Author	[Modern View]
641Dave 12-10-2012 15:22:09 64.221.11.159 Report to Moderator	I've got a spot picked out for a garden at my new place. Problem is, it's heavy and compact soil. Set up hard as concrete at the moment. The soil for next year's garden isn't so bad but getting back towards the pond where the sloop is, it gets tough. I'm talking about an acre and a half sized garden. My plan is to break it up with the sub soiler and haul in some wood mulch and leaves as folks give them to me. A friend of mine suggested to maybe plant some wheat and til it under next spring. Any other advice or suggestions would be appreciated. [Reply]   [No Email]
tomstractorsandtoys1 12-11-2012 07:54:22 64.136.27.163 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   We chop our soybean straw with a forage harvester and store in a silage bag for bedding,every spring I spread a large amount on top my wifes garden after plowing then we till it in.It makes the soil loose and fluffy like potting soil.We also plant Buckwheat after the early crops to till in.Next year we want some tillage radishes for both the garden and several fields.To reply to a post below they are edible but taste a little stronger than garden radish.Keep something growing all the time oats,wheat rye then till it in. [Reply]  [No Email]
641Dave 12-11-2012 06:52:01 64.221.11.159 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   Thank you folks! [Reply]  [No Email]
Fixerupper 12-10-2012 20:24:41 100.42.82.30 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   You aren't going to cure it in one year no matter what you use but it can be made into good soil over time. You need to get organic matter in there to loosen it up. Manure it heavy with manure mixed with a bedding material that will break down into organic material fairly fast. Corn stalk bedding breaks down decently fast but the cobs will take a couple of years. Straw sometimes does not break down as fast. Wood chips will take forever and will tie up nitrogen. Anything composting in the soil will use nitrogen so you have to take that into account if you grow grass type plants like corn. I have revitalized several sites where buildings were buried and the bulldozer left heavy clay on top. Lots of bedded hog manure for several years did a lot of good. I grew alfalfa on one site for several years and the roots did a decent job of loosening it up. Come to think of it, I've read about some farmers using tillage turnips to loosen soil and raise organic matter. These turnips aren't edible and grow fairly big. When they die there's a void in the soil after it decomposes. Won't give you a garden next year, but it's another option. Jim [Reply]  [No Email]
Wheat Farmer 12-10-2012 19:51:42 97.121.170.137 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   Try and find some Alpaca manure. IT IS THE BEST. [Reply]  [No Email]
wisbaker 12-10-2012 17:19:43 207.118.164.122 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   I would see if there is someplace you could get peat moss in bulk. I had a much smaller garden space that was a heavy loam and it didn't want to yield. It had been crop land (soy bean & corn rotation)and even after 2 years not much was growing there. Someone gave me a bag of Peat Moss and I dumped it in one area, freed the soil up and the garden grew much better there than places without it. Aged manure is also good but be careful sometimes the wrong manure will cause a lot of weed problems if the weed seeds come with the manure. If you want to use leaves and wood mulch compost it first before you apply it that'll free up some of the nutrients in it. Green manure (crops you plant to turn under can) also be effective in getting your soil more productive and may help get your weeds under control. I also had one area I planted pumpkins in, they canopied out and choked the weeds and most of the pumpkins got broken up and turned back into the soil. [Reply]  [No Email]
MarkB_MI 12-10-2012 16:52:57 75.241.109.100 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   Gypsum will help break up clay. A cheap source is scrap drywall; break it up and till it in. [Reply]  [No Email]
J. Everett 12-10-2012 16:44:21 173.213.160.178 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   I personally would add all the Oak saw dust an shaveings I could to the area. Not Maple, or especailly anything with wood preservative in it, Maple leaves are poisenous. Plow all this under this winter and then add all the old straw and hay you can get on the top of this. Next spring add some 10/10/10 and disc this up, seed some small grain like oats/wheat and when it reaches 15 inches high plow it under again, disc it up when it dries up and plant you'r garden. it will not be so great the first year, but subsequent soil tests will determine what fertilizer you will need to add, keep adding hay/straw and other fodder and start a compost bin/area...add this also. [Reply]  [No Email]
Old Harv 12-10-2012 16:26:21 184.151.127.192 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   I would not use wood chips, but I would use old manure, and lots of it. Old sheep manure is my favorite, but cattle or horse will work fine to. Don't use too much of something really rich like liquid pig manure or your root crops will grow all tops and no bottoms from the excess nitrogen. Old junk hay or straw or grass clippings would work to. [Reply]  [No Email]
Rick Kr 12-10-2012 15:53:29 198.105.227.109 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   I turned a heavy clay area into a great garden. Took a few years to get perfect. 20 inch subsoil, deep plow, then worked in compost. After the second year it was looking good. I would avoid wood chips. Rick [Reply]  [No Email]
pete black 12-10-2012 15:45:17 166.205.55.30 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   think i'm have to go with glen on this one. i believe the addition of leaves is best but, likely on this size garden it will take a long number of years to amend the soil. [Reply]  [No Email]
Glenn F. 12-10-2012 15:36:48 166.181.3.27 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   If it's clay you'll never be happy with it. Glenn F. [Reply]  [No Email]
Dino in iowa 12-10-2012 15:33:22 75.211.195.5 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   Plow it deep, let lay until next spring, disk or rototil, and you are all set to go [Reply]  [No Email]
gene bender 12-10-2012 16:20:43 207.177.56.85 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to Dino in iowa, 12-10-2012 15:33:22   There you go plow it deep now and wait till spring and DO NOT WORK IT WET wait till its dry in the spring dont get in a hurry then. The rougher it is now the better it will be in the spring. [Reply]  [No Email]
IaGary 12-10-2012 15:25:41 108.160.228.103 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to 641Dave, 12-10-2012 15:22:09   I would not use the wood mulch. And don"t go over board on the leaves. Wood mulch ties up your Nitrogen. Gary [Reply]  [No Email]
Adirondack case guy 12-10-2012 16:00:33 74.69.160.79 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to IaGary, 12-10-2012 15:25:41   Gary is right, on nutrient lockup. You need to add a lot of lime to unlock the Nitrogen and other nutrients also if you introduce wood chips and leaves. If you could find some good old Cow/Horse Sh!!, also, you will be on a quicker path to a great garden and a lot of WEEDING, LOL The pond may turn green also. There is a "dance "between crop productivity and the enviroment. Loren, the Acg. [Reply]  [No Email]
pete black 12-10-2012 16:07:27 166.205.55.33 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to Adirondack case guy, 12-10-2012 16:00:33   my pond gets a lot of runoff from a horse pasture and turns green. is there an effective way to control the green? [Reply]  [No Email]
43 m 12-10-2012 16:42:28 99.117.29.31 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to pete black, 12-10-2012 16:07:27   Barley straw for the pond. It keeps the scum down. [Reply]  [No Email]
old Harv 12-10-2012 16:19:35 184.151.127.192 Report to Moderator	Re: Heavy, compact fine sandy loam. in reply to pete black, 12-10-2012 16:07:27   I have read of guys putting a bale of straw in dugouts in Saskatchewan to control algae, it might help. Don't have any experience with it myself. [Reply]  [No Email]