New veg patch

[Hoaz]

I have an area of ground that I designated for a new veg patch towards the end of last summer.

it was full of weeds, so I covered it with weed membrane to keep it under control until I got round to doing something with it.

We have heavy clay soil so my plan was to dig it in early winter incorporating lots of compost and leave the clods exposed to frost to help break them down.

However, it's been so wet I haven't been able to get on it. It's still far too wet to dig.

I was planning potatoes for the first crop to help clean and break up the soil. What can I do to help things along.....and will it ever be dry enough to dig?

Just put loads of well-rotted compost on top of the soil now. You've probably just got time to let the worms take it down into the soil. If you want to grow potatoes go for main crop planted out end of March/April when risk of frost has passed.

I think a new veg patch does take about 3 years to reach optimum so be patient, but you will get a decent crop this year anyway. One other thing, if you plan to grow different types of veg you should really divide your patch up for crop rotation.