Oh, what sticky, challenging clay you have! But all of these tactics should definitely help with black gumbo clay, just as it does with other types of clay. I'm glad you found this video helpful and best wishes for improved soil. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

@@GrowfullywithJenna thwnk you very much, appreciate you!

@@WTFnecktatto you are very welcome

@@GrowfullywithJenna Hi, Jenna - do you think working wood chips INTO the soil in the early years of bad clay soil could work ? To loosen it up already, and I think wood chips absorb moisture, even more so when they are in the process of being broken down. Maybe with additional nitrogen gifts to compensate for what is (temporarily ?) bound by the processing of the wood by fungi.

@@GrowfullywithJenna My understanding is that if you get plenty of earthworms (mulching, aerating with the fork, lifting the beds for drainange, adding looser organic material) they will at some point have eaten all of the aerated soil in search of organic material that can feed them - it all was processed through their body at least once. Which is massive if you think how small they are. That is why it magically gets better also (especially) for gardeners that only mulch and do not till. I saw in another thread that you noted a major improvement in / after year 2 - must have been a great joy to see that your long term strategy starts to pay off. I think by that time the worms had processed a lot of the soil and once they get going the process accelerates, because more and more soil is aerated. Again: three cheers for moles they make the larger tunnels that allows air to enter so earthworms (and other much smaller creatures, and bacteria and fungi) can take it from there. Moles are like alive daikon radishes if you will ;) only you do not have to raise them, and they also work in winter (I do not think they hibernate, and they must eat plenty of earth worms to stay alive and heat their little body, earth digging is hard work and it is cool in the earth year round. The mounds of soil on the lawn that one must remove before mowing are testimony to their dilignet work. The number of moles also increases (they hunt the earth worms, they eat _them_ - not plants) as your soil improves and they are part of the soil improvement squad. Earth worms (or the bacteria in their "gut" ) add some "glue" to the castings - that glue is able to hold the soil together (for instance sandy soil) while also making it water absorbant and crumby (for heavy loam and clay). They are like tiny bioreactors. Worm castings from worm compost (from other species than earth worms in the wild) have plasticity (they are not as crumby / soft as carbon rich compost created by funghi) but despite that slight "stickyness" the castings from a worm bin do not compact like clay and they can absorb more water. That must be something that worms add.

Thank you so much, Ben! It really means a lot to hear feedback like this, I appreciate it! Take care & have a great weekend.

@Ramen Lover which book is that? I'd love to check it out!

@@ramenlover1727 thank you!

If my clay soil is hard to even shovel into. How should I ammend it? Will I have to till it?

@@DadsWatchingKZfaq As you haven't had a reply I will dive in. I would till it. But no point tilling it and not doing anything else.Work in some animal manure - cow if you can get it, sheep or goat are also good, horse would work as well. Then mulch it heavily, at least 4 inches deep but more is better up to around 8 to 10 inches deep. The mulch will encourage worms to work close to surface level as they are protected from the heat and it will retain the moisture close to the surface worms need to breathe. The manure will also attract more worms to the area and facilitate breeding. Increasing worm quantity and activity is IMHO a primary objective and an increase in their population is an indicator you are doing something right.

Yes! This is an excellent way to work and improve the soil. I utilize chickens in a similar way- but pigs are much, much better at this! Great tip- thank you!

Excellent advice, thank you so much

Wow. What a challenge. Good luck.

I have Empathy ...

Love this! I just got pigs this year and hope to use them for garden work while they make bacon!

Haha- yep… I’ve had that happen too!

Or a moat!

😂😂😂

Right there with you! I'm pretty sure I could start a fire in any hole that I dig and end up with a clay pot.

Thank you. That was exactly what I was going for, so it's good to hear your feedback. Take care & enjoy your week!

Amen! So good to get right to the info!

Gypsum is the only supplement that will break it down. Read the info on the bag. Sounds like you haven’t.

@@ricoproia328 that is true of Sodic soils, but not other types of clay soil. My area has a little bit of sodic soil, my mother-in-law does not. Gypsum wouldn’t do a whole lot for her soil, and depending on if my soil originally came from a low spot would determine if mine would benefit from gypsum. Both responded really well to organic matter and course sand, and purchasing gypsum just doesn’t make economic sense when we were able to source sand for free and both have ample access to free organic matter. Gypsum is meant to bind to sodium ions in sodic soil that aren’t overly present in other clay soils. It’s a myth based on truth for some very specific parameters.

