|
Soil heavily laden with clay can be some of the worst soil to work with if you want to plant a vegetable or herb garden. The density of clay soil can prevent plant roots from spreading, which prevents plants from reaching their maximum growth potential. Because clay soil drains slowly, it stays saturated longer after a rain or snow has melted. Also pH levels tend to be higher in clay soil. It is recommended that you have your soil tested to see exactly what nutrients are lacking and the exact pH level. There are organic ways to enrich clay soil to get it to the consistency where vegetables and herbs will grow in abundance.
The first thing you have to do in order to turn your clay soil into fresh-smelling, enriched dirt is to rototill the ground. There is no getting around it; the ground has to be plowed and tilled before you can mix in organic matter. Anyone who has rototilled clay soil will tell you to be prepared for a workout because it will feel like you are trying to till through concrete. Waiting until after a good rain when the ground is softer is not going to help with clay soil because water only makes clay clump more. When I work with clay soil, I'm reminded of my kindergarten days when I played with modeling clay. I would shape my wet clay into the ever-popular ashtray and then let it set on a shelf somewhere to dry hard. Well, clay you find in garden soil is very similar. It has a similar consistency as modeling clay when it's wet, but when it's dry, its consistency is more like a bricks.
After the soil has been plowed by a tractor, and as you are tilling, start adding your organic matter, such as sand and organic compost. The sand must be very coarse. Adding fine sand, such as what children play with can cause the sand to become cement-like, so the coarser the better. Spread coarse sand and organic compost matter approximately one inch on top of the ground in front of the rototiller as you go along. Try to avoid large mounds of sand or compost, and get as deep with the tiller as possible. Over time compost will add organic carbon and humic matter to the soil. You will see improvement in the soil right away, but keep in mind that it may take several years to get the soil to the consistency you would like it to be. This does not mean you can't plant anything yet. It just means your tomatoes, potatoes, and other vegetables may not grow as well.
Gypsum (calcium sulfate), a mineral product similar to lime, has also been known to be a good additive for clay soil, but there is some controversy on this issue. It does help soil drain and can also help soil that is high in salt; but because of gypsum's calcium content, it is best to rely on your soil test before adding gypsum to your garden. If you want to add it, spread it the same way you would the sand and organic compost only sparingly.
Another way to help get organic matter into clay soil is to plant ground cover in the fall or early spring and then rototill it over. Rye and crimson clover are great as cover crops. Plants used as ground cover improve soil structure, reduce erosion and increase infiltration. They can also help control weeds and suppress insects.
When you are first building up your clay soil, you will need to till and add organic matter often. After you have the soil consistency you want, it is best to not till too often as tillage can cause major losses in the soil's organic matter. I only till my garden twice a year, the spring and the fall. I check to see if organic matter is needed and add it at these times.
It may take a lot of time and hard work, but eventually you will get the type of organic soil that will produce award-winning vegetables.
|
Author Bio Box: Agnes Farside
 http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/110407/agnes_farside.html
Didn't really find what you were looking for?
|
|
|
| |
|
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](images/rss.gif "Subscribe to our XML Feed for RSS")
(Read 250+ times)
