Date: 2/6/2003 8:31:21 AM Eastern Standard Time 
From:  (Lynne)

I've been lurking for a while and have found   this list  definitely 
interesting and informative<me admit I have learned something ,sure, right 
really >/  But I find myself with a series of questions . Guess I better start 
out asking question number 1.  Does anyone have any bright ideas on improving 
a "clay "based type of backyard, near my house where I have started a garden 
and small herb agarden.  The herbs seem to do sorta all right.  Tomatoes sorta 
do all right, not great but never get over 2 feet tall.  green peppers ditto . 
this house used to have a coal stove and they threw the ashes out into the 
back.<seen evidence of that>.  I did for 2 years cover that area with dried 
leaves and then till them u;nder in the spring<which WILL, as usual, be here by 
middle of March Yay!!!.  haven't really noticed much imnprovement.

Again, does anyone have ANY  great ideas on improving the soil that I am 
trying to use.
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Date: 2/6/2003 10:12:31 AM Eastern Standard Time 
From:  (Cynthia)

Dig in some wood chips..not the nice mulch stuff, that's expensive.  
The coarse free stuff dumped by yard companies and the city.  It will 
decompose slowly, and help to keep the soil from compacting.  Leaves 
leaves and more leaves are a great amend ment EVERY year.  Don't 
stop.  It takes quite a bit to actually improve bad soil, but very 
they are invaluable in keeping soil good once you've acheived it.  
Cover crops can add TONS of humus. Buckwheat, Oats, Pease, Sudan 
Grass, clover, vetch, daikon radish, Alfalfa, rye...all these can be 
planted, tilled or cut down when they are about to flower, and 
planted again.  After one year of using cover crops, you should have 
PLENTY of tilth.  Then just minor upkeep every year, adding compost, 
leaves, etc...should do just fine.  The more rotting organic matter 
in the soil, the more worms will come.  The more worms, the more 
nutrition and good drainage you will have.

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Date: 2/6/2003 3:46:04 PM Eastern Standard Time 
From:  (Lynne)

Thanks a mint so to speak.  At this point in time I needed the advice to also 
"lighten" up the clayish soil.  Still can't get used to the reddnes of it. 
In time though will.....  The lady across the street and I are going to also 
try doing a ga rden next to her house. Hers isn't as old as this house (built 
in the mid 1920s) so hopefully won't have all that coal ash in it.  
Again thanks for the advice.

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Date: 2/7/2003 4:43:55 PM Eastern Standard Time 
From:  (Cynthia)

You might try planting a nice under cover cover crop...like a nice 
low clover...white clover, for isntance.  You can plant your other 
plants right in with it.  Red clover is really good for tons of 
humus, too.  Mowing is a very good idea, some of the plants will die 
back if mowed, but that's all right, you can just plant right in the 
shredded stuff and go again.  What you might want to do is plow up a 
larger area than you intend to plant.  Work in some wood chips at the 
same time.  Then plant the whole area in cover crops.  Mow it down 
and plant half of it in cover crops AGAIN, while the rest gets 
planted with your garden.  Keep the one half in cover crops, rotating 
them to get the best variety of nutrients in the soil, and then next 
year plant THAT side of the garden, while improving the first side.  
Also, some plants like pease, daikon radish, tyfon, etc...are cover 
crops which improve the soil at the same time as producing food.  So 
you can just harvest them, then mow them down, and replant

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