Pleased to meet you

[Oliver Buckle]

Hello, my Name is Oliver Buckle, I am in my seventies, retired, and I live in a small village in East Sussex. We moved here about eighteen months ago. The previous owner 'maintained' the garden by getting someone in twice a year to cut the hedges and more frequently to mow the lawns, and the garden is basically solid Weald clay. When it rains there are areas that flood. Since being here I have moved huge heaps of garden rubbish and lawn mowings that had been dumped at the end for years and created one quite reasonable veg bed and another flower bed and I have discovered that some areas seem to have darker soil. The next door neighbour told me that the people who lived here twenty years ago had a huge container of mushroom compost delivered and grew veg, I think this is what I am discovering. The lawn nearest the house was almost entirely moss, much raking later I have some bald patches, but look forward to improving it this summer.

It sounds awful, but there are some very nice spots, an ancient apple tree surrounded by snowdrops at the base, a mature oak tree at the end of the garden that, now I have got rid of the bramble, has cyclamen and daffodils growing under it, and I am gradually improving and creating new growing places, when the weather allows. It has been covered in snow for the last week or so.

 

[Tetters]

It is lovely to ''meet'' you Oliver, and a bit welcome from us in Kent. Your garden sounds like a brilliant challenge, and you seem to be determined to get it sorted out. We are still a bit frozen up here in Kent too, and cannot wait to see the brown and green bits again after the snow has all melted.
How about taking a few photos and upload them here so we can have a look at your patch. I reckon a clay patch that puddles well is screaming out for a pond - the wildlife would love that, and there`s nothing so calming as the sound of a waterfall or fountain.
I also belong to the ''oldies'' club, and this winter have been digging new beds on what used to be a camping club site here - all closed down now because of the pandemic. It is a wonderful way to stay fit and I am never bored, so feel very lucky indeed. The last picture took longer to open - it must have been cold!

 

[zigs]

Welcome to the forum Oliver

Clay might be a pain to work but it's full of nutrients at least. Sounds like you're doing a good job sorting out some growing areas

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Thank you for the welcome'
There is indeed a small pond here, Tetters. It is a bit raised with rocks and a flower bed around it, and has some good water lilies in it, various overgrown rushes, and newts. My partner has cleaned up the flower bed and it is one of the better looking places, but I am afraid the lining is punctured, grass seemed to be growing through it in places when we cleaned it up. I would like to try a puddled clay pond , but there are tree roots of one sort or another in most of the suitable places, and I think until I am a bit more sorted in other ways the present pond will persist, despite taking considerable topping up in summer. We have installed new soffetts and guttering on the house and made them feed into fair size water butts, so I am hoping that will not be such an expensive operation next summer.

 

[Don Perry]

Welcome. Oliver. Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. At least you know most of what you need to do. Good luck from Ada, Oklahoma,
Here we are having the biggest ice and snow blizzard in twenty years. After this gets out of the way, maybe I can get my garden planted. I'm planting in raised planters 7ft by 3ft by 1 1/2ft deep. I have two made and will build two more as soon as the weather lets up. Going to raise purple onions, broccoli, turnips, cabbages, and three kinds of tomatoes.
Again, welcome to the forum.

 

[Sheal]

Welcome to the forum Oliver. I too have a garden that is new to me and challenging so can understand your problems. Take your time getting the garden to a workable state and in the coming years it will reward you as it develops. Good luck!

 

[Logan]

Hello Oliver and welcome to GF.
It sounds like you have a lot to do but take your time. Clay soil can be improved with lots of organic matter on top, it will take time but it will be worth it. Look forward to some pics when you can. Here in the Midlands Redditch still got frozen ground and snow is lingering in places but that should change after tonight.

 

[LouisFerdinand]

Bonjour, @Oliver Buckle. I do flower planting. Thus I have experience working with clay soil.