Clay Soil - Starting a Garden

[Patrice]

Hi everyone:

We're laying in the structure for a large garden. I doubt we'll get it planted this year, but having the groundwork (pardon the pun) in will be a huge help.

Here's our situation. Our "soil" is clay. We also have gopher and vole problems. Our plan is to construct 4x12 garden boxes (about 20 of them) lined with mesh to keep the critters out. Because the clay is so tough and we have no way to excavate it out, we thought about brining in some screened soil by the cubic yard, but the delivery costs are high (we're pretty rural).

We have cows, so we have lots and lots of composted manure. We're trying to figure out if we can just fill the raised beds with nothing but the composted manure and skip the soil. Is this possible? Does anyone have experience with this? Thoughts?

Thanks,
Patrice

[Penny_Plinker]

The old timers always said clay will grow anything if you can get it planted. I'd till in lots of that composted manure and then test plant a few things in it. You could further amend it by planting in successive crops of buckwheat. Sow about every six weeks and then cut it and sow on top of it again all summer long. Add plenty of the manure this fall and let it overwinter. That clay ought to come around nicely and then you'll be able to fill your 20 raised beds with your own special blend, you can just shovel it right up and cart it over.

Penny

[Baxtherin]

I'd recommend the same as Penny. Just till in lots of manure and let it expand the soil. We had the opposite problem, soil was pure sand, but tilling in manure and other green stuffs made it very beautiful dirt. ;)
-Travis

[Faye]

I also have clay soil although it doesn't sound as bad as yours. We always put lots of compost and manure, cottonseed meal and peat moss in the planting row. I am building raised beds and hope to get my square foot garden finished by next year. I am buying my 2x6's and plan to use newspaper instead of weed fabric. I am having a hard time finding vermiculite for the soil mixture that goes in them. My daughter owns a feed store and I got her to check with one of her suppliers (BWI) to see if they have it and they do so hopefully I will get that next week. I have 2 4x12 raised beds that are 12" deep so I can grow carrots or such that needs to be deeper. Good luck.

[MooseToo]

all the previous suggestions will work well - but they do require considerable labor - you can accomplish about the same thing if you have the space and opportunity to substitute time for labor - at least in part of the area you might expand into for future space -

if you will mow or spray existing weeds and not disturb the soil to expose buried seed and then cover the area with at least 12 inches of straw/hay and apply an occasional manure and/or leaf material over-layer and apply a little moisture during dry spells for several growing seasons, mother nature will reward you with an excellent garden spot with virtually no labor or cost -
you will be, in essence, planting in a loose, fertile, organic compost pile -

[Faye]

I plan to try that in one area but I need most of my space now for my garden. Groceries are so high that we are growing everything we can. I thought I would start a new area though and see how it looks next year.

[MooseToo]

i'd suggest you temper your enthusiasm with some patience - working heavy clay is tricky - break it up when it's too dry and you end up with talcum powder that will blow away - work it when it's too wet and you end up with an excellent parking lot surface -

[Terri]

I grew up in California, where most of the soil is clay. It raises amazing vegetables because the soil is rich and the growing season is long, but, it IS clay soil!

What I remember from gardening as a child: Little seeds need extra care, becasue the top of the soil dries, crusts, and kills the tiny seedlings. Large- seeded plants like sweet corn and beans thrive.

To raise seedlings from the tiny seeds, keep the surface of the soil damp. A light mulch helps with this bu shading the soil, as does planting in the rainy season.

My folks always bought plants for tomatos, peppers, and such. once the seedlings are large enough, the clay does not bother them very much.

Water slowly, and over a period of time. If you use a hose to water your seedlings, the water might puddle and run off before it sinks in. Either use a sprinkler, drip hose, or put a hollow around your tomatos and fill it so the water has time to sink in before it runs off. Hand sprinkling does not work as well on clay.