Hi all,

Although I'm new to this group, I have been learning a lot from
reading tons of messages concerning how to prepare the soil for
planting. Being a complete novice at gardening as this will be my
first time at planting anything, I'm still confused because some of
the posts contradict each other. I'm hoping that some kind
individuals can clarify some of my confusion?

My situation is that I have clay soil (zone 6/7 Maryland/DC Metro
area), and I know that I need to do some type of soil preparation to
be successful at planting my flowers. According to some of the posts
that I read, they say that one should mix a combination of compost,
manure, fertilizer, peat moss, sand, and dirt into the clay. My
questions a

1. What's the difference between compost and manure? I mean not what
they are made of, I basically know what they are made of ;-) but what
benefits do they provide? Does each provide a different benefit so
that I need both?

2. Some posts say it's better to use compost/manure rather than
fertilizer as the former provides a natural source of nutrients thus
better for the plants, but compost/manure are decomposed waste, don't
they make your garden smell?

3. Some posts say that peat moss/sand/dirt don't provide any nutrients
and a waste of money, and some say they provide aeration and a must
for clay soil, and some say that compost/manure also provide aeration
for the soil? Which is true?

4. Some posts say that good soil preparation takes several months to
several years, does it mean I have to wait that long to plant anything
successfully? We just moved into a new house this past winter, due to
the unusually harsh winter this year, we couldn't do anything before
now. We still have some patches of snow that haven't melt, and it's
mid March If I prep the soil as soon as the snow melts, how long
(or rather how short) should wait before I start planting? I'm kind
of anxious as our yard looks particularly bare.

5. From this long list of different soil amending types (compost,
manure, fertilizer, peat moss, sand, and dirt), what are the essential
but also economical types that I need? And from that essential list,
what ratio of each of the types should I mix in with my clay soil?

I'm a complete novice, so any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank
you very much.

Audrey