ammending a new bed

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monkapotamus Winston Salem, NC(Zone 7b) Jul 04, 2008

I'm a new-ish gardener. Last spring, I covered up the grass on the side of the house with landscape fabric and mulch, to get rid of the lawn there to make it into a garden bed this year. I'm finally digging in and trying to ammend the hard clay soil. I'm using a packaged mix- 55% aged pine bark fines, 45% manure mixture- but I have no idea how much I need to add in. I've been digging down about a foot and a half any trying to break things up and mix it in well, I don't want to overdo it since it isn't super cheap..but of course plants cost more and the whole point is wanting them to thrive there...and should I be adding anything else?? I plan to plant mostly perennials; so far heuchera, hostas, and an elderberry shrub.I'd be happy for any suggestions.

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DallasDad Murphy, TX(Zone 8a) Jul 04, 2008

I'd think you're probably deep enough. 18-24 inches is a good depth for most garden plants. You might want to add some coarse sand (not play sand) to the mix. This improves drainage and helps aerate the clay. I'd also add a bit of regulur old garden soil. The idea behind the amendments is to prevent the basin effect. You want to keep water from pooling around the roots of your plants.

The thing with clay is that you can't really fix it quickly, but you can set things up so that it breaks down over time. It takes years, but you end up with a very rich loam eventually. Clay typically has lots of minerals.

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