from some compost when planting seeds nothing else was done until a few days ago. The spade just slide in, it's such good soil now.
I've grown just about everything without too much trouble.

Neil

[Deb P]

Like Saddad, my plot is heavy clay, and I'm a big fan of claybreaker pellets, calcified seaweed and mushroom compost to get the soil more workable, then most crops will do well.

I've just dug over a new previously grassed area and had to do it in stages the clay was so thick. It is now broken up smaller lumps of clay, I've put some potatoes in to help break it up further which will be the first crop grown there for many years, and intend to mulch with a load of mushroom compost I'm waiting to be delivered.  The potatoes will be a bit of a sacrificial crop this year, I expect wireworm may appear and they may be a bit scabby from the alkaline mushroom compost, but the area will be dug over again to remove the potatoes and will hopefully be in a lot better shape this time next year.

[1066]

there seems to be a consensus (of sorts) on using Mushroom Compost here. I've been dithering about using it / buying it. But after reading this I think I will give some a go on part of my plot.
Thanks  :)

[Psi (Pronounced 'Si'!)]

I try and lime, manure, dig compost trenches, mulch with council compost, dig in grit whenever a space becomes free.  The soil still tends to 'crack' in dry weather but I am doing ok and hope in a few years the soil will be much better.

Hard work, but good luck!