"Bryan" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Bryan" wrote in message
. ..

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

1) You're not supposed to turn over the soil. The soil exists in
definite layers. The layer at the top BELONGS at the top, not buried or
mixed with the layer that's a foot deeper. It contains more of the
microorganisms that make organic gardening work so well. If you screw
it up, it can take 2-3 seasons to recover, and there's NO way to speed
up the process using soil amendments.

I didn't know that! I never thought of that! Hey! How about that!

I've got a yard full of clay. The kind of adobe that sticks to a shovel
like some kind of tenacious creature from another planet. I was going
to rototill amendments into the top six inches or so of an area that I
want to turn into a garden. I guess I can still do that. I'll just
have to remember to leave the top alone once I get things rolling.



Bryan, search in the rec.gardens newsgroup for the words "clay soil" in
the subject line, in a thread begun by me. I've got a friend whose soil
is suitable for making pottery, and I was looking for suggestions to
assist her. I got some good ideas from a few people. The best one was
almost effortless. Assuming you're in a climate where the ground freezes,
puncture with a pitch fork, to the depth of the fork. Don't try to
actually move big clumps of clay - just make a series of holes. Cover
with a LOT of leaves. If it's a small plot, it may be economical to cover
the leaves with chicken wire to keep them in place. Or, hose them down
just enough to give them some weight. They should mat down and stay put
after a few days. You should see some improvement in the spring, although
it'll probably require repetition the following autumn.

Do NOT add peat moss. Clay already holds plenty of water, as you know.
And, a few people recommended adding gypsum of some sort. A real garden
center will know where to get it. But, the guy I consulted here said to
try the leaves first.


Someone told me to mix sand with the clay, but something tells me that
would be a good way to make bricks.


Yeah...that sounds wrong to me, too. What it needs is organic fluff. Once
that's there, worms and other union members will begin to help more.