How much manure should I mix into my clay soil for a vegetable garden?
Question:I also bought topsoil, since I want to raise the bed. I bought a ratio of 2 bags of topsoil per bag of manure. Does this sound right?
Answers:
Fresh manure can burn plants. It really needs to mellow out for a bit before planting anything in it.
Sounds like a good ratio - but I would add a measure of peat moss as well. Clay soils tend to be alkaline, as well as heavy, and the peat moss will help both the texture, and the ph.
Also - clay soils cannot be "fixed" at one go-around. Think of it as an ongoing project. Add as much as you can every year. And it will improve gradually over time.
Also - and easy way to add humus is in the fall - when everyone bags up their tree leaves and puts them out on the curb? Go grab them all, haul them back to your garden, and dump them all onto to put your garden "to bed" for the winter. I'm talking a TWO FOOT layer. It will decompose down to about 6 inches by spring. You will also notice that it is very effective in keeping the weeds from appearing in the spring, and your earthworm population will be much higher as well.
i live in the south and i have genuine clay soil. i used 2 bags of miracle grow garden soil and 1 40 lb bag of manure in my garden. i wish i had used a couple more bags but they seem to have helped a lot. i planted my garden 2-3 weeks ago and i have plants growing strong. so just make sure its blended in pretty good. but yeah your ratio sounds about like mine. so i hope yours does as good or better than mine. good luck.
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