Allotments 4 All

Hello all,
I have so far only been growing in pots as I am not "allowed" to dig up the lawn and didn't have any space in the soil area due to large unkempt bushes.  Well, at the weekend I tackled the large bushes and they are now little ones and I have lots of spare soil space, but the soil is really compacted and clay-like and is really hard to get a spade into.  So my question is this - what sort of things could I grow on here at this time of year as I would really like to utilise the space after having spent hours getting it back from the bushes! ::)

Can you try on a small scale what some of us are doing ("lasagne" is googleable) and deposit small piles of compost/manure/John Innes 3 wherever there is room, and grow shallow rooted things like radishes and lettuces/salad leaves? Difficult to imagine how much space you have.

Or google "square foot gardening" - similar to lasagne but neater and maybe more productive in your context. You could hammer in 4 corner posts wherever they fit in, use them to prop up some planks, and fill the space with the mixture. I have done something like this on one of my allotments and have the biggest lettuces and brassicas I have ever produced. It might not be too late to buy sweet corn plants, sow chard, some nurseries are still selling tomato plants.....etc. Good luck. Underneath these small beds the soil should gradually improve thank to worms, and you would be able to cultivate more deeply next year.

Surely if I google lasagne i will get authentic italian recipes?!?!?!  Will give it a go... The other idea with the corner posts, that is like a mini raised bed type thing?  I have about 3' square that is in full sun, and about 4' square that is mostly shaded (which I might actually move one of the bushes to in order to get more space with sunlight...).  Thanks for the tips, will go google now... ;D

Have you tried the Wiki?

Just looked on WIKI - thanks mikeB.  Loved the pics of square foot gardening, I can see me building some grids when i get home...!

The upside of clay soil is that if it's kept moist with a thick mulch, it holds the water well. If you do the sq ft or lasagne thing and don't tread on it, it will uncompact itself in time :D

would potatoes help?  I've read that they help break up ground?

Yes - any root crop will help break up the ground, cos you will dig it up to eat it!
Somehow it doesn't feel like digging when you're harvesting ::)