There is so much debate about this - some say that if you work all the
amendments in, all you have done is create a concrete trough on the
sides. Some say work it down 12-18" and you'll be above the "water line"
of the clay. Some say berm it up and put down a ton of topsoil over the
clay. Some say dig the red clay OUT, dispose of it and put in good
topsoil. That last one sounds like real trouble to me.

You'll get lots of conflicting opinions on this.

I dunno - I just prepared a new bed for bulbs and dug through this heavy
red clay. I added about 200 lbs of compost and worked it in to about
12". It is very hard stuff to work (the clay). I stand on the spading
fork, wiggle from side to side, and then lean back of the fork to pull
up a boulder of clay. Then I take a gizmo known as a "hoe matic" - a
hand held tool looks like an ax blade turned sideways - and break up the
clay to small pieces. After all has been broken up, I add amendments and
mix well. Let this sit for a couple of weeks and then plant.

When the clay is so hard, you can't even use a tiller. It's like going
through concrete.

Every flower bed at my house was done this way. AND every year I have to
add amendments to keep the soil in good shape. That d**n clay pushs up
from the center of the earth.

But my flowers are beautiful!! And every spring is a delight!

Dave wrote:

Hi all,

We had a local landscape company help us design and prepare some
garden beds. Around here we have almost entirely red clay soil. The
consultant arranged to have 2-3 inches of topsoil and leaf mold put on
top of the new beds. I asked him about the need to work it in. He
said that he's be wasting my money if he were to try to roto-till it
in. And that as I planted the ammendments would work themselves in
and also eventually leach down into the existing clay soil. When I
plant perrenials I'm trying to mix the ammendments in as much as
possible, but I also worry that the clay around the hole will still
keep rainwater around the roots and rot my plants.

Also, we want to put down lanscape fabric (over the ammendments but
under the mulch), but will this keep mulch and other organic matter
from eventually mixing with the soil? How about preventing plants
like daylillies or back-eyed susans from propagating?

Thanks in advance!

Dave M.