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Amending Clay Soil for Better Gardening
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ธ.ค. 2019
- The soil in my Garden is clay and is horrible to work with. Today I am going to try to amend the clay soil to help loosen it up and make it easier to work with. I am amending the clay with topsoil, pelletized gypsum, wood ash, and compost. I am using the John Deere 2025 tractor and a King Kutter tiller to add the amendments and till them in.
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I have over thirty years of farming in all types of soils. That being said the best way to break up and fertilize clay soil is to emply the green manure method. In the spring plant buckwheat, when it is eight inchs tall plow it under, and immediately plant a second planting of buckwheat, andrepeat the process. Depending upon where you are located in the country you should get two plantings before winter. Plant rye as a winter cover crop and in the spring plow it under and plant your garden. The buckwheat is the best nitrogen fixer known to man, as it decomposes it fixes the nitrogen in the soil while at the same time it breaks up the soil allowing water to penetrate. It also helps with weeds and encourages beneficial bugs to take up residence and aid in the control of harmful bugs. If you do this every other year you will see the soil turn black and productive before your eyes. The green manure method died out when it became easier to use chemical fertilizer, hell that's like putting poison on the ground. Trust me this method will work and build up healthy organic soil for your garden.Thank you
better than clover or legumes?
@@keredeht it is better than clover or any type of legumes. For some reason buckwheat fixes a higher concentration of nitrogen into the soil as it decomposes, thereby giving the soil a better base for growing crops that like nitrogen. At the same time the plant matter helps to break up the soil, in fact if your soil is sandy, you can produce excellent soil that will astound you with its ability to hold moisture longer and therefore less watering. I live near the Mississippi and our soil is sand with a thin top soil layer, by taking a field and allowing it to lay fallow for two years, you can turn sand into good top soil that is at least 16 inches deep, disclaimer here, we have on average eight to ten inches of top soil, that varies with how the land is farmed. By planting buckwheat in the early spring, and plowing it under as soon as it reaches eight to ten inches, then repeating the second planting right away, you can get three plantings in before winter. If you do this method for two years, the third year when you plant corn you will see your harvest double and your need to irrigate will drop. Good farming friend.Thank you
Did you mean plant the buckwheat in the fall?
What about lime?
@@hosoiarchives4858 lime only does one thing, it amends the soil. Whereas with the green manure method it does many things. It breaks up the soil, it allows the soil to retain water, and nutrients, and it fixes natural organic nitrogen into the soil. So stick with the green manure method, and use lime in concrete. Thanks
From 1975 to 1985 I lived on a farm in a huge 75 year old farmhouse that I heated with 2 big woodburner stoves. There was all the wood I needed on the farm, just had to cut down the trees and split the wood with an axe. It's a lot of work! I'm too old for that now but it's great to see younger folks doing what I loved so much.
I grew up on a farm which was all Blue Clay. Father started by putting a few loads of sand in the large garden areas ( about 6 times the size of yours ) followed by adding peat moss then many loads of manure and tilling it in..... we had beautifull gardens ...and instead of putting stuff into a compost pile we put it between the garden rows and tilled it in with a walk behind rototiller which kept the gardens strong...
Man that tiller attachment is a game changer. I’m using a 1977 Troy Bilt Horse but the roots we have along with the clay just plain overworks her old bones. Nice job!
Cover the garden area with shredded leaves, if you can still get them, it's too late for a cover crop. After you harvest next year do all of your amending and plant a rye grass cover crop, or use shredded leaves, every year as well. My grand parents did it and when it came time to plant we only needed our hands to plant.
Don't go too heavy with the shredded levees as it will use up all of the available soil nitrogen in decomposing the leaves. Took me two years to figure out that was the reason my plants stopped growing 5 weeks in.
Nice! You're on the right track! Organic matter is a big key to success and tilling helps it break down over the winter. Tilling in the spring makes for a super nice seedbed. this is written a couple years later, so I can imagine a beautiful garden this year! I speak with the authority of 50 years gardening in clay soil. PS. I'm jealous of that cool tractor! :)
Hi.... Evan, thank you for sharing your video homestead 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 🎥👍👍👍
That tractor is just adorable!
