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Sourthern Utah

Is this enuff for 2000 sg feet of garden. I got pretty much clay soil. But lots of things have been added. Any information will be truly appreciated. Thanks very much.

3/10/2018 6:04:05 PM

stoughton WI

Welcome back curt. We added 32 yards of sand to my patch (10000 sq ft) it has helped loosen the soil up quite a bit. We also have add amendments as it seems nutrient are leaching out faster. You might want to add 5 yards and see how it works out. You may want to add some perlite to help break up the clay.

3/10/2018 6:45:54 PM

Torrance, Ca.

I've added tons of sand like Rick, really helpful with drainage in my patch.

Missed you last week at the convention Curt! I had a whole bag of white feathers that didn't get used in Oregon...

3/10/2018 7:04:56 PM

Bottom of ohio

Mr Curt, you back home I hope so 10 yards should help a lot, one go grow a big un

3/10/2018 7:04:57 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

Depends on your patch i guess. I find if you go overboard with sand it compacts like cement...not good here

3/10/2018 10:11:20 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

heavy

3/10/2018 10:11:48 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

Why so much sand . Sand is empty ?

3/10/2018 10:15:25 PM

Grittyville, WA

How much... depends how deep you will be tilling. Don’t till when the ground is saturated or that would be asking for cement. Other than perlite... maybe biochar?

3/11/2018 12:32:58 AM

Paradise Mountain, New York

Sand may loosen soil for digging, and it might even open it up and allow more air into the soil, but it can’t make good soil and it won’t improve soil structure. Clay soil needs to have more organic matter added. This will increase microbe activity, and only then will the structure of the soil improve.

3/11/2018 7:05:31 AM

Paradise Mountain, New York

Very easy formula to figure out how much you need of anything added to your graden., Curtlave graden, Square feet -2,000 x how thick your adding of sand or compost - 1 inch, x 0.0031 = 2000x1x0.0031= 6.2 Cubic yards. So if your adding 10 yards, 2000' x 1.5" x 0.0031 = 9.3. So if you did get the 10 yards, it would be 1.5" thick over the whole garden.

3/11/2018 7:15:09 AM

Paradise Mountain, New York

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/how-improve-clay-soil

3/11/2018 7:20:16 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Rick j. is correct about nutrients leaching out quicker with sandy soil. You will also lose organic matter faster. The coarser particles means you will have more oxygen in your soil, and oxygen will increase the microbes that break down organic matter. So you probably should add compost. Gypsum is supposed to loosen up clay. Check your soil test to see if you need calcium and sulfur. Since sand won't have either, you can probably add some gypsum just to that portion of the soil.

You may want to try for more of a raised bed approach too. If you till sand deep into an area that is surrounded by clay, it could become a bath tub and stay too wet. Raising the bed up some will allow some drainage off to the sides.

You could look at using deep rooted cover crops as well to get roots into your subsoil. Barley has about the deepest roots of the grains. Daikon or groundhog radish would be good. For longer term cover, alfalfa is very deep rooted. You can get a non-winter hardy nitro alfalfa if you idle a spot for a whole growing season.

3/11/2018 8:21:25 AM

Sourthern Utah

Thanks for the responce,s. Added a bunch of compost, peat over the last couple years. Didn't grow last season. Was goi g to add perlite, maybe some vermiculite to the starting holes. .maybe try 5 yards first. See how it looks. Best to all. Should be home by mid April. Best to all. Thanks again to all.

3/11/2018 8:57:46 AM

Torrance, Ca.

Yes, I already over composted in my patch. I water every day and feed with each watering. Being in a greenhouse the warmer temps allow me to do this. I've deep dug my patch to over 30" and added 30 plus yards of sand. This sand was added to 180 yards of soil so after mixing it was like I didn't add any sand at all.
I guess that concrete thing people talk about could happen if your adding to clay but I don't have heavy clay like I use to. If I had a clay based patch I would a good well broken down compost for the first couple years before I even thought about adding sand.
The dirt in my patch has been coined as " moon dirt " very fluffy and dusty with the organic matter right at 5%.

3/11/2018 11:52:10 AM