Horticultural sand, calcified seaweed and perlite plus lots of manure, dry leaves, woodchips, compost and either shredded cardboard or layers of cardboard under the woodchips and compost. Works wonders but takes a year. Nothing in nature is a quick solution.

@@ricoproia328 i have heard this advice, and been tempted, but now I'm confused, and actually would love to find a solution which does not involved buying stuff in bags at the big box store. We've done almost 30 yrs of leaves, grass clippings, straw, etc and still have heavy clay soil. Have a few beds where I've added peat moss (which was donated, did not buy it) and despite those bags saying it would preserve moisture, it has actually lightened the soil and made it suitable for carrots, it is that nice. Other beds I have added some chopped alfalfa (donated!). Perhaps if I can find a source for organic gypsum donation I will try that too. Otherwise, most of us are going to use whatever is available. Even shredded paper would be a good addition.

Thank you Farhan, I'm glad you found the video helpful. Take care!

She is not a soil scientist or even have a degree in ag. Don't assume she is telling you the truth. She dose give decent advice for how to start but if you only add organic matter you will run into problems with root rot due to the water. You have to have well draining soil and sand will help with this. Tilling sand in the ground will not always help (not sands fault) as the sand help drain the water. The water has to have someplace to go. The clay will actually dam the water in and the soil will not drain. You will need to give placed for water to drain away from . I use dry wells. Using a post hole digger I dig several 2 foot wholes ( at the low end of beds ) and fill with a sand rich soil. Then have the beds over them. (You only have to do this one in your life) as the water drains down threw your beds it draws in air (you plants need it at the roots) when the water hits the clay it stops flowing and start to stagnate and it slowly trying to go threw the clay. The dry wells give the extra water someplace to go aiding to roots. You can also french drain the aria the remove more standing water. The concept is the increase the surface area between the grow bed and the clay soil to keep the water moving

@@michaelsilberstein I appreciate you sharing your technique. This makes sense, and I absolutely agree that giving the water some place to go is necessary. Raising my beds and creating mini swales achieves this to some degree. I would like to point out however, that the advice I share regarding adding sand to clay soil DOES actually come from research done by folks with much loftier credentials than myself. To cite just one of many articles on the topic: s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/soil-amendments-2.pdf I research each of my topics before ever posting a video, as I do not want to add to the rife spread misinformation on the internet. I would also like to point out that having a diploma does not always an expert make. Most of the best growers I've known in my life do not have Ag degrees, but have years of life experience.

@@GrowfullywithJenna very well put! Absolutely agreed- some of the best growers I've known in my relatively long life likewise do not have a fancy piece of paper.

@@williamaber2791 thank you, William!

Great tip, John! Thanks for sharing.

That is awesome! I'm so glad to hear you're seeing improvement. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Thank you so much, Valentina- I truly appreciate it!

Thank you so much!

Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate your support and hope you have wonderful week! Take care 💚

That is a crazy nice comment! 😍

@@plssmellmycheese yes it certainly was! I was honored by it!

Great tip, Allan! Thanks for sharing!

Thats a great idea! When you leave the roots they will decay in place and next season other plants will be able to fill in where the roots were without having to expend as much energy to get there.

So do I!

Thank you-- and it's great to hear from a fellow Ohioan!

It seems like it would make sense- but a while ago I added some extremely sandy soil to my fill dirt for raised beds and now it's some of the worst soil I have! When it dries out, it truly is like concrete- it forms a hard crust on top that is very difficult for seedlings to pop through. I'm glad you'll avoid the same experience! Thanks for watching & I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

not all clays are equal and not all sands are equal. horticultural sand is used in some situations on very small scale, but usually with other amendments. you have to source bulk horticultural sand, otherwise too cost prohibitive

