How do i make a raised bed?

Well in making a raised bed you have to make sure the ground is level, so you will need a level (the tool). Also surrounding the outside of the raised bed with mulch will also be good. The dimensions of the bed obviously depend on how much space you have. Im not sure about the clay part tho

 

talk to others in your area that know their soils. if there's clay chances are you have loads of trace minerals, but they are not very available due to compaction (or imbalance). I would start by tilling composted materials into the soil, allowing humic acids to release the minerals from their bonds, and improving the soil hospitability to different organisms, like earthworms, plants and fungus.

 

Hope2toke is spot on there. You don't necessarily need a raised garden bed to get some great results. Basic horticulture lesson is that there are 3 main types of soils; clay, sand & organic. Organic being great, clay being next best and sandy being shit. The problem with sand is that it doesnt hold any moisture (and therefore no nutrients). The problem however with clay is that it holds too much moisture.
You can get some gardening products from your home hardware stores called clay breaker. you just dig up your soil and mix this in, and it slowly starts turning your clay into useable soil. You should also till in your compost (hope2toke ) if you can get it (chicken manure is amazing) and let that settle in a few weeks before you plant in your seedlings.
If you want to go a raised bed you can though, but its more work imo. you need to get the organic soil from somewhere. you'll need quite allot of 20kg bags of soil and still some chicken manure anyway. hope this helps, any questions feel free

 

Smoke daddy, good stuff from the others already, but since I'm not shy I'll throw out a little more.
Your clay soil will do a great job of holding moisture, but you have to amend it to get good drainage and aeration. Coarse builders sand is very good, just be sure it doesn't contain salt (like beach sand).
Turface (brand name) is an excellent amendment that's sold at any good quality nursery. It's used by professional golf course builders to get well draining putting greens. Turkey grit is also excellent, can get at any dry goods / feed store. There are varying grades, ask for the one for turkeys on the ground.

As to ratios, by volume mix 1/3 humus (leaf mold is the best by far but peat is easier to obtain unless you compost your leaves) , 1/3 clay and 1/3 sand-or turface- or turkey grit is a good starting ratio. If your clay soil is more of a clay/loam mixture, you can go with 1/2 clay loam' 1/4 humus, and 1/4 sand-turface-or-grit.
Then add all the other good stuff - bat guano, chickenshit or horse turds (mule turds are best, not joking),
Blood meal, bone meal, fish meal, the list goes on & on. Till it all in and mix as thoroughly as possible... The deeper the better. But earthworms, mos'def' GOT to have those. Add them last after you've done your tilling.

Now' as to raised beds, old landscape timbers / railroad cross-ties that have aged (free if you can find them) works great. But the easiest and right-size for one plant, if you don't mind looking a bit ghetto, is an old car tire. Take a guided trip into the mountains of Jamaica & see some of the Rasta's outside grows... Old car tires all over the back yard full of some of the prettiest bud you'll ever wanna see!!!!!

Hope this helped, bestaluck to ya.

 

Hey hope2toke, good seeing ya around again, hope alls well with you.

 

You want to till the manure's into the clay. This will loosen the clay. Earthworms will come, and loosen the soil some more as they consume the microscopic bits of manure and clay, excreting raw nutrients for your plants. The symbiosis between fungus, worms, and plants are complicated, but if you had to choose between two options... they are good.

 

you can also till hay or animal bedding directly into the soil. bedding includes wood chips, hay, and calcium pellets as well as manure, it takes a long time to break down, and it aerates your clay as well as providing the other benefits listed above. good luck...

 

no problem!

 

lol didn't "realize" you already wrote that Oldeschool, what's turface?

 

Not exactly sure what it's made from, I think it's fine granite or some other form of inert mineral substance. Won't decompose, completely inert, and much more coarse than sand. I first discovered it in the 70's at a Bonsai symposium at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. All of the masters used it in their soil mixes. Only downside is it's a bit heavy but the drainage and aeration is exceptional, especially when used with humus / loam mixes, practically eliminates compaction. And since it doesn't decompose, it's a permanent solution wherever its used.