amending soil...help!!

[4grandbabies]

This is my very first post. We recently moved next door to our daughter because of health problems. We are sharing a new garden spot with them. Before moving ,we used a spot that my mother in law had built up year to year, and had some great gardens. The soil type here is different, it looks good, but stays moist for days on end after a rain,If I want to use natural resources, what is the best way to turn this into loose crumbly easy to work dirt? I think the soil is rich, as what we managed to get in between clots etc, has good growth and color, its just hard to handle. Look forward to answers, and being part of the gardening group

 

[vfem]

Hi



Sounds like a drainage issue.... you want want to raise up the bed, or till in sand... prehaps create ditches for run off around where you plant. There are tons of options... one may be easier then another depending on the size of the area.

I hope that helps!?

 

[4grandbabies]

Thanks-you are probably right..will try working in sand. Would adding straw for mulch this year help for next year?

 

[obsessed]

I am not so sure about adding sand. If your soil is more clay you could just end up making concrete or something close. I do agree with the raising of the beds. And with a rich addition of organic material such as old bark mulch leaves etc and of course poop (bunny is my favorite) your soil should be good. Hope this help.

 

[davaroo]

Well, I'm no expert. Wet, sticky soil that stays wet for a long time does sound like drainage, but it is also one sign of clayey soil. You also mentioned clots, which also suggests clay. I'd say 2 out of 3 and suspect clayey conditions.

But no matter, as the solution is to work in humus. That is the universal solution...
when in doubt add humus.

Think of fine clay particles like playing cards laying flat - not much air gets between them, water stays trapped and there you go. You need to open up some air passages.
So break up the soil with a fork and dig in humus and sand. I'd suggest something like a 0.5:0.25:1 ratio of humus/sand/native soil.

SO, where to get hummus if you are new and haven't established a compost pit? Where Nature has one ready for you, of course - in the woods. Find the nearest patch of woods where you can be free to pursue this work, rake back the top layer of dry leaves and "strip mine" the damp, dank leaf mold beneath. Go right down to the native earth, in fact that's what it should smell like. That is prime organic material down there. Humus, in other words.

If you have it available, also work in a cubic foot of composted manure and a couple of shovels full of wood ashes per barrow load of soil, too.

 

[4grandbabies]

WOW! am so surprised at how many people took time to help me out, all suggestions sounds like they could solve our problem. The soil dont have a "clay color" that is why I am having trouble figuring out whats going on. Our old garden was originally a lot of clay, and had been ammended over the years (before we started using it) and I did add manure, mulch etc. but it was already easy to work..this soil is a stranger to me. in our old garden, we were careful not to work it deep enough to bring any clay back to the surface. It will be a challenge, actually our children have asked us to start teaching them gardening because we have been successful in the past, never too late for us to learn something new along with them!!!

 

[davaroo]

WOW! am so surprised at how many people took time to help me out, all suggestions sounds like they could solve our problem. The soil dont have a "clay color" that is why I am having trouble figuring out whats going on. Our old garden was originally a lot of clay, and had been ammended over the years (before we started using it) and I did add manure, mulch etc. but it was already easy to work..this soil is a stranger to me. in our old garden, we were careful not to work it deep enough to bring any clay back to the surface. It will be a challenge, actually our children have asked us to start teaching them gardening because we have been successful in the past, never too late for us to learn something new along with them!!!

And you didnt say where you live... or what the surroudning terrain is like. Details, kiddo, details!

 

[4grandbabies]

I am new.. lol...I live on a bluff over the Missouri river. We are retired.. My hubby has parkinsons, and I have fibromyalgia, we help the kids work on the garden just enough to keep ourselves moving, they do the heavy labor. Gardening was my life before getting sick.(not as a profession, but as a joy ) My husband also loves gardening, and tomatoes are our pride and joy.. we seem to have the right touch in that area. I want to teach our children and grandchildren how to raise their food without poisons as we have,and to feel the satisfaction of walking among the plants and feeling the wonder of what those little seed can do..it never stops being a miracle to me.

 

[patandchickens]

The soil dont have a "clay color" that is why I am having trouble figuring out whats going on.

I'm with Dave, from your description it sounds like it's clayey. The way to tell isn't so much color, it's the behavior of the soil: when it is nicely damp but not wet, take a clump of it in your fist and squish it. When you let go of your fist, it will be in an inside-of-your-fist shaped ball unless it is very sandy soil. Poke the ball with your finger. If even a pretty good poke doesn't make it fall apart, it is at least somewhat on the clayey side. For further test, roll the ball between your palms as if it were play-doh and try to make a 'snake' out of it. If you can't get it much more than twice as long as wide, then it is not very clayey. But if you can make a longer 'snake' or 'worm' out of the handful of soil before it breaks apart, it is for sure pretty well on the clayey end of the spectrum.

As Dave says, the cure is lots of organic matter, preferably of a medium fineness but really anything is better than nothing. Actually this is the cure for ANY soil's problems (unless your soil is a peat bog) Sounds to easy to be true, except, it IS

On the bright side, clay is great soil for plants to grow in on once you've got it past the point where it locks up solid every time it gets wet or dry. You do need to be somewhat careful not to work the soil when it *is* wet or dry, though.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Rosalind]

The way to tell isn't so much color, it's the behavior of the soil

+1. Clay comes in any color of the rainbow, really. Where I grew up, clay is red. Where I live now, it's yellow. Some places around here, I've seen clay that is purple. Drove through some mountains the other day, and where the road cut through the mountain you could see some that was dark green from the serpentinite content.

It's sorta nice, if you like making ceramics.