audrey wrote:

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.


Welcome to gardening in pottery clay haven. As you have discovered,
soil preparation is highly important to success in the garden. Either
that, or get plants that are pretty indestructible and likes clay so
that you don't have to kill yourself trying to make the world's most
perfect soil. Being the lazy bum that I am, I do a combination of the
two, by choosing fairly easy to care for plants, but also doing some
level of amending. I continue to add organic matter to the soil on a
yearly basis, and the soil in my 2 year old bed is starting to look
fairly decent. I'm fairly new at this as well, so take my advice for
whatever you think it is worth.


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?


Well, the problem with clay soil (as I understand it) is that the soil
particles are particularly fine, drains poorly, and makes it really
difficult for the plants to establish their roots, and get moisture as
well as nutrients from it. The soil in our area isn't nutrient poor,
but its consistency requires a lot of work. By adding compost or
manure, you are not only adding to the nutrient content of the soil, you
are also enhancing the texture of the soil. Essentially, the
particulate matter isn't as fine, and in sufficient quantities, can turn
the clay into something the plants will be much happier to live in.
Either one will work just fine. However, some people find it easier to
lay their hands on compost (you can make it easily) than manure, and use
it more extensively.


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?


Garbage and fresh manure smell. Aged garbage (compost) and aged manure
do not. They are both wonderful for the soil.


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?


I don't usually add peat (it's a replenishable resource issue for me) or
sand to my soil, and good quality top soil is hard to come by (and there
is an issue of whether someone else's soil is being depleted to give me
the bag of dirt). I prefer using compost/manure, but that's just my
bias. In sufficient quantities, all of these will improve the quality
of soil, although peat/sand do not make the soil any more nutrient rich.


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.


Well, how long it takes a bed to be prepared is sort of proportional to
how much effort you're willing to put into it. If you take a small bed
and amend it to a good depth, you can plant pretty much as soon as
you're done. My flower beds take a year, because they're too much work
for me to do by hand (1000s of sq. ft.), and I take the lazy way out by
using layering techniques. If your yard is really big, start by taking
a small, manageable bed, and doing a really thorough job of it.
Especially since you are getting started, it is important that you not
invest too much money or time into doing something only to find out that
it isn't working.

Learn to like winter. That's when you have the down time to chart out
what you want to do come spring. Figure out what the size/shape of your
bed will be, what kind of lighting/soil conditions exist there, what
sort of plants you would like to see in it, whether said plants will
like it there, what combinations of plants will look particularly
attractive, etc. Find out good sources for all the plant material you
want (there are a ton of good mail order sources), and place your order
early. In our area, you can pretty much work the soil as soon as it
warms up a bit, but make sure that the soil isn't too wet, or you might
do more damage than good. Planting of perennials can wait until at
least Mid-April, and annuals until mid-May. Keep in mind that fall is
also a good time to plant certain things, so while you're working on
your flower beds now, think about whether you'd like to add things that
can only be planted in fall, such as spring bulbs.


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'd say that you go with compost/aged manure. Prepare the beds to a
depth of 8 to 12 inches. Keep things manageable, especially in the
beginning, when you're likely to get easily overwhelmed. Understand
that plants will die, despite your best efforts. Check out books at the
library or read up on stuff at your local book store if you are really
concerned that you can't handle it. Find local nurseries with
experienced staff, and other people in the area who enjoy gardening so
that you have someone to turn to if you need help. And don't worry too
much about this, it's supposed to be an enjoyable experience.

Suja