Clay soil

[Beekissed]

Biochar is good for clay soils and I'm experimenting with that a little this year.

We leave the paths to grass and clover and reseed clover and winter wheat on the plowed rows in the fall but this year I think I'll do it differently. We'll leaving our mulch hay and adding leaves to the mix and will till it in come spring.

I love leaving permanent paths in the garden, particularly in this clay soil....no problems with going out and working in the garden after a rain because no heavy clay "boots" clinging to your shoes!

 

[SunnyAlberta]

Thanks, o_c! I think this explains why the grass grows so high and lush around my raised fire pit despite the fact that my male dog is always lifting his leg against the bricks (when its not burning). The ash is neutralizing the acid in his urine.

 

[Beekissed]

Actually, it's probably his urine that is making your grass so lush in that spot...without the neutralization. Contrary to what folks think, pee doesn't burn the grass unless it's pee in the same spot day after day without relief or from multiple dogs day after day.

I have never seen grass burned where my dogs pee because they have many alternates that they use and one place doesn't get overuse. What I do see is the spots they use on occasion are extremely dark and lush.

Urine is a great fertilizer and is very high in nitrogen. I've used it on high nitrogen feeders in my garden, undiluted, with great success.

 

[Gryphon]

Tons of organic matter mixed in with clay soil, if you're not producing enough compost yourself try asking around at local horse barns. Many use straw, pine shavings or pine pellets and have huge piles of it. If you're lucky they're already composting it, if not you can get a bunch of it and spread it around in the fall, or add it to your compost pile to cook more. Just about every barn is glad to have people pick it up for free!

 

[Shawnee_b]

Yes, clay and shale. Hay and manure from my Dexter cattle piled all winter and spred and rotary tilled in early spring, 2-3 times. Lime, trip 10, compost.

I have another roughly 1/4 acre plowed, disked, fertilized and limed so got 6 round bales of hay free, 6 footers. 4 years old, harvested before seed. I'll spread it for mulch, thick, then till in. Yup, organics, organics, organics.

 

[cva34]

If soil is clay try to get it to the mix of 1/3 clay soil 1/3 compost 1/3 sand not too fine.That will make a great garden soil. I try to add compost any time the garden is idol...cva34

 

[jamesbwood]

I also suggest getting aged/composted horse maneur from local farms by the truckload and tilling it in. It helps just about any kind of soil (mine is sandy). After some work, I found a local farm that will even load it into my truck with their tractor.

If you pick out the grubs while you shovel and till, your chickens will love them.

 

[onebigglo1]

If you have a zoo nearby, see if they are composting the poo from their larger mammals. Our zoo does this and will sell it by the pick-up load. I bought a load last fall and put it in my neighbors garden then planted collards. They grew very large and tasted very sweet!

 

[SunnyAlberta]

I found a supply of two-year-old donkey manure and am told its even better than horse or cow.