| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Country Mouse in NC |
Posted - Oct 29 2008 : 8:00:28 PM
Hi!
Ok, I've done my hand at gardening and it's gone very well (veggies, herbs), but now I'm faced with the reality that I will be working with a much different type of soil now that I'm back in the south. I did all of my gardening in VT and it was so lovely and easy to work with (once you removed all the stones). I started to think that I was actually a good gardener...that is until I moved back to NC. Here in Charlotte the soil is a nice packed red clay. I attempted a garden and ended up bringing in tons of compost and other mix ins with not much luck. I thought that my life would get easier once I moved back to the NC mountains and started my farm on my piece of land. I'm not sure how I missed it all these years, but the soil is red clay there too! Arg! Now I will just have to re-learn the whole gardening process. There's no getting around the clay. Can't go over it. Can't go around it. Gotta go through it. Any suggestions?
Country mouse living in the Big City |
| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| ddmashayekhi |
Posted - Oct 31 2008 : 3:30:23 PM
Here in IL, we are rather famous for our clay soils. The steel plow was invented here thanks to our heavy clay soil. I actually bent a shovel in half trying to plant tulips one year. I try to add compost, sometimes sand, and even put bagged top soil on certain flower beds. For my vegetable garden, I use bagged organic compost. It seems to help, and yes, patience is needed too.
Dawn in IL |
| Daisydu |
Posted - Oct 31 2008 : 06:23:50 AM
Hi Amy,
I live in Rock Hill,SC, not far from you. I mixed composted manure and sand in my garden and it helped tremendously. Now, if I could only get time to work in the garden to keep down the weeds.
Also, I add lime and fertilizer, twice per year. I plow it 3 times per year.
Goodluck!
Loving a simple life in the country!
www.twistedfencepost.wordpress.com |
| Country Mouse in NC |
Posted - Oct 30 2008 : 10:33:00 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Annab
AMY!
I'm in Seagrove......you know, the pottery mecca of the U S ? Hubby and I work at the zoo, so if you ever are this way, give a little gingle and we can get you in.
It's nice to see another MJF a bit closer
I know what you mean about the red clay. Luckily our farm sports the finer soil. I'd try the raised beds or if you are feeling really out there, you might could try one of those hay bale gardens. They take A LOT of watering though
Welcome back!
Hello Annab!
It's great to finally meet someone not so far away! I will definitely look you up when I'm in the area. I love pottery and my Mom and I are planning to get over that way at some point. Talk about using what you've been given (clay :) Guess there's a lesson in everything! My in-laws live in Pinehurst too, so that gives me another excuse to head in your direction.
I haven't tried hay beds before, but I'm familiar with raised beds. Thanks to all for your advice! I was considering that, but wasn't sure if there was a way to just work with the clay. It looks like it's possible, but that it will take a little more time and effort. My Dad wants to do raised bed gardening anyway, though he's planning on something really raise...like waist high..so he doesn't have to bend as far. Did I mention he's an engineer by trade? ;)
Thanks for the links too! I'll check those out. What about certain tubers and the like? It would be more difficult to grow those in raised beds. My biggest concern is asparagus...?
Country mouse living in the Big City |
| lisamarie508 |
Posted - Oct 30 2008 : 05:38:13 AM
Here, in and around Idaho City, we pretty much live on top of the dredge piles from the mining that was done here so long ago. Not much dirt at all, if any. Raised beds was the only way to grow anything unless you brought in truck loads of topsoil. Sounds like raised beds would be much easier and faster to get the growing medium your garden needs.
Farmgirl Sister #35
"If you can not do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
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| Annab |
Posted - Oct 30 2008 : 03:12:30 AM
AMY!
I'm in Seagrove......you know, the pottery mecca of the U S ? Hubby and I work at the zoo, so if you ever are this way, give a little gingle and we can get you in.
It's nice to see another MJF a bit closer
I know what you mean about the red clay. Luckily our farm sports the finer soil. I'd try the raised beds or if you are feeling really out there, you might could try one of those hay bale gardens. They take A LOT of watering though
Welcome back!
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| rhondacate |
Posted - Oct 29 2008 : 9:31:13 PM
Gypsum is great for clay. It helps greatly with drainage.
~Rhonda |
| Alee |
Posted - Oct 29 2008 : 8:31:17 PM
Clay is a hard one to work with. In my experience you have to keep amending the soil with the compost materials. I like to dig out the bed back fill it with compost materials and then sprinkle the clay soil on top after it has started to dry a bit. That way you are giving you plants a nice bed of compost to grow in, yet still giving them access to the minerals in the clay. Over time, earthworms and such will help burrow the compost deeper into the substructure of the clay, and the natural gardening activities such as digging and planting will mix the soils together even more.
If this still isn't working, try using raised beds where you can bring in the soil type that you want.
Here are some helpful links:
http://cecalaveras.ucdavis.edu/clay.htm
http://gardening.about.com/od/gardendesign/a/ClayPlants.htm
http://cecalaveras.ucdavis.edu/clay.htm
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our blog: www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
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