My Clay Garden

koan · Post by **koan** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:14 pm

Part of my garden is under a tree and the soil is mostly clay. Digging holes to place my shade plants is not easy, I'm digging through clay and blocked by tree roots. The ground has a tendency to crack around where the plants are and the soil is actually like a garden sized planter pot. I can't even get my spade into the ground to dig the holes bigger and add proper soil now the plants are getting bigger.

I'm hoping if I give it a good watering and let it sink in, it will loosen it up a bit. Then I'll dig the spaces out bigger than I think they need and fill them in, putting stones over the clay parts that divide them.

That's the plan. I hope I don't break my spade or my back. It's too nice out there to stay inside though.

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:19 pm

We had very heavy clay soil in our backyard when I was growing up in San Diego and surprisingly we had many very healthy fruit trees.

Post by **Oscar Namechange** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:40 pm

SnoozeAgain;1403630 wrote: We had very heavy clay soil in our backyard when I was growing up in San Diego and surprisingly we had many very healthy fruit trees.

There's an easy option with heavy clay In soil. Most people think they have to keep digging It out which is back-breaking. The easy solution Is to dress the top with some fresh top soil and then plant annual seeds. When the flowers are over, don't dig them up but just chop them off so about an Inch Is showing above the ground. Because the plants are annuals, the roots die off but actually turn to fertile compost.... do that every year and you gradually change clay soil Into a good fertile soil.

Just found this which says more or less the same about the top layer and letting roots die off to fertilize the soil:

http://www.gardeners.com/Building-Healt ... lt,pg.html

koan · Post by **koan** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:19 pm

So far, so good. The clay is popping up in chunks so I'm getting double the radius of good soil around the existing plants. I didn't have as much good soil as I should have when I planted them so I'm rather happy they've endured so well into the second year. Living right next to the ocean it will be easy to gather a bag at a time of pebbles to arrange around each plant. Just have to remember to take breaks often so I don't end up with back spasms tomorrow.

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:45 pm

Is that an expensive area to live? I'd love to retire somewhere cool and moist near the ocean. I wouldn't even mind living in a trailer/mobile home/manufactured home.

koan · Post by **koan** » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:49 pm

I really lucked out with this place. It's a heritage home area so expensive unless you find a good deal, but everywhere in Victoria is expensive. The nice thing is that the ocean here doesn't reek of fish so it's one of the better ocean side areas. Takes me about 5 minutes to walk down to the water and there is a beach about 5 minutes walk from there which you can get to via streets or, on low tide, climb around the rocks along the shore and get to it by adventure.

Snooz · Post by **Snooz** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:18 am

Yeah, that's what I figured. I don't know the logistics of being a retired (unemployed) American in a foreign country. I'll probably have to work fast food to make ends meet anyway and I can nosh on french fries when no one's looking.

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Sep 08, 2012 8:47 am

If you're crafty at all you can start a cottage industry business selling a craft online through etsy or something and then actually retire to a cottage.

My parents bought a summer home that is actually a manufactured home at Sauble Beach. They spend most of the year there now and were thinking of selling their main home and just renting a place for the winters.