Liming

I know they tend to discourage this somewhat nowadays, as folk often doing more harm than good.

But I have very heavy clayey soil, so have been telling myself for a while, that it is summut I'd have to do.

Anyhow, did my homework, and took numerous soil pH measurements.  I knew my soil was acid, but for what I grow, Roses, Clematis, Fuchsia strawberries, spuds, acid is appropriate. (though clem would like less acid)

Shock horror!  Extremely acid ranges from pH3 to pH4.8. which will create problems for growing even the above.

Found from RHS Website that I need 100 KG of garden lime.  Went to B&Q only do tiny 3KG boxes, (and expensive)  Went to garden centre: same story.

Found on eBay, 25 KG bags for shade under £15, they are click and collect, (Argos being my nearest collection point) which is what I am getting.

Amazing, that I need to go on line, and have delivery, just to get a decent sized bag of garden lime!

It's surprising just how certain things are difficult to get hold of.

Though I've never done liming, Bordeaux mixture seems quite difficult to get hold of in the high street.

Yes: I had noticed that also.

Ragbru - could you not have got the exact amount you wanted from a local allotment society?  

My old garden was heavy clay when I first moved in, I managed to improve it with growing veg and rotating the crops, first year a huge crop of spuds followed quickly by brassicas the same winter (so no liming for me) and it was very sweet in the end - also had help from the ants.  Personally I would leave liming til Autumn/Winter.  

Normally I would agree, but the area concerned is to be double spit dug in Autumn, and will in a few days have some Red Clover sown, which will then be dug in. Will be adding sharp sand and as much compost as pos, and creating raised bed.

Those levels of acidity really will keep a lot of the nutrients locked up, and unavailable to plants.

As the clover, being nitrogen fixing, will tolerate the lime, I hoped to give it a dose before planting the clover, and a further dose when I dig.

Ah! "Bastard Trenching".  

That's it.

Two spits deep, innit?