How can I turn my clay yard into garden soil.
Related Discussions
GNATS - How to get rid of them?
Somehow my house and garden got tiny gnats that killed my fuchsia plant and fly everywhere. I have tried ALL the Web recommendations - soap and oil dishes, sand in th... See more
Marigolds growing! Should I pinch the buds?
My marigold plants are growing. I heard that pinching the buds until Autumn will allow them to grow without killing the plant. Is this true?
Growing garlic
Growing our first garlic, should we wait until the leaves are drying out before we pick it? Husband picked first one today along with our first potatoes.
How to keep mice out of your garden?
Hi everyone, I have mice in my garden destroying my vegetables and I have also noticed them in the barn and shed. Please can someone tell me how to prevent them from ... See more
What's the best flower/plant to grow in Texas?
I know that opinions vary, but what's your opinion?!I have great luck w Rosemary plants. Green all year long.
What can I use to add zinc to my soil, besides used coffee grounds?
What can I use to add zinc to my soil, besides used coffee grounds? I think adding enough of the used grounds would also add acid which I do not need. Maybe I could... See more
How can I fill this empty space in my yard?
I recently bought a home that originally had three large rhododendrons in the front of it. The center rhododendron died, and the previous owners removed it. I would l... See more
Mix compost and gardensoil peat moss mix altogether then send on as a base layer this should help drainage or just put in planter gardens and raised beds
Save time, energy.....use square foot gardening (raised beds filled with Mel's Mix). Good drainage is so important, clay won't work.
I live with clay, you need to add material that will break in down, I used buckwheat hulls, and shredded bark, (from a sawmill). and have used mulch every year it will break down in the soil.
Contact your extension agent. He or she will have a ton of knowledge about soul amendments for your area and often will do soil testing for free.
I have heavy clay in my area....clay is usually nutritious.....but it's also impermeable...which means it doesn't absorb or drain water very well. To remedy this, I made my own sandy loam soil by working in a dump truck load of coarse sand.....sand acts as spacer blocks in the soil allowing for water penetration and drainage (you have to have both)......I then started adding humus (rotted organic material......leaves, twigs, grass clippings, etc.) which enriches the soil.......I also made a raised bed(mine is 16'X16") which also improves drainage.
As previously mentioned, contact your County Agricultural Agent for info. They can also give you info on a soil analysis....this is important if you want to optimize yield in a small space......I produce enough in my small garden to treat lots of friends with tomatoes & cukes every summer...........Hope this helps you....Larry
DIG a hole the size of the garden you want to build. Dig it about 1-2 feet deep. Line the walls with cinder blocks or bricks. Add a black soil liner ~ you can get them at Lowe's (or a tarp will do nicely too). Fill it with the following mixture: 1/2 potting soil 1/2 peat moss & depending on what size garden, 1 tsp Triple 8 Fertilizer to every 5 Gallons of mixture. Fill the liner with the soil mixture & plant your garden. The wall will keep the muddy clay (when it rains) from eroding into the garden. The liner will keep whatever clay runs between the wall's cracks from mixing into your soil. GOOD LUCK!
Try digging in peatmoss and compost. That's what I did to help breakup my clay soil.
Our soil is clay. I made a mix of garden soil and vermiculite or perlite. I mixed in in with the turned clay and our plants are doing very well!!
I used to have clay soil. The suggestions above are good. I added a lot of coarse sand to my soil which did seem to help. For the record, if I were house-shopping and found that the yard had clay soil.... that would be a deal-breaker for me. Never again will I try to deal with clay because it is just so difficult to try to get things to grow and it is awful to dig.
If there is a farmer/rancher near by, see if he has one of those huge piles of stall/barn cleanings. Most have huge piles, and will give it to you for free, and many will even load it onto a truck for you. If you can dig a little of your dirt out of the way, add your straw/hay/manure to your garden area, and put 3-6" of your dirt on the top. That puts beneficial microbes on top. Water your new layers, and allow it to work together over the fall and winter. By Spring much of your straw/hay/manure will be broken down and your dirt lovely for planting.
Google: Square Yard Gardening. There are many articles, pictures, etc to explain how to mix up the dirt for a great garden. You will like it.
http://www.finegardening.com/article/improving-clay-soils