@@GrowfullywithJenna - The video was very interesting and informative. I'm having the sand debate now with my wife as we are preparing to fill raised beds for initial flower and vegetable plantings at the home we just built in Thailand. She remembers from her high school agriculture classes that adding sand, along with partially composted cow manure and coconut coir, to clay soil was the officially recommended soil remediation method. We bought a load of top soil from a friend of hers. The soil turned out to be heavy black-brown clay soil scooped from a rice farm. Because it is the end of the dry season, a large part of the soil received is filled with large chunks (6 inches or larger) that are essentially bricks. My wife is insisting on adding sand for remediation. I checked several sources, mainly UK based where adding sand seems to be a standard soil remediation recommendation. The information I found was that for sand to successfully be used for remediating clay, the volume of sand has to be at least 1 to 2 units of sand for each two units of clay soil (33%-50% of the total volume should be sand). According to the information I found, if less sand than that is used, the sand acts as a bonding agent just as it would in concrete mix. First question - Considering the range of options and the amount of clay soil that we need to have remediated ( more than 12 cubic meters), would it be better for me to try to convince her to go with organic materials as much as possible? We have easy access to coconut coir, rice straw, rice husks, and more cow manure. Second question - Do I need to try to break down the big chunks of baked clay soil into much smaller pieces in order to facilitate the remediation and end up with enough soil for the top layer of the planters and raised beds to be able to support root development for smaller garden plants? Thanks for any suggestions you or others can give.

@@worldcitizenra Thank you. You're sources align with what I've come across- that approx 50% volume of sand should be added. This snippet from a University of Saskatchewan article says it well: "The danger of adding sand-especially in small amounts-is that large sand particles mixed with tiny clay particles will result in a concrete-like mixture. It takes the addition of 50% of total soil volume to significantly change the texture of clay soils. That means adding a truckload of sand to a small garden patch to change soil texture and using fairly aggressive means to mix it together thoroughly. The problem with clay soil is not the texture, but the lack of aggregate structure. Adding sand will not fix this." Plus- once you've added 50% sand to your soil, you've now opened up a whole host of other problems. Sandy soil is not well suited to holding moisture or nutrients, so you'd have to spend more time watering & providing supplemental nutrition! You're right on track with adding more of the organic materials you have on hand- rice husks & coconut coir in particular will 'lighten up' soil texture without the problems inherit in sand. I don't know how much trouble it's going to be to break up the big chunks of baked clay, but if you are able, I'd definitely try to break them up. is running a tiller or other implement through them an option? You may also look into gypsum applications. I've yet to try this myself, but several others here have recommended this for breaking up clay soil. Best of luck with your new garden & home (sounds wonderful) and take care!

@@worldcitizenra I hope u avoided the sand! ......our 3 acre clay lot was amended with sand by the builder and what we found was the sand gets worked up to the top by the rain over time. All the lawns in the plan die as the sand heats in Summer, n weeds takeover, then the weeds brown n crisp. It is awful, organic matter is ONLY way to go folks. And it is found for free if ur motivated! We now spread manure on the lawn every chance we get as we transform large sections into gardens. Also we auger holes in garden beds and stick sticks then food waste in them.

You are most welcome! It's definitely experience based-- I've been gardening in clay soil my entire life (as have my parents and grandparents). It's challenging for sure, but clay soil does have its merits (less watering for one)! Take care & I hope you have a wonderful day!

An excellent way to look at a problem!

That's interesting! I often see ducks from the lake waddling around the neighborhood - but only the occasional slug! Now, all I have to do is get the neighbor kids to stop chasing off the ducks!

@@hootiebubbabuddhabelly they are rumored to be excellent eaters of insect pests. I've debated keeping ducks for that reason... but have yet to actually get some!

@@GrowfullywithJenna I'd just been looking at videos about how to attract ducks to your property! MAN, there's a video for EVERYthing!

@@hootiebubbabuddhabelly haha- yes there is!

Yes!! Winter rye is so good for clay soil! Thanks for sharing, Joan.

Do you need to do anything with the rye in the spring or does it just die off and compost?

@@leighannf.4730 Rototilled under.

It's a challenge for sure! From being covered in water, to (in my area at least) glacial erosion, to soils completely depleted by conventional farming practices- our soil is in desperate need of TLC. It's doable, just takes time & patience- you'll get there! Best wishes for a great '22 gardening season.

