CLAY, no Easy Way!

[Pharmer Phil]

Or quick, for that matter, of dealing with it. Oh, you can start with amendments, all the organic, and even some Inorganic additives, aerate your lawn, etc.
But the FACT is, it will take time

Before you do anything tho, a soil test is advisable. Judging your clay content is easy, grab a hand full of moist,not wet, soil, does it form like Play Doh...yep, it's clay
Good compost is the most important part of the garden. It aerates the soil, breaks up clay, improves drainage, prevents erosion, neutralizes toxins, holds precious moisture, releases essential nutrients, and feeds the micro-biotic life of the soil, creating healthy conditions for natural antibiotics, worms and beneficial fungi.Organic amendments include sphagnum peat, wood chips, grass clippings, straw, compost, manure, sawdust and wood ash.

Some of these will alter your soils Ph, hence, the soil test.
Some Inorganic additives include, vermiculite, perlite, pea gravel and sand. All break up the clay, but add no nutrient value...But lets back up a minute here, Soil Micobes...Without these, your soil becomes unhealthy, looses it's friability, and will become compact, which if your soil has a high clay content, is very bad. Clay, is not BAD, it's just when there is no good stuff, mixed in with it, the clay particles "bind" together.
Feed your soils microbial colonies with Organic matter, and Leave the Chemicals out of the picture, they are DEATH, to the Microbes. also. earthworms that live in the soil,their burrowing and 'castings'. add more 'good stuff' than you can buy in the store, to your soils health and tilth.

* Pharmer Phil ALERT****
This is also a very good time of the year to Purchase items like Peat Moss and Vermiculite, most Garden centers have greatly reduced the Price!!

[Compost Pharmer]

Thanks Phil for promoting 'Organics' and not those nasty chemicals. My garden is living proof that compost will break up clay. The first year I was able to till only about 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch deep. After I tilled, I applied about a 4 inch layer of compost. This was in the fall of the year. The next spring I was able to till about 1 inch deep, which I was able to till in some of the compost. That year I bagged the grass clippings and applied a 6 - 8 inch layer on top of the garden soil as a mulch. That fall I was able to till about 3 inches deep and saw earth worms. The next spring I was able to till down about 5 inches and tilled in about 3 inches of compost. This year my garden was a jungle, until the rain stopped and the temps hit 100. Each year the soil improves and your crops continually get better with a larger harvest. This past summer I was able to pick 49 cucumbers off of only 2 plants. The first year I only managed 6 cucs off of 4 plants. So fellow gardeners, compost is one of the best fertilizers along with being an excellent way to turn hard clay into soft, workable, soil.

[deb65802]

Clay soil is one of the most densely nutritious for plant forms. The problems is that it is so dense that plant roots have a difficult time getting access to the minerals in the soil. One way to soften up the soil fast is to sheet layer or lasagna garden. Don't try to till let the worms do all the work. Mother nature builds her soil from the top down. I like to do things in the order She does. For me it just makes sense. lay down a thick layer of organic material on top of a thick layer of cardboard. The cardboard gives the worms a home and smothers grass while the worms break down the layers of organic material. It is a win win situation. The key is to put as much organic matter on the soil as you can possibly find. This is guaranteed to bring your soil around.

[deb65802]

One thing I forgot to add is sand. By putting sand on your clay beds will go long way to helping them break down. more sand is better, much more sand is much better. hehehe

[TennOC]

Uh deb, what kind of cardboard does mother nature use? lol. One thing that really helps with clay is DOLOMITE lime, then add yer compost. It's good to add all that in the fall, but there's never any point in waiting till next fall, now is the best time to do it, whenever NOW is.

[hunter63]

Phil, heard that gypson was good for clay, any thoughts?
www.ag.uiuc.edu/archives/experts/fertility/0456.html

[freyaulfr]

Our soil is soo heavy clay and of such poor quality that I have decided that I am going to use semi permanent raised beds planters made of cinder blocks. We have alotta cinderblocks on the land that need used up:} I am thinming insert rebar evedry so many spaces to stablilze the blocks. that way it will be semi-permanent and I can change it in a few years if I want to. I am going to make the raised beds and fill with mulch and topsoil. I will be planting alfalfa in between the beds, then till in fall to improve the clay:}

[crazy1]

That sounds like a great plan

[freyaulfr]

Well the cinderblocks turned into white bricks and the design of the garden is going to be based on European manor houses. It's actually French classical revival like a 18th century French chateau/castle:} We are even putting in small pond in the center with a classical statue in it.

[Songbird]

I've tried Deb's layer mulching idea, and it is valid, but you have to be prepared to give it time to break down and do it's thing.

Your raised bed idea sound great!

[chickenfarmer]

Good postings

[lilsparrow]

freyaulfr said:

Well the cinderblocks turned into white bricks and the design of the garden is going to be based on European manor houses. It's actually French classical revival like a 18th century French chateau/castle:} We are even putting in small pond in the center with a classical statue in it.

I hope you'll post a picture of the completed project!!! That sounds great!!!

[chickenfarmer]

Keep up the good work, would like to see pictures of it....