Yep, that makes sense about the sand. I've always purchased horticultural sand from a garden supply place, and never the other types of sand from the hardware store. Maybe that's why I haven't had problems with it.
Shoe: how much land do you farm right now?
We probably won't get rain for for several more months, though one never can tell. I can always notice an added greenness that comes with the rain. The plants definitely like the rain better than the irrigation water even if it is filtered for chlorine.
Nataraj
clay soil
nataraj, do you happen to have any of your hoticultural sand around that you can photograph along with an object for size reference? The sand we've found at the garden center is the same as that sold for building supply. It is a course sand, but I'm wondering how course it is compared to what you've found. Others may not realize they've purchased the wrong kind and the stores are not always helpful.
"Shoe: how much land do you farm right now?"
I used to keep up with an acre garden here on the farm plus another 1/2-3/4 acre on land north of town. However, I gave up some of the garden here when I put up a 1500 sq ft greenhouse and also use some of the area for nursery plants.
I guess my veggie gardens are now down to only 12,000 sq ft here and approx 1/3 to 1/2 acre at the other garden north of town.
Shoe.
Garden_mermaid: I don't unfortunately have any sand around right now, but I'll keep that in mind when I can get more. I have no local source for most of this stuff and have to drive up over Mt St Helena to Harmony in Sebastopol. If I had more right now, I'd be putting more in my beds.
Shoe: Wow, that's a huge greenhouse, bigger than my whole garden. I have about 2/3 of an acre of land, but I'm probably only gonna grow up to around 1000 sq ft. I'm at around 250 sq ft now plus another 100sq ft in wine barrels (gopher free). I hope to have at least 500-600 sq ft double dug by next spring, but I'm considering a small greenhouse which will take time away from working on the bed. It's a much different time scale, hand digging down 2 ft in clay, than coming through with a big tractor, but the results that I see seem worthwhile to me. I've course I'm not trying to really sell any of my produce, just little bits here and there.
John Jeavons claims that a biointensively farmed piece of land can produce up to 4 times the yield of conventional organic methods. Of course the gophers, can put quite a skew on those numbers, until I learn to control them better.
Nataraj
This message was edited Sep 25, 2006 11:04 AM
My soil is clay/loam with perhaps some silt. It takes sand very nicely. I have added a fair amount of sand in the melon, carrot, and potato beds. It is very, very loose and nice. Also I have added some local peat moss too. This peat is darker and not as long fibered as spaghnum peat moss.
I have used both mortar sand and locally dug sand. I don't have sandy soil in my area though 30 feet down there is a thick layer of river sand about every where around here....then limestone starting at 60 feet down here.
Thanks Indy. I think "loam" is the key missing ingredient in our clay soils here......unfortunately. We need to create it.
We had compacted clay in Beaverton.
I double-dug the garden, but most importantly, added compost from a local mulch supplier. After cultivating it a couple of times, in two years, it was excellent.
After the garden sat undisturbed all winter, I was able to push blunt bamboo poles 14" into the soil with just my hands, to grow my scarlet runner beans.
That was soil that got rained on all fall and winter. And without rototilling or other, I just shoved the poles in that deep.
Clay is an excellent soil, and I find no better way to deal with it than organic matter and decent drainage in the area.