Clay soil

Are any of you challenged to grow in clay-based soil? What has worked for you? Post here!
I don't grow well in clay-based soil either. I prefer being above ground.
roll.png

OK, Sorry couldn't resist being silly.

Here in the Seattle area everything is clay. I find raised beds and lots of organic soil amendments help.
Native plants and root rot resistant varieties help too.

Imp- Now if I could do something about the sunlight.
 
I roto-till straw into the soil wherever i want to plant something. It helps keep it from becoming so compacted again... It usually lasts about 2 to 3 years before it needs worked again.

~Nathan
 
I find raised beds and lots of organic soil amendments help.
Native plants and root rot resistant varieties help too.
Hi Imp. I live in Canada's sunniest region, but our growing season is still too short for me. Raised beds and container gardens are definitely in my plans because I have dogs that like to dig.

I roto-till straw into the soil wherever i want to plant something. It helps keep it from becoming so compacted again... It usually lasts about 2 to 3 years before it needs worked again.~Nathan
Hi Nathan. Do you use straw bedding from your coop in your soil?
 
I have pretty much given up on vegetables because my trees have grown and the yards are rather shady now. Between that and our normal cloudy days, not enough sun for most veggies.
I switched over to fruit (tree and berries), and have been having a lot of success. One nice thing about clay is that it contains a lot of minerals and is usually very healthy for plants, if you can work past the heavy wetness of it. Maybe in Alberta the clay isn't as wet as it is here.

Imp
 
I would not use straw bedding that is freshly from the coop in a bed that i plan to plant this year. It is best to let the chicken poop compost before planting near it. I just made new beds this year and used fresh new straw. Now i would rec commend that you try to find straw that is not seeded. The straw i used had seeds in it and they are now trying to grow, so that makes it a bit more of a pain to deal with.

~Nathan
 
Hi, my garden was started on clay and rocky soil. After 11 years of picking up rocks, and adding leaves, hay, wood shavings, ash and loads of loam out of the forest, I finally have a fertile plot of ground. I've been using rabbit poo to fertilize, but started tilling the chicken poo, and the bedding in last fall. Rabbit droppings can be used anytime, but chicken manure has to be composted or given time to break down.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom