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What can I grow on a chalky soil?
Q We have just moved to a new house and the garden is very chalky with lots of white stones on the soil. Can we improve it and what can we plant in it?
Peter and Zoe Bowen (via email)
A The good thing about chalky soil is that it is free-draining and won’t get waterlogged, so it is easier to work than clay. The downside is that if it is very thin, it won’t hold on to many nutrients so some plants may struggle.
The first thing to do is dig down to see how deep or thin the layer of topsoil is. In some cases it may be thin, in others it may go down quite a way.
In either situation, there may not be enough goodness for plants to grow healthily, and their leaves may turn yellow and become chlorotic. You need to enrich the soil with lots of organic matter – well-rotted compost and farmyard manure.
This will add goodness and improve the soil’s ability to hold on to water so it doesn’t dry out as quickly.
When it comes to planting, there are many varieties to choose from.
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