Bummer. 7 years. Bad Gardner. We moved into our second home and the whole area is tan compacted clay. It took all of 2 years to turn it into soil in 2 years.

only in ohio

@@happyyt266 Also in central Missouri. Dense tan clay.

I'm so glad to hear about the improvement you've seen in your soil! That's awesome!

You are welcome and best of luck with your clay soil!

Thank you for the kind (and lovely) words, Mark. You really struck on one of the reasons gardening is so wonderful- "getting our hands in the life giving earth and helping it help us"... I love this and couldn't agree more! I hope spring finds its way to you soon and I appreciate your support. Take care & have a wonderful week!

You can absolutely improve your soil! It will take some work, but you’ll be surprised how quickly it improves. And yes- that broadfork can be a workout- especially in clay. I just figure I’m saving money not having to buy a gym membership 😆.

Glad to hear you've got access to some great soil-improving materials. You're absolutely right- 100 miles can make a HUGE difference! Take care!

You're most welcome, Becky! Take care & have a wonderful day!

It's been a game changer for me- especially during the early season. I'd love to hear what you think if you give it a try!

Keep adding whatever organic matter you can find!

Thank you!! Not sure why my original response isn't showing up here, but I'm glad you found this explanation useful. Take care!

i agree!!!!!

Thank you so much!

Glad to hear it's working well for you!

Wow, thank you!

Thanks for the suggestion Chadwick! I would have never actually believed this works, but someone recommended a mole-chasing windmill (which works on the same principle as the pinwheels), and I thought 'what the heck, I'll give it a try'. It's worked better than anything else I've tried so far! Take care & have a great weekend!

Every time I see a pinwheel I remember years ago when my daughter put a lovely birdbath in her yard at the farmhouse and then put a "pretty little flower pinwheel" next to it!! ROFL! I live near the woods and enjoy the company of birds and bees and whatnot so...I'm going to just let the critters do their thing, plant some food and shelter specifically for them and try Robbie and Gary's instant, compost-in-place, raised-container form of gardening. And I'm ready. My little french compost pile smells so GOOD!

@@hootiebubbabuddhabelly what a wonderful memory- thank you for sharing!

That's one smart 8 year old!

Not with the intention of improving clay soil, but I am definitely doing that this year! Thanks for the great suggestion, James, and have a wonderful week!

I love Sunflowers and plant them everywhere. I never thought about it being good for the soil. Thanks!

I just turned over a bed that I planted huge sunflowers in a couple of years ago. I had just cut them down at the time an left the roots in the ground. I have hard clay and soil was beautiful! I have planted some short sunflowers I found at Burpee and am looking forward to transformation. Thanks for alerting me to the possibilities of sunflowers!

Cosmos is also useful for breaking up clay.

We planted sunflowers this this year too, the only thing we got were moles! Lol they coming up tall tho and soil around them and the chicken coops look pretty good

You are so welcome! I'm so glad you've decided to start gardening!

Follow up. I had a great year. Double digging, steer manure, and compost for my clay garden beds. ​@@GrowfullywithJenna

I'm glad to hear that!

Yes! Love both of those cover crops and use them frequently. Excellent suggestions. I'm curious how you chop and manage your rye in the spring. I typically just chop it up with weedwhacker then work it into the soil with my broadfork, but I've read that crimping is actually the best way to terminate it. I'm looking into making a small scale crimper, but I'm curious to hear what other folks are doing. thanks!

Glad I could help!

Your soil will enjoy that!

Yes! Those radishes work just as well on a small scale as they do in a big field. How fun that they are using crop dusters to spread the seeds- my little guy would love to watch that 😀. Thanks for the kind words & I hope you have a wonderful week!

Plant radishes around your beds before planting the bed this makes an excellent slug feast, pull a few up occasionally to tempt them they ignore the other plants

Added bonus: pollinators love radish flowers and the seed pods take a while to mature so they are easy enough to control from spreading.

I'm so glad you found this helpful and it's wonderful to hear from you all the way from Argentina! Take care!

Another fellow argentinean! Cheers

@@jesidillon4593 Qué tal, che!!! Saludos!

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing your experience-- I'll have to give this a try.

