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Re: Brown Thumb in Utah with Questions

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Our native southwest desert soil is an alkaline (pH 8) orangish clay with
virtually no organic matter.  Peat moss will not mix with it either - it
just floats away.  I add 4 inches of organic compost every fall.  Organic
materials seem to dissolve within one season in our alkaline soil.  But with
all the rainfall in the Southeast, the soil is probably acid so peat moss
might mix okay and the compost may persist longer.

It has never occurred to me to add sand or topsoil.  It's cheaper and very
effective to amend it with organic materials.  But one thing to keep in mind
when working clay soil - do not spade or till when it is too wet.  It will
ruin the structure of the soil and can do some long term damage to it.

Olin


----- Original Message -----
From: "kitty" <kitty@cwnet.com>
To: "Square Foot Gardening List" <sqft@listbot.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 9:17 PM
Subject: Re: Brown Thumb in Utah with Questions


> Square Foot Gardening List - http://myweb.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
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> Margaret's right on that one-
> You add sand to clay- you get concrete!I don't care what the garden books
> tell you.(Perhaps years of ammending  clay soil might make it  wonderful
> ,but just starting out with unworked clay soil is a whole differnt story)
>
> In the places where I have managed to make some decent soil- it has been
> with a little clay,compost,and vermiculite and composted manure - in
pretty
> much equal proportions- sometimes some peat- depending on what is going in
> the bed- Even then it seems like the clay just "eats up" all the goodies
in
> 6 months and I have to keep ammending- which is why I have just done
raised
> beds or I dig the nasty clay out  altogether and just put the good stuff
> down in the trench.
>
> My clay doesn't does not even know it is dirt. It thinks it is either
peanut
> butter or  hard rock depending on the time of year and the only thing it
is
> interested in getting mixed up with on a permanent basis in my yard is
> BERMUDA GRASS. They are very close buddies.
> -Teri
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Margaret Lauterbach <mlaute@micron.net>
> To: Square Foot Gardening List <sqft@listbot.com>
> Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2001 7:41 AM
> Subject: Re: Brown Thumb in Utah with Questions
>
>
> > Square Foot Gardening List - http://myweb.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html
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> > Most of JC's advice was very good, but if you add sand to clay-ey soil,
> > watch out. You may create an adobe, of concrete consistency if you don't
> > use enough or too little sand.  I think the right mix is 1/3 the depth
of
> > your loose soil.  Margaret L
> >
> >
> >
> > >You can't put too much time and effort into your soil  Follow the
formula
> > >for Mel's soil.  Add some extra sand if you have soil that is extra
> "clay-y".
> > >
>
>
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