Re Making Hard clay soil workable . One good cover crop is tiller radish (diakon) You plant in fall at least 60 - 90 days before a hard frost . The roots will grow down up to 2 feet and die with the frost , they reduce compaction, and provide organic matter and quickly rot . You need to add nitrogen to promote their rapid growth. Another thing you can do is add powdered gypsum ,wet down and till in fine pinebark. There is also a liquid gypsum you can apply with a hose end sprayer . When you till clay soil it is necessary to have the right amount of water to keep from damaging soil structure. Any kind or free organic matter helps you can use powered charcoal , used coffee or tea grounds , any type of manure , mulch , sawdust compost , leaf much , after tilling or amending soil add about 4 inches of mulch such as tree chipper mulch, grass clippings or leaves. Within 1 year soil should be workable . As far as rocks, they will surface every time you till , just set them aside and after a while the amount of rocks will decrease . As far as tilling hard clay wait for after a hard rain and bust soil with railroad pick or garden tiller and it will be slow going the first time . If you take a handful of soil and make it into a ball ,and throw onto a hard surface it should crack a little but not turn to dust . Do not try to till when too wet or too dry . Another trick is to get a 2 foot long drill bit in hammer drill and drill holes in fall and fill with water , when water in holes freeze it will help to soften soil . Some crops such as carrots and beets are better grown in raised beds until soil becomes more workable .

You are correct in thinking they should fix it all. They should restore it to the way it was prior to the flood in September. Hope you have photos. I have seen this with builders before. One neighborhood I lived in the builder was very proud that his basements did NOT leak. One of my neighbors had a leak in the basement of her new home. The builder was out there with a back hoe at 10 am that day digging down to the bottom of the basement to correct the problem. A week later her entire garden looked like nothing had happened. I live in a county that is experiencing an oil boom. New pipelines are going in everywhere. When those pipeline guys leave, you'd never know they were there. So yes, it is very customary for the person who caused the damage to completely restore the property to its prior condition. This would include any damage they do to the sprinklers in fixing the other damage. In your case it seems the city is owning up to this. And here's how I would fix it. I would probably start by ripping out the entire sprinkler system (to save the aggravation of breaking it up piece by piece with a tractor later), regrading the land, redoing the landscaping, and replacing the sprinklers.

Well, I am not much of a cover cropper, but in the few times I have done it I have just used ultra cheap seed mixes and mowed the plants down before any had the chance to go to seed. By using a mix those that are right for the area/time of year grow and those that aren't don't. If you want nitrogen fixers, go to the grocery and buy the cheapest bag of mixed bean/pea seeds you can find. If you want general miscellaneous stuff go buy the cheapest bag of mixed bird seed you can find. Saves on stressing out on the various 'formal' cover crops, when they should be sown, in what area and all that. Also saves money.

tinael01 and carolb, when using it as a cover crop, this plant is supposed to be turned over before it flowers so I would imagine that would prevent it from going to seed and becoming a rampant weed. I did read that noxious weed warning, so I will be diligent about the timing. Amber, for the nitrogen and nematode deterrence. I guess some of the legumes can be eaten, but they didn't seem to offer much help with the nematodes. I don't know if I have them, but it can't hurt, right? Thanks for the link. I already printed it. :)) Denise, LOL about your barter crop suggestion. I will definitely take photos. I believe I read that the plants will be about 3' tall when I turn them over. If you wait longer their stalks get very thick and hard. One option for turning the plants is a tiller, but I've read that that isn't good for the soil. Anyone have any opinions re using a tiller or hand-turning with a shovel? How deep does the bio-mass have to go? Sherry Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...