Clay soil got you down? When I was younger my grandparents used to pay me to pick rocks out of the rusty clay dirt they had on their property. It helped my grandpa mow and kept me busy. That red dirt seemed to struggle growing much of anything, but you could always find a bounty of Queen Anne’s Lace even in the heat of Summer.
Queen Anne's Lace (Invasive in some areas)
The sprays of bright white flowers would wave in the wind and spread their seeds, each year that clay soil would grow more and more. What I didn’t know then that I know now, is that so many of the plants we consider weeds pop up to do a job. Queen Anne’s Lace has a long tap root that burrows down into the soil seeking nutrients and breaking up the soil-reducing compaction, something clay soil is famous for.
When I had filled a bucket with rocks, I would stop to pick myself a bouquet before resting in the shade. One of my favorite things to do when I brought them inside was to fill cups with dyed water and watch the Queen Anne’s Lace soak up the colors and create a rainbow. My grandma would put these technicolored weeds in tiny vases in her kitchen window.
If you are struggling with clay soil read on for some tips and tricks...
Clay Soil Tips and Tricks
Clay soil
The good thing about clay soil is that it is typically really good at hanging on to nutrients, the bummer is it struggles with compaction
Try adding a cover crop, a simple one once the weather has warmed up is Buckwheat. Sprinkle the seeds and rake it in, add water and in about 4-6 weeks when the flowers start blooming mow it down and then either till it in or add a tarp on top for a couple of weeks to kill the crop. This adds lots of organic matter and living roots down into the soil. The roots will help create aeration and the debris left behind will break down and feed the microbes.
Wood Chips & Leaves
If you have the patience and space to wait a year before planting, choose your location and then pile up woodchips (not the bagged stuff that's often contaminated with chemicals, I killed a garden that way, get some from Chip Drop or chip your own wood from your property) and leaves. Allow it time to break down and by the following year you should have deliciously loamy soil to plant into once you sweep away the larger debris. BUT remember living roots are still important so cover cropping will still be important in the off-season.
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