kevins_news2 wrote in message . ..

I'm wondering what to do this year. My ideal option would be to
completely remove that top 8" of grey and fill everything up with many
more cubic yards of topsoil. However this year i no longer have
direct access for the soil guys to drive up and dump the bag right by
my garden. i'd have to treck it from the front by wheelbarrow, my
garden is over 200 feet from the driveway, and i'd have to go around a
neighbour since i'm actually in a townhouse. Not going to happen.


given that you have already been told about organic matter and soil
tests, here is some experience. I find leaves to be the best, per
pound, at attracting earthworms, and zillions of worms is what you
need. You may want to have a leaf mulch on your soil at all times, if
possible applying it twice a year (and you plant only seedlings
through the mulch, no direct broadcasting). Earthworms will mostly
live in the first inch or so, but they have to move up and down at
least twice a year to follow the frostline, so they should provide you
with tilling down to two feet once abundant.

Other things which in my opinion help break the soil include potatoes
(mache and cardoon are also quite aggressive) and taprooted greens
(chicory and dandelion). The latter go down one foot (four feet if you
count hair roots), each leftover root making a channel of compost for
water to drain and earthworms to eat, and their motto is clay-schmay.
Other roots you can also leave in at the end of the growing season
(say, tomatoes or squash or cabbage) but you run the risk of spreading
diseases (I take out those whole plants, though I leave the roots of
everything else except in the 10% or so of garden where I direct
seed). Carrots or beets are not as good because the root is removed at
the end. If you are willing to lose some growing time, there are lots
of green manures that will break the soil aggressively (favas will
give you a crop as well, and are excellent with clay). In short, some
veggies are more adapted to heavier soils and will help you break it
if planted thickly enough. Other than that, you will have to be
patient. those clumps will not go away in one year.