Nice that you mention your dad every time you borrow his tractor . You had a great garden this past year . Should be even better next year. I like the way you stop and explain every segment of what you're doing . You go into great detail . Time to warsh the tractor . That was funny . Excellent video . Thanks .
I heard wuashed
To make good compost get a bagger attachment for your lawn mower and each time you mow dump the clipping in your compost bins
i was born on a tenant farm in the living room of an old rickety cracker box farm house. my dad was the farmer - he could taste the soil and tell you what it needed. he was a natural and wonderful sweet kind loving man. i miss him greatly. when i watch your show i see the love for the land he had in you and it brings back wonderful memories. thank you for the work your wife and you do to bring back this wonderful way of life
That leather man tool sure is getting a lot of use,good to have it on you all the time.
Hey Evan, you did a great job preparing your garden soil. Everything helps. Thanks for sharing with us and keep them coming 👍👍.
Good job - my parents doin the same since 40 years to the Garden soil ..and everything just grows perfectly ..but dont add to much ash i can make the soil sour!
Greets from Bavaria!
I think you have it backwards. Ash is alkaline. It will raise the PH also known as sweetening the soil. Sour implies acid... think vinegar. On a PH scale 7 is roughly mid way between alkaline and acid so 7.5 is alkaline and 6.5 would be acid. As the man was right on whaen he states "sulfur lowers the PH". That's because it creates sulfuric acid which is sour.
You didn't show it, so just checking that you're covering the soil. Any rain between now and planting will compact the soil. Straw would be best because it'll stop the terminal-velocity raindrops while letting the water through and providing insulation, but even putting your plastic back down would help.
Also be careful about too much ash. A little goes a long way, and it will raise the salt levels. Ash can also be used as an alternative to driveway salt.
When planting time comes follow the Ol Farmers Almanac it does work.
If I was blessed with a tractor I would be turning that compost pile every two weeks.
Put all that compost pile in the garden if its winter.
Humus from wood chips is the best to mix with clay.
Broccoli, cabbage etc. doesn't like large amounts of wood ash. Dont know what your going to grow but you might want to keep one section ash free.
Usually the shadiest side of the garden.
We have a lot of heavy clays where I live. It is typically mineral rich. Get as much organic material as you can into the soil i.e chippings, hay/straw, compost and if you have it available - small stones and/or grit. It's a combination of the organic material and the stone that adds vitality, adds drainaige and breaks down the tight binding of the clays. Do this for 3 years and you will have amazing soil beds.
What's the scope of the rocks? I already have a soil with a lot of small rocks, I just removed the big ones from the surface but there are so many small ones left. So are they beneficial?
@@andreabelli6589 In heavy clay soils the smaller stones help to break up the clay and provide drainage.
Is it good to add coarse sand to it to make up like 25-40%،?!
I can't imagine that garden not growing anything you want it to, looks awesome !
I would try getting free mulch from chip drop if I had this much to cover. A truckload of wood chips. Spread out in top then till the area with the track to mix in. I would do it in the fall to let compost over winter. It would take a few years, but I'd think it'd help alot
JudithB I burn wood too, so I leave the ashes in the coal bucket for a day or so to get cold. I use the coal bucket scoop to spread the ashes on the gardens, around the fruit trees and vines and on the yard. I just sling it when the wind isnt blowing!! LOL I have sandy clay loam which drains too well so I need to put the covers on my rows like you did. Happy Holidays!!!!
The garden did really well this year. Looking forward to see how the soil rewards you for all of those amendments. Looks great, Evan.
good to see you nicely store thw wood ash; it is a best additive to increase the soil PH and make it less acidic.....
The term you were struggling with is 'floculate'. It is when the particles of clay soil bind together into larger particles to improve the drainage.