Thank you so much, Karen! I'm glad that you found some useful info here. Best of luck with your clay soil & Take care!

Thank you! I'm your beds appreciate all that good chicken manure. And great idea on tucking fresh matter into the beds- thanks for sharing!

Hi Mario-- I just recently ran across the concept of Bokashi composting and am very excited to try it myself. I'm glad to hear you're having good results with it. Thanks & take care!

Thanks so much, Frank!

Thank you for sharing what worked well for you! I love the idea of using the gypsum with compost & leaf mould. It seems like you would get much better results than with using gypsum alone. Take care & have a wonderful day!

Excellent! I'm glad to hear you're having great results with your soil. It's amazing what some TLC and good amendments can do.

What do you cover your soil with?

Awesome, thank you!

That is a major consideration that I didn't even mention- sand does not hold moisture or fertility well (especially as compared to clay). I've seen plantings in southern Florida on extremely sandy soil where they have to fertigate every single day! That could get pricey in a hurry. Thanks for bringing that up!

Thanks Charles! Raised beds can definitely be helpful when dealing with poor soil, I like to use them too. I hope that you have a great garden this year as well, and have a wonderful week!

You are welcome!

I’m so glad you opted for compost!!

I've never tried expanded shale, I'll have to look into that. Thank you for the suggestions and have a great week!

You are so welcome, Jody! Best of luck with your soil!

You're welcome! Best of luck with your soil & planters!

@@GrowfullywithJenna thank you

Thank you for sharing your experience, Ron-- I'm sorry you had to go through that! I'm curious- I've heard that 'river' sand or 'horticultural' sand works differently (better) than playground sand for this application, do you recall which you used? I'm still not sure that even horticultural sand would be an option I'd go with- but I am curious about how it might affect soil structure as compared to playground sand.

@@GrowfullywithJenna Well actually the first dump truck load I purchased was golf course sand and it was very expensive! But it worked the best and actually improved our soil. A few years later we purchased another load but because of the price we went with the cheaper playground sand and that is what turned our clay to concrete, we were unable to use that section of the garden for a couple years while we tried different things to amend the soil. The only way to recover that area was to turn it into 30" raised beds and lots of compost, last year was the first year for those and they worked great! I sure wish I had been composting back then. My wife and I have been gardening our whole lives and we are 70 now but I just started composting 3 years ago and now I am not only using 3 - pallet bins, I am composting around 10 acres of grass hay in a stack and raising red wiggler worms. You might say I have jumped into the deep end! I made 4 30" raised beds last year and I am gearing up to put in 12 more this year if I have enough compost that is. I am also using a modified "No Till" I till to make the beds but then no more tilling after the beds are made, much like you do. Love your teaching videos! Ron from N-C Idaho

@@ronjones1308 Thank you for sharing- that is very useful to know! And I'm so glad to hear you've 'jumped into the deep end" with gardening!

You’re welcome! Best of luck with your clay soil!

Hello John- thank you for the kind words, and I'm so glad you found the video helpful! Have a wonderful day & take care!

Nice! Thanks for sharing that, Adam- I'm sure it does wonders for your soil!

I’ve been reading a lot about clover lately. From what I’ve read, grass seed years ago was rated by how much clover was included in with the seed as this is good for correcting the lack of nitrogen.

A key advantage of cover crops is that you don’t have to move organic matter first to one spot (the compost pile) to rot, and then move it again to where it’s needed. It is composting in place. In vegetable gardens, there may be several weeks between when one crop ends (for example, cool weather crops) and another can be planted (later summer or early fall crops). A cover crop planted then can help improve the soil.

Best of luck with your new bed!

Thank you, Frank! I appreciate the support as well as you sharing what has worked for you!

I certainly hope you can find some useful tidbits here!

@@GrowfullywithJenna oh yes you have all kinds of useful lessons for me thanks Jenna

I hope it works well for you!

Lots of folks have had good results with ChipDrop too, as a source for wood chips.

How exciting! Best wishes for a wonderful garden!

Glad it was helpful and best of luck with your soil!

Thank you, Bill. I am hoping to give gypsum a try this year. And I'm with you on the rye-- I've had great results with it as well. Take care & have a wonderful week!

