You can till clay, if you do it at the right time. Tilling too wet clay makes for major problems and trying to till too dry clay is about immpossible. Then, once the clay has enough organic matter in it it probably would not need to be tilled again unless someone walked on it or other wise compacted it. These simple soil tests may be of some help. 1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. 2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains� too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up. 3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart. 4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell. 5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

Here is what worked for me. Start with leaf mold on top. Compost is nice if you have it. Some manure if you have it. Now start chopping and mixing and go as deep as you can. Mix in some more if you can. Now that will turn to mush when it rains and all the carbon you put in there will suck out all of the nitrogen for the next year, so plant something that does not need nitrogen. Clover and vetch are ok. If the soil looks yummy to you, consider beans. I would do beans because I like to eat my garden. But I have used each of the other too. Clover was very satisfying and easy. Then I would do garlic in fall and potatoes next year, all the while mulching and mixing and hilling. That will be GREAT soil by midsummer next year. Enjoy.

Steve, many thanks. May do this - located a seed store that will sell me the pounds of seed I need. BUT since the soil is sooooo poor, thinking of getting ground leaves from the city next to me that uses a leaf vacuum machine. I'll be toting stuff to the far back for ages, but am thinking that if I can get 2'+ of already ground leaves up there, it would really benefit the soil. All opinions on this appreciated. Question: if I use huge piles of leaves, should I do simple wire cages around each of the trees to keep the leaves from the trunks? Also wondering if the leaf layer will stop the trees from getting the water they'll need over the winter.

I planted a cover crop for my clay soil a few years ago but planted as calistoga suggests, in the fall to catch the rains. I planted an annual mix (not perennial!) of oat/cowpea/bean/vetch that I got at the local farm supply. When the plants had about half bloomed (and before setting seed -- important if you don't want them coming back next season), I cut it all and let it lay on the soil and eventually tilled it in. I don't know if I would till if I did it again as it does disturb the soil structure (not to mention those lovely earthworms). But my method worked for me -- it added a lot of organic matter to my soil inexpensively and without backbreaking labor. The only cost was time, which I could more easily afford.