Thank you for explaining everything 😁 I have only a half acre so raised beds and compost delivery is what I have to do trying my hand at leaves and grass clippings on top of compost this will be my first year 😁 hope I don’t kill everything 🥴
Nice job. We have that nasty sandy clay here too. It grows sand burs and briars just fine. lol Any time we plant something we dig a hole and fill it back in with potting soil from lowes, or it will die a miserable death. It dries out fast and things die when it gets hot. We spent about a grand on good soil for our raised beds and flower beds. I've been working on compost for a couple years now with chicken manure and garden scraps and leaves. I need to get me one of those tillers so I can make me a strip like that. Thanks for the video.
use a broad fork to just simply deeply crack the soil - Greets from Germany. your procedures make sense - i don't dig my garden anymore
Awesome equipment you got there. Nice house.
Garden is looking great! That John Deere is wonderful tractor! Love your videos! Thanks for sharing!!
Have you tried planting forgot their name giant white radishes in the late summer which will allow the radishes to break thru clay. Check regenerative gardening using 10-12 different seeds th increase green manure.
Everything you did to your soil should help greatly.👍
The process of adding lime to clay is called floculation.
Great Job, A little work now will save you time come spring.
Enjoyed watching. Thanks.
Try some saw dust from the local saw mill.They will be happy to give it away.Our saw mills in southern indiana are always looking for ways to get rid of it.
You have a awesome neighbor-friend that let you use their tractor and tiller! I have a good neighbor also. "Merry Christmas".
It is actually my Dad's tractor. It is good to have family near by.
I need that tiller. 😁
Your video's are well made an interesting. The tiller is awesome. Why do you keep the ash garbage can so close to the doorway? Looks like ash blows into the home.
Garden is going to pop next spring. You can over do it with wood ash. But I think you’ll be fine this year.
I would not have tilled in the topsoil. People are going to tell you that you should use 'wood chips'. All day long you will hear this from people. All day. Two years ago I added twelve tons. Yep, tons of triple ground Amish wood chips. It took four sixteen yard trucks to drop it. I put that on one part of the yard and used it for potatoes, squash and zucchini. The potatoes did nothing. The zucchini thrived. The squash did very little. The area that I added hay to, worked well with the beets, carrots and lettuces. The part I put 'brought in' topsoil on, did best. I didn't till it in. I layered it on top and let it just be. I had tons of corn. The area I did cover crop did very poorly. The cover crop was great but it didn't grow tomatoes or peppers worth a squat. The clay sucks everything down into it. It is best to pretend your garden is a little raft on the sea. For me, trying not to disturb the amendments at all works best. I tilled it all to start but don't till any area more than once. That said, I'm not an idiot who thinks one thing will work for all conditions. You, do you, and watch how it turns out.
WOW. The amended garden looks GOOD!
Hairy Vetch planted in the fall with rye grain or wheat will and turned in under in the spring will build organic and add spring crop nitrogen use a turning plow with coulters to turn it in...just give it a week or to before planting for it to go through a decomposing heat cycle, it will develope a few degrees of temperture when decomposing
The grain will give the vetch something to climb on in the spring when it comes out of dormancy...FYI:
MULTIPLY AREA IN WIDTH feet by length feet and divide the total by 43,560 and that will give you the acres i.n that plot 200ft. Times 200ft is roughly 1 acre
Vermiculite is also a cheap option for breaking up the clay also some sand and hardwood leaves for loamy soil
Plant rye around mid September, Bush hog and till under in the spring
Thank you very much for this video.
I am planning to buy a land for a homestead and the area's sole is clay. You have thought me a lots.
Plz, Add lime, potash is K out of NPK ,too much is strong everything gets green with no flowering. Looks beautiful, well thought out garden. I knew you’d use that compost🥰get potato’s into deep hay when you plant..Merry Christmas
Azomite is another great amendment for your soil.🖒💚👍
Could use woodchip mulch on the garden during your growing season & then rotor it in at the end (like you are doing now). Top it off with extra compost & turn it in. Allowing it to mostly decompose before turning it will mostly stop denitrification from stripping your soil. Adding manure will amend what can happen.
If you put ashes in the water it will not be dusty anymore. It will be also easier to distribute it over the field
Great video man. I would also go with a subsoiler....hard pan will be created after few years of top soil tillage. You might even have drainage issues.
