clay soil gardening

Maybe this time you are thinking of clay soil gardening!

We’d really miss it if it would just go away. Without clay, we wouldn’t have pottery or potters. We wouldn’t have many of our favorite dinner plates, water pitchers, coffee mugs, and cereal bowls. Or bricks. Or . . . the list is so long.

This type of soil makes for some pretty tough gardening but there are ways to work with it so that you can still enjoy your beautiful garden or just tips on gardening vegetables with clay soil. Perhaps the first step in working harmoniously with it is understanding what clay is and why it makes gardening so tough.

Clay soil is composed of very small particles of soil that is compacted very tightly. So tightly, in fact, that it is almost impossible for water to seep through it. So tightly that it is almost impossible for the tiny, delicate roots of a plant to take hold and grow.

Lightening soil for clay soil gardening

One of the most important considerations in clay soil gardening is lightening the soil. Working sand and organic matter such as compost into clay soil will help to lighten it, allowing water to penetrate and saturate the soil and also allowing room for those almost invisible roots to take hold. By frequently stirring in sand and compost, the clay soil becomes more aerated, too, which means more oxygen can get to those tiny new roots.

Earthworms are great helpers when gardening in clay soil. These busy creatures aerate the soil as they burrow through it and they leave their castings behind as well. Castings are the waste matter secreted by the earthworms.

Since earthworms eat organic matter found in the soil, the castings they leave behind are rich with the nutrients your plants need to thrive. The compost you’ve added to your clay soil will feed the earthworms, tempting them to stay, thereby continuing to fertilize and lighten your clay soil with very little effort on your part.

Clay soil gardening trick

It requires a little bit of effort ,the trick is to keep your plants in the containers they are in when you purchased them. Plant them, container and all, for some good results. Make sure the pot has holes in the bottom to allow for drainage.

To plant this way, simply dig a hole in the clay soil that is deep and wide enough to hold the entire pot. Make sure the pot is planted deep enough so the soil level in the pot is even with the level of the ground around it.

The soil in the container is most likely healthy, nutritious soil and the plant’s root system is already well established. By planting pot and all, the plant continues to thrive in this environment while you enjoy it in your yard.

Tend the plant as you would if the pot weren’t there. In time, the plant’s root system will extend beyond the pot via the drainage holes in the pot. By this time, your plant will be well established and vigorous enough to survive the heavy clay surrounding the pot.

Feeling industrious with clay soil gardening? Dig a bigger hole and back fill with sand and compost placed around the pot.

This planting method works for shrubs of all sizes and even small ornamental trees, such as oleanders and crepe myrtles, and fruit trees, such as peaches and pomegranates.

Don’t let your clay soil make you go away from clay soil gardening. You many find it’s quite rewarding actually.

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