Is this going to be worth the effort?

[mommy212]

So I am trying to make a garden this year, mostly for fun and something to do with my day as much as anything, because I am not sure anything will grow. I originally tried "tilling" the area with a shovel and a hoe. Our soil is VERY clay-ey and therefore very hard to till. We tried looking into renting a tiller but it was too much, so i have to continue to do anything I do by hand, which I'm sure many of you do as well, but in this kind of ground it takes a lot of time and effort, and my LO gets bored watching me garden (5.5 months). So far i have planted broccoli and onions, and am planting spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes, summer squash, sugar snap peas and green onions as soon as I can get around to it, wednesday or thursday (wrote this post monday). I would also like to plant carrots and squash. But I am worried that all this effort will come to nothing because of the clay in the soil. I could not afford mulch/compost/manure, but there are tons of worms in the ground, and I believe it's pretty nutritious soil (hopefully) because they seem to have made a sort of natural mulch due to the neglect of the yard from the last tenets (lol) so maybe there is hope? I am also afraid I am trying to plant from seed too late... I am in Virginia, no idea what zone. Is there hope for my veggies?

[Erinz]

You can only try and learn as you go really! Is there nobody around with horses or cows or chickens who have too much poo on their plates already? haha that sounds so gross! I always take worms as a good sign!

[JamieCatheryn]

It does sound kind of bleak, I kinda doubt they'll thrive in clay soil with no amendments at all, but some of it might do alright and give you a little something. I'm in KY which I'd imagine had a similar frost date as you, and my carrots and peas and spinach are in already since last month, am just now putting in beans, squash, and in a few weeks watermelon seeds and tomato and pepper transplants. But clay soil like ours really really needs organic matter mixed in, anything you can get- grass clippings, composted manure, rabbit poop, compost, used coffee grounds, also some kind of mulch like grass clippings, mulched leaves, shredded newspaper...otherwise the plants end up really pathetic (ask me how i know - my first year I just used a tiny tiny bit of bagged manure mixed in and no mulch).

Broccoli is notoriously hard to grow, if you pull that off in this garden you'll know you really have a green thumb and can do just about anything.

[spedteacher30]

Virginia red clay is hard to grow carrots in. I probably wouldn't bother if I were you--we had really misshapen carrots in our garden in high school due to the clumps of hard clay.

but, the other stuff should be OK--check around the local farms and ask about chicken droppings or cow manure. You can start a compost pile right now for next season. Also, check with your local landfill--ours has some leaf compost available.

We did raised beds because we were too lazy to try and break up the soil by hand, but more power to you for doing it yourself!!

[Chicky2]

We've done plenty of tilling around here, but this year are putting in raised beds.

I wanted to tell you that if you can find a small farm (like a family farm), go ahead and ask them if you can come rake out a barn (or a few stalls) in exchange for some of the stuff you rake out. If you don't have a truck, put it in doubled CONTRACTOR bags, and you can haul it that way. Most folks would love to have someone come and offer to scoop poop. Trust me, I know! I just had someone come and rake out 8 bags of rabbit poo for their garden....It was great to have a break from the raking! Lots of people do barn spring cleanings about now!

P.s. Make sure you get already composted stuff, or make sure that you get "cold" manure (like rabbit or goat poo---chicken and cow and horse is "hot" and will burn your plants if you use direct application).

[Owen'nZoe]

You mentioned using a shovel and a hoe - do you have a good garden fork? I think a garden fork is key for breaking up heavy clay soil. If you work slowly and methodically with a garden fork, it will really save your back.

As others have mentioned, you'll need to work on improving your soil. It doesn't have to be done this instant, though. If you can start a compost pile with all the grass and weeds you're digging up, and add your garden scraps to it, and you're leaves in the fall, that'll be great. If you don't have room for a compost pile, you could always just trench compost - this is what my grandma always did, and she had a beautiful garden. Just dig a 12 inch deep hole in your garden, put in your kitchen scraps (up to 6 inches deep) and cover. I still do this whenever my compost bins are full. If you keep it up, each year you'll notice your soil getting healthier and healthier.

[Chicky2]

Originally Posted by Owen'nZoe

If you don't have room for a compost pile, you could always just trench compost - this is what my grandma always did, and she had a beautiful garden. Just dig a 12 inch deep hole in your garden, put in your kitchen scraps (up to 6 inches deep) and cover. I still do this whenever my compost bins are full. If you keep it up, each year you'll notice your soil getting healthier and healthier.

That's what my daddy always did. One year we had volunteer potatoes in between the rows, lol. He always had a great garden!

[mommy212]

I'm going to be moving next year, so I'm not sure starting a compost pile would do any good, don't they take a while to be usable? For the same reason, we are not investing into raised beds here- I wanted them, though! Thanks for all the advice guys! I will try adding some grass clippings and the other stuff you advised... hopefully something grows!