Weird soil problem

[frontiergirl53]

So I am prepping my soil from my winter garden, and about 1 inch down there are lots of white roots. They extend to places that I didn't even plant stuff in. It is rock hard. Has anyone seen this and know what to do about it? I've been raking, but it leaves my soil looking gray.
I'll post some pics:

 

[frontiergirl53]

Here are the pictures of the soil.

 

[frontiergirl53]

Some more pics:

 

[majorcatfish]

if i had to take a wild guess.... slime mold
have you added something that you purchased or got free? something not normal that you have added before?

 

[digitS']

Mushroom mycelium ... mycelia ..?

I don't know why the soil would be rock hard, however. Has it ever been otherwise than rock hard?

There is a part of my little veggie garden that is like compost over pavement. It grows things well enough and since it really isn't asphalt or concrete, and yet it's full of gravel size rocks, that layer drains well. What has packed it together and what holds it like that?

I think I figured it out, somewhat, last year. That corner is part of an old driveway!

There is a fence between the garden and the road but it is part of a lot which had a house, until about 25 years ago. The house had been demolished before I got there. The lot is now a part of 3 other lots and there is only 1 house on the 4.

There is a line of evergreens on one end of this garden section. It occurred to me that the house would have had access to the road, of course, but those trees are over 25 years old and no one would have driven their 1948 Packard between them! Access to the road would be through where I grow things!

There just are no tree roots in that part of the garden. They must be under that packed ground!

Steve

 

[frontiergirl53]

The only thing I've added is compost. When it was wet, it was fine but when I went on a trip and my friend did a poor job of watering it, It became rock hard.

 

[catjac1975]

My first inclination was mold and from what you and everyone else have written that seems likely. I think you had unfinished compost. i used some once and it killed my seeds and turned very hard. Rent a small tiller and try to till it in, water, and perhaps add a layer of mulch to have it heat up. I would still try planting in it but you may find the soil is not conducive to growing right now. Just don't spend a lot.

 

[so lucky]

The white root-like stuff may be a beneficial fungus that decomposing wood gets on it. Actually, it is a good thing to have, but it sounds like maybe the composting process was interrupted by dry weather or something. Micoh-something. Does the soil loosen up when you water it?

 

[journey11]

Looks like mycelium to me too. Which is a good thing to have. If you keep it moist, it can do it's job of breaking down the organic matter in your soil better. Maybe even mulch it. If it's hard, I'd assume that's because the soil is too dry.

 

[frontiergirl53]

Kinda @so lucky the very top will be wet and the rest below is dry. Now I'm pretty sure it's mycelium, thanks to the help of @digitS' and @journey11 The compost was bought, I didn't make it.