Exactly, he is packing that clay hard when he works it when it is so wet.
If you still have the tiller, I would till the compost pile, might help it break down quicker, just a thought.
That will work
not bad very nice garding
you had the right machine for the job
A bit of bat guano or fish bone meal and some fish blood meal would kick off your plants even more great video.
Gypsum is PH neutral. I had a horticulturalist tell me that gypsum does not change the soil PH in any way at all. So you can add hundreds of pounds of it to your yard and garden to soften the clay soil without affecting the nutrient balance in any way.
any local farms that whnt to get rid of manure and its freeewood ash is good too and compost
You can spread hydrated lime on clay soil and till it in. We used in construction get heavy clay to dry out and be able to stabilize it for roadbeds for hiway construction
Make sure you torch that topsoil before adding it to your garden to keep from spreading weed seeds into your garden.
Cover crop or mulch now.
& soil test to see pH & what is deficient (or just low).
That garden didn't seem to have any poor areas. Every thing looked thriving & healthy.
Could perhaps make a chicken tractor and let the girls work the soil for you. Also could mulch with the rabbits
bedding before or under the shade cloth in the spring.
bol
You should cover your compost pile so no light gets to it. It will help keep the sun from destroying valuable nutrients
get a gravely walk behind l model. the rotary plow doesn't till the top. it flips it. and it's a bit easier on compaction, it has a cultivator for dressing in between rows if you make rows. so that way you can load up on heavy layers of grasses (wheat length has to be cut once or twice before the plow can pull it under. and if you hit it right a way for a second plow it'll bring a lot of it back up.) i dump table scraps constantly, leaves and grass into the red clay i got, it's a nightmare, just watering 1 time it's starts to get hard a rock. so far in 15 x 15ft garden it's like walking on pillows. i thought to dig deeper "holes" for planting tomatoes with the bottom of the stems going in deeper, but what i created was a reservoir that only drowned the bottom roots, plus the climate i'm in of course is frozen ground until march or april with bitter cold winds until may, and it's set for at least a month before 100 degrees pretty much hits the coles hard, then drip lines are hard to keep up with consistent watering. it'll be wet on top overwatered and by june bode dry rock hard dirt 8 inches deep. it produces outstanding flavor but pathetic yields. blossom end rot for the first couple of phases of fruit then that'll heal up for 1 or 2 flowerings, then the dormant periods slows in july and august only to get a 2 more flowering of blossom end rot. gotta watch any fertilizer that are heavy in nitrogen, i think that's what causes the end rot.
I like your shoes.
As you seem to be in a pretty rural location do you have neighbors with livestock you can get manure from? that will help a LOT with your clay
That looks totally amazing!
you had a great garden this year. can't wait to see next year! you will have ALASKA size vegetables in the summer
I don't see very many Small Farmer/Homesteaders with a John Deere tractor. They mostly have a foreign brand. I would like to know how do you feel about the John Deere and it's reliability? It looks & sounds like a solid tractor to invest in some day. At Dealerships you get the normal Sales pitch their Tractor are the best, but to actually get information from users is so more valuable. Art in CA
Great qst, I want to invest in a Tractor but I need to know which one is the mist reliable. Mist American manufacturer are not reliable at all.
@@Tate.TopG. ...and that is a problem. The American factories need to slow their assembly lines a little so that the products are assembled correctly. The parts that are being installed need to be designed to insure reliable performance. It would cost a little more, but maybe the end product will be of a higher quality. Quality is what sells products. I know I would buy American, knowing that the workers are given a living wage, good benefits and the product is very reliable and the best that can be made. Manufactures are caught up in that "price" competition instead of dependable, quality products. Art in CA
I have a 2019 2025r it is a phenomenal tractor exactly as he described very powerful ,runs like a top ,starts easy doesn't destroy the lawn . I looked at them all you will not be disappointed with the 2025r and you don't have the emmissions on this unit because it's 25 hp they are a great tractor hope that helps
@@fralin1966 Thank you for the information. Art in CA
think about putting the barn cleaning in the garden and mix it in.