It doesn’t need to be “agricultural grade”. Gypsum is gypsum and scraps of drywall from a dumpster are perfect. 100% gypsum

@@manuf.eng.808 I would be careful about assuming that there are no additives. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drywall We chose to go with the agricultural gypsum to be on the safe side.

@@manuf.eng.808 you are wrong

@@wiktorpoliszczuk1372 wouldn’t be surprised if American drywall is poisonous

Thank for the tip!

Hello Alice- thank you for the kind words! I'm glad you were able to find some strategies here to use with your own soil. Best wishes for a wonderful garden in 2021! Take care!

Absolutely!

Thanks for stopping by, Michael! Best of luck with your soil- it's definitely a challenge!

Nice! Glad to hear you saw improvement so quickly, Jack- that's awesome!

Thank you so much ru Grew! I'm glad you find them informative!

Oh no!! I'm sorry to hear that! What a mess. I appreciate you sharing your experience. Many folks have commented here that adding sand was the best thing they ever did for their clay, but people also need to know about experiences like yours before adding sand to their soil!

You are welcome! Best of luck with your clay soil!

Thanks for this. I’m getting ready to remove all the sod from my backyard to do gravel and flagstone with xeriscape. I was thinking of leveling with sand instead of topsoil. You saved me from a massive mistake. 🙌🌻

Walt, it may be too late now to say it but all sand is not the same. And the sand that makes 'concrete' when mixed with clay soil is the very fine sand with a particle size 1mm) usually from rivers behaves quite differently, and if mixed with heavy clay (2in depth for top 8 inches of soil - ie 25%) it makes a dramatic and long term change to the physical properties of the soil - inclreasing its drainage and reducing hardening and cracking. Carrots, parsnips & other root veg will suddenly take off, and it's easier to fork over. But such a quantity needed, suitable only for a raised bed.

@@falfield You are correct. I use a combination of pea gravel, sharp sand, and compost. I mix it by the barrel full. I do a portion of my clay garden each year. My clay has dramatically improved. I dig mine in about eight inches and I am sure to mix it thoroughly with the clay chunks that slice in.

Best of luck with your clay soil, Jacob!

I'm happy you found me too, Ginny! I hope you can find some useful tidbits here and best of luck with your soil. Take care!

Glad to hear it! Clay can be awesome when amended properly. Thanks for sharing your experience & take care!

Thanks for sharing!

Thanks for sharing your experience! I've love to try gardening someplace like the Philippines- what a different experience from Ohio!

Thank you very much for the positive feedback! And for the video recommendation- I’m very interested in checking it out. Take care!

I'm giving gypsum a try this year- it's one soil amendment I've not tested out yet. I'm hoping to do a true test where I apply gypsum to 1/2 of a garden bed and not to the other and observe the results. Thanks so much for the suggestion & have a wonderful weekend. Happy 1st Day of Spring!

Thank you for the kind words- I very much appreciate it. Take care & have a wonderful week!

I think some gardening info is pertinent no matter where you are growing, but I ran into the same frustration-- I'd get half way into a video and realize they were growing in Southern California and half of what they were doing would never work in Ohio 😆.

Thank you, Anthony! The broad fork I use is actually a 'modified' broadfork. You can also get broadforks that don't have that extra bar that scissors up & down. But the modified version works great in heavy clay soil. Thanks for watching & take care!

Yes! If you've got patience to wait, wood chips allowed to rot away into the soil are an amazing amendment. Great point about the desert- thanks for bringing that up!

Thanks for sharing your experience. Glad to hear that your soil improved!

You're so welcome!

Your soil sounds wonderful-- I'm glad to hear you've got good resources around you that you are able to utilize. You are absolutely right- a little work is all it takes, and it can make SUCH a difference! Love seeing those nightcrawlers, it always makes me feel like I'm making a difference in my soil's health. Thank you so much, and you take care as well!

Yes absolutely! The worms love it! And great point about keeping the mulch away from the plant stems. This is very important, especially when using a heavier mulch like wood chips. Thanks for sharing this and take care!

Thank you, Evan! I'm glad to hear my tips helped- best of luck with your soil. Take care!