| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| MamaBulla |
Posted - Jan 27 2012 : 07:54:17 AM
Hey, Garden Sisters!
I'm new to NC in the Piedmont area and was wondering how well vegetables and herbs grow in this red/orange clay. This is very new to me, and I was wondering if anyone had any good tips or links to help me succeed this spring. It's definitely got to be better than the sandy SW FL soil I tried to grow in the last 10 years, but it's definitely different than the dark, rich soil I grew up with in Michigan.
Thanks for any and all help, suggestions and wisdom!
:o)
Kris B.
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Farmgirl Sister #3679
http://farmgirlby40.wordpress.com
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| 11 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| MamaBulla |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 5:28:26 PM
You guys are great! Thanks so much! We're actually getting a horse Sunday, so I'll be able to have my own composted manure soon. I think I'm just going to have to focus on the animals this year while I do all the soil amendments, and then I'll get the garden going next spring. I still have some fruit trees and berry bushes coming, so I'll have to get an area ready for those.
Kris B.
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Farmgirl Sister #3679
http://farmgirlby40.wordpress.com
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| Room To Grow |
Posted - Feb 02 2012 : 5:09:05 PM
Kris, I am sorry for the miss spelled words. I was on my cell and it has some crazy ap on it and I never know what it changes the words to until I have already send it. I meant to say amend the ground first. Or you can do raised beds.
Deborah
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Feb 01 2012 : 3:04:38 PM
Kris, I just read your post with the comment about using rabbit bedding in your compost pile. Make sure the shavings or whatever your bedding consists of hasn't been chemically treated. |
| Rosemary |
Posted - Feb 01 2012 : 2:54:39 PM
I'm in the Piedmont, too, up in Virginia. We have the same clay soil. I deal with it by amending the soil -- no way around that, I'm afraid. Compost, gritty sand, leaves, whatever you got. If you're near a farmer's co-op, you can get locally produced "leaf gro" type stuff pretty cheap. It's wonderful. Ditto horse manure from neighbors with horses. (Spread it out and dry it first, of course, or it will burn seeds and roots.)
I grow asparagus successfully, and that needs really rich, deep soil. I just dug deep, put in good stuff to "pave" the way and top the bed off with more of that good stuff every fall. So far, so good. Some peskier veggies in raised beds, which helps a bit. Many common vegetables will be happy as clams in plain soil, as will pretty (and useful) herbs like echinacea, yarrow, and so on. Iris tubers and daffodils seem perfectly happy in our soil just as it comes.
You can also try some container planting for a "quick fix" until you get your system worked out, know how the sun behaves and whatnot. Put some planning into watering. The easier you make it for yourself, the less likely you'll be to let a hot, dry spell "break" you. I invested in a timer for one of my outdoor spigots. It was about $30, but a good investment. I attached a sprinkler-hose and set the timer to give the garden a good soak every other day for two hours during spells like that, so when I finally drag myself out there at 10 or so, the weeds pull out easily and anything that's ready to harvest looks worth eating! |
| Karrieann |
Posted - Jan 31 2012 : 12:49:32 PM
...amend, amend, amend, and amend the soil more. I have given up on growing anything new in my Northeast Georgia yard full of pretty dark red clay (only if I had a potter's wheel and a kiln to go with it). I was going to do raised beds for veggies but that plan has been diverted by my bad back. Although, I did plant a tomato plant with three plants of cherry tomatoes in a planter. That worked out great!
Karrieann ~ Farmgirl Sister #766 (29 Sept 2009)
My Blog: following my heart, dreams and Jesus ~http://karrieann-followingmyheartandjesus.blogspot.com/
My Etsy: Yesterday's Scraps, Tomorrow's Treasures ~http://www.etsy.com/shop/2TomorrowsTreasures |
| MamaBulla |
Posted - Jan 31 2012 : 11:48:22 AM
Thank you, Hosanna! I may try putting ** something ** in... I think it would drive me crazy if I didn't plant something this spring. LOL
Thanks, Deborah, for your suggestion, too.
I have our compost bin going and have been adding kitchen scraps and used rabbit bedding. We're getting a horse and will be able to add manure, too. I just have to be patient... Very hard for me! ;o)
Kris B.
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Farmgirl Sister #3679
http://farmgirlby40.wordpress.com
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| Room To Grow |
Posted - Jan 31 2012 : 10:19:48 AM
I live in north west Georgia. the clay and rocks are abundant. I would work on amending the land fest. Let you can FL raised beda
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| Hosanna |
Posted - Jan 28 2012 : 09:40:32 AM
PS - I grew tomatoes in the clay soil; they did okay - not excellent, but I did get tomatoes enough to eat them fresh and can some too! Here is what I did.
I bought tomato plants that were pretty well started in pots - one to 1 1/2 feet tall and very thrifty looking.
I dug really, really big holes for them. Waaaay bigger holes than one usually would. I bought a bag of peat moss, and filled most of the hole with that; and planted the tomato plant right in the peat moss; burying the bottom leaves of the plant. Then I re-filled the hole with the regular soil, and watered as usual. As I said, they didn't do *excellent*, but I had a decent tomato crop! You may be able to do this with other plants as well. Like peppers and such. Seeds, I don't know.
www.happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com
www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com
www.CarolinaRoses.etsy.com
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| Hosanna |
Posted - Jan 28 2012 : 09:35:25 AM
I am currently living in VA about a mile from NC and I grew up there.... in the Piedmont. :) From what I learned from taking some classes and courses at NC State on pasture management for horse farms, and working with my county extension agent some, I found out that NC soil tends to be very low in PH. So not only is it important to amend your soil with organic matter, you'll probably need to do a soil sample test and see if you need to lime your plot. Lime will raise the PH of your soil and make it more balanced for growing things.
When I started gardening on my new farm I had a plot that was a mix of soils.... one large area of red clay slowly turning into a nice rich soil as the plot slopes uphill.
The first thing we did was get the tractor and chisel plow the plot (about a 1 - 1/2 acre plot), followed by disking. Then we dumped a huge amount of our horse stall muckings (composted) onto it, as well as leaves, and any other organic stuff we could find to dump on it.We also sprinkled the whole area with lime. Then we let it sit all winter, and re-disk it in the Springtime.
It has been a 3-year undertaking but the soil is starting to improve; and with it my vegetable crops. Good luck! Do try your extension agent's office for more info on soils, lime, etc.
www.happilyeverafterhosanna.blogspot.com
www.thewindofheaven.blogspot.com
www.CarolinaRoses.etsy.com
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| MamaBulla |
Posted - Jan 27 2012 : 11:02:01 AM
Okay, so I should probably just focus on building up the soil and not bother to do any planting yet? At least not on a large scale?
Kris B.
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Farmgirl Sister #3679
http://farmgirlby40.wordpress.com
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| KathyC |
Posted - Jan 27 2012 : 10:36:47 AM
Kris,
I'm not too far from you and NO clay is not easy to grow your veggies in. I have a nice little bed now but it took a few years of adding organic matter. I would pile leaves on it in the fall and turn it under a few times and cover it with a large old tarp with a few holes in it for the winter. If I had any peat I would throw that in there as well. A couple of years ago I went out collecting stuff for a compost pile. I had access to free pine sawdust, horse manure, chicken manure, coffee grounds, old hay, shredded paper, and of course leaves from my yard. I tended my pile, water it, turned it and in a few months I had a nice pile of stuff to add to the garden. The soil is pretty nice now. Last year I had a small garden and plan on expanding this. I'm just a beginning gardener but having fun.
Good luck.
Kathy |
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