The best u could add to that garden is sea weed it's very very good
clay is undigested dead organic material [DOM], it can be digested by soil microbes that will turn it into loam. learned this from Dr. Elaine Ingram, she counts and names those microbes.
Add peat moss. It can be expensive, but it really breaks up clay. For the size garden you have,3 bags should be enough with the compost you have added. I also find adding straight sand helps.
But the problem with using peat moss is that it destroys upland habitats by robbing it of its top cover of plants/moss and all that live within it.
@@mattcartwright8272 coconut coir is a good replacement for peat and it’s very sustainable c:
I can only imagine your future gardens because last year's garden was really great!
Merry Christmas to both of you!
Good video. Where did you get those nice, heavy duty, ground staples?
Green manure, peat moss and pearlite. Add sand and nitrogen.
45 degrees? And is a Nice temperature?
That's very cold and the worst temperature in southern California
P.S - sorry to be negative but your compost pile is woeful. The compost pile is the engine room of your farm. I strongly recommend you double down on creating compost on your estate. It will enhance your yields. Also - have a look at permaculture and hugelkultur - I think those principles could really work for you.
I do the same -- spring and fall -- in my vineyard. After about three years the soil has turned to beautiful crumbly soil! Another tip: Plant tillage radish at the end of the season, they poke down 6 feet or more through the clay and let the gypsum penetrate deeper, and allow better drainage.
Diamond radishes work well
Why not put all the compost, it'll be tilled in n have all winter?
Hey I’m doing this in Puerto Rico doing to double dig with the excavator and add in topsoil and biomass from the Forrest in my property how did this work out for you ?
Good experiment, now next time just use compost and nothing else. Clay soil already has good minerals just not the good drainage part. Compost every season now will gradually make that’s soil really good!
Are you going to cover the garden with what was there.?
Chains on the tires will greatly increase traction. "One more thing to clean of course..
George Doolittle tilt bucket as you plow into pile
I got alot of coarse sand lying around! I am not sure if I should use that in my heavy clay soil?
Looks like you’ve bent your front driveshaft
Like any good child who borrows dad's tools, don't put it away. When dad asks where is the 2025 simply respond IDK, I thought I put it back.
awesome job dude ! u need a lot of cow poo , The plant's will grow like weed's u get what i'm talking about !
Just remember, most fruit and veg apart from brassicas like an acidic soil, kind of 5.5 to 6.5. Google it before you make it alkaline, everything will still grow, just not as well.
Wow. Just use woodchips, way easier. Look up Back to Eden Gardening with Paul Gautschi.
...here we go.
So you just 'till in' any weeds that are in your 'Top Soil' or 'Compost'. Do you then have a problem with them trying to take over your beds later?
Must be nice having soil that isn't full of rocks to start with. Oh yes... one thing you could do to improve the garden is get a Kubota Tractor. LOL!
Them bastards at TH-cam turned my notifications off for your channel. I was wondering why I wasn't seeing you put out videos here lately.
Hahahahahaha
gypsum is not acidic....Gypsum is a neutral salt (pH is ~6.7)
Invest in a good wood chipper and spread/mix in some wood chips that can break down over time. What happened to your New compost pile you where going to start? Your compost pile sure looks small compared to all you've been doing on the place.
What chipper would you suggest?
Now cover with woodchips and never till again
Just leave it uncovered for winter because if you get some snow it will bring in carbon from air
organic matter ,you better have a plan for all those veggies,worms come in that ,bugs they will keep it loose and wet, im not getting notices again,whats up youtube?
Don't go to deep if you mix to .much clay with organic material you end up with a soil that is called Muck. Better to cover the whole garden with free wood chips and go No Till.
wood chips use up the soil's nitrogen that your garden plants need. Better to decompose them in a compost pile first.
You should really have a mask on when doing that! All those ashes went into your lungs.
Topsoils full of weed seeds ,No good ,even , you need screened topsoil ,iv said this many times before , 😫
Cover crop
needs lava sand