White mucky stuff

[Jonah]

Afternoon all.

Can anyone tell me what this is?
i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/jonah177/my%20garden/chalk.jpg

i83.photobucket.com/albums/j286/jonah177/my%20garden/chalk2.jpg

I've always presumed, seeing as most of the garden is clay, flint and builders rubble, that it was plaster buried by the builders on our corner. But now I'm wondering if it could be chalk.
There's a thick layer of it about 6 inches below the surface, it doesn't seem to be all over the garden, mainly on the side away from the house.
If it is chalk, I can't find much mention of it in garden books. They show chalky soil, but it is just a light colour, and not big lumps like I've got now!

[Plocket]

Well it certainly does look like chalk Jonah. If you've got a soil testing kit it might be worthwhile testing it.

[Amo]

Yup, that's chalk alright. I'm on it too but a lot of my garden is neutral, some sections I cant find it and others its about 3 inches below the surface, and a lot of plants, eg clematis, like a bit of alkaline. It will be slimey now it's wet but free draining in the summer. Tiz no worries apart from the darned flints. ;D

[Jonah]

Thanks Amo and Plocket.

It's weird the way it is in one solid strip down the garden. But I just googled and came across some geological survey of an area about 5 miles away, and that lists chalk as a bedrock, under clay and flint. I'm wondering whether it was dug up in the house build, or when they did the road alongside our house, and then covered over. Oh well, not worth trying to get all supersleuth, I'll never have time to work that one out!

I've been gigging it out [it really is a compacted layer!] , and worked in some MP, but there's still quite a lot of lumps.
Cheers for the tip on the Clems Amo. I've got a couple lurking in the coldframe that are homeless.