No-till and clay

John Schlesinger writes that he remains a skeptic about the no-till method
as used on california clay.
Two years ago, my husband and I bought a 5 acre parcel in the Sierra
foothills.  It consists of red adobe clay that had been seriously compacted
by construction and horses that pastured on the acreage.  My husband, who
is an arborist and a "chip" fanatic, insisted that we could amend the soil
by just laying wood chips over it.  I insisted that organic material needed
to be tilled in.  We did both.  I amended the areas I wanted to set up as
immediate garden beds, and layed chips over those I planned to till up in
the future.

He was right.  The beds I amended are still struggling.  The organic
material has not  broken down well, but sits instead in wet clumps under
the ground, fostering an ideal environment for the root fungi that attack
the native and drought tolerant plants I grow.
The areas I laid chips over, (and some of these were horrible) have been
completely transformed. The soil is now darker and looser in color for
several feet down.

I don't understand it. I can't explain it, but I have to believe it.

Since I have more land that I can possibly garden on all at once, my
strategies have changed. I plan beds years in advance; lay the chips down,
and wait.

Rebecca Lance
Sonora CA
White Mountain Tree Care
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