Good chicken compatible cover crops to improve clay soil??

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some gardening advice!

I am determined to make an efficient and beautiful garden that has a symbiosis with the birds. However I have a few challenges to overcome: First, I live in the city and don't have much area to work with. Second, and my soil is heavy and dense with clay, and very depleted of nutrients. Some areas may even be contaminated with small traces of toxic chemicals, specifically gasoline (I was warned by the previous owner)!! So, I'm building a lot of elevated planters for this years' veggies (including a green roof on the coop), and looking for long-term solutions to improve my soil.

I've added as much compost as I can (it's very difficult to discard soil in the city, and generally not a great practice), and I am looking to plant some cover crops that A) can endure the poor soil conditions and my spirited flock of 6 large RIR mixes, B) will improve the structure and nitrogen levels of my soil over time, and C) will be pleasant to have in the garden for both me and the ladies. I do prefer to grow plants that I and/or the chickens can use, so edibles and herbs would be a plus. Anything that repels flies and other garden pests, also a plus! Lastly, I have really strong sun as my backyard faces the south. The area I am working in is a 11' x 20' rectangle that I have fenced in to be a chicken paddock. The chicken coop and run are contained within, making the area even smaller.

Right now, all I've planted is a whole lot of regular white clover, but I'd like a little more variety. I want so badly to grow nettles, but they require a little more of the soil than I have to give. Anything else I can grow with my clover?

Thanks so much for your expertise! As a novice chicken wrangler and "chicken gardener", this forum has been a GODSEND

-Mary Kate

Hi Mary Kate!
I have had good luck with both lavender and an ornamental oregano. They should be able to handle the Chicago sun since they've successfully made it through full sun down here in Texas (I didn't think about where my planter was in relation to shade and these were the two non-natives that did not burn last summer). My chickens like to ignore the fence I put up and they will dust-bathe in our garden , but both herbs are still going strong. Surprisingly, the mint I planted keeps coming back, too, and allegedly repels insects, so that might be another option for you.

Our soil is also very clay-ey. For parts of our garden, we repurposed chicken grit as a soil addendum to increase drainage.

Hope this helps

I've heard that root crops are good at absorbing contaminants from the soil. So, I'd recommend that you plant some green manure crops for the winter: Daikon radish, mangels, turnips. They can be sowed late in the season, and will put on some nice growth before they freeze. You would then remove them, and haul them off your property to get rid of any contaminants they have mopped up out of your soil. You might consider turning that area into a deeply mulched composting run for the chickens to work over until late fall/early winter. You'll want to remove them from the garden to be 90 days before you intend to plant.