IMO a clay/compost bed is one of the best soils to grow plants. You already have "topsoil", it just happens to be clay, so why buy more? If one continues to amend clay soil with compost the results will be a very good garden bed. Be mindful of watering amounts, for the bed will require less water due to the clay until the compost is allowed to blend in with the clay. Cover the bed with mulch and it will be good to go...

Blutranes

I would fill it back in with exactly what you took out. Sorry for all the wasted work.

Make a raised bed (you could use some of those rocks as a nice border, if it makes you feel better). Filling in a hole in clay with good soil is a great way to make a bathtub full of rotten roots. Raised beds drain better, and you can control the contents easier.

Eventually the OM in the soil of the raised bed will work into the clay, but with a raised bed- you get the soil that you need NOW.

Thanks for the advice, both of you. I do feel it was necessary to spend all the time digging because the sod that had been laid down on this part of the lawn (2 years ago) refused to grow and really take any root into the ground. Water has much difficulty permeating through my back yard, especially where I have dug out for this bed. The sod was more like a toupe as it could easily be lifted and it would be very dry on the roots. When it rains hard the water pools for more than a day before draining out. My partially dug trench was actually holding about an inch of water from the rain yesterday morning. Just sitting there.

Since I would like the bed wider, rather than moving all clay back, I want to mix the compost with the clay I scrape off the sides as I widen. I may move some of the clay back over. I did line the fence with the rocks I pulled out and it does look quite decorative. Making the soil easier for root penetration for strong healthy plants is my goal. If it needs some more clay I have plenty I could integrate back in.

You can throw cardboard on the clay and sod and build a bed over that. It kills grass and most weeds. No digging required (unless you want to).

Well what's done is done with the digging. It's not like I threw the clay out. It'll be a bugger moving some of it back, but oh well. I just had the bed of my truck filled with half compost and half mulch. The compost will also go into my tomato garden on the other side of the yard. That soil is improving thanks to last year's effort and turning the soil several weeks ago to get deeper. I am going to try to mix in about 50% clay with 50% compost. It'll probably lean more towards compost if I start getting tired moving the clay back.

Let it lean towards compost, that won't hurt anything. Since you moved so much of the clay, use the compost to get it the way you wish. It will mean just that much less compost you will have to add later. I vote you don't move any of the clay back, enough is enough.

Please remember we are trying to lessen what Pablo calls the "bathtub" effect, which you described with all that rain. By adding compost you are effectively increasing the amount of rain your bed can handle by the mass of compost. The mulch will also absorb moisture and limit what hits the soil. You should be good to go and about ready for a much needed rest; I also vote you grab a cold one...

Blutranes

Almost 3 hours of 'spooning' the compost and mulch out of the back of my pickup onto the temporary spot (my veggie garden) in the back yard was extremely repeditive and back-breaking. Looks like I was a bit jipped.. 2/3rds of the pickup bed was filled with mulch and only 1/3rd was compost. I kind of needed more compost IMO, but once they dumped with the bucketloader, it was too late. I'm not sure how I am going to divide the substances now. Too much mulch on top could be a bad thing, right? I don't have room for a mulch pile in the yard, but I was thinking the extra mulch could be moved about 5' towards the patio deck and heaved onto that clay I moved there. I could spread it around next year without taking up more precious yard space.

Replace the cold 'one' with a cold 'case'. ;)

Too much of anything is not good, thus one wants the level of mulch to be adequate, not excessive or it could block sunlight and inhibit moisture. Be careful of wood mulch and termites near your deck, this could lead to the need for yet another "case". However, I am sure your judgment in the matter will be correct.

Tis not good some practices by business concerning fair trade, one must always keep an eye out for those who wish to profit at the expense of others. Then again, the ratio of compost/mulch may have been a mistake; a simple telephone call should resolve that. There may yet be more compost in your future. I would pause on placing the compost/mulch until after the communication. I trust it will all work out for you Obwan, you deserve no less...

Blutranes

After reading your saga, I just wanted to add my good wishes as well. You've worked very hard and I bet it all pays off in wonderful berry harvests for years to come.

You have lots of soil so you do not need any more, just stick with adding organic matter to that bed.
How much mulch is too much depends on many things. By its very nature organic material used as mulch will have large air spaces unless it is really finely ground material so 4 to 6 inches of mulch would not necessarily be a bad thing, unless your soil does not have a good Soil Food Web,

I moved most of the compost and mulch to my trench I had been digging all week. I did not have much of a choice... smoke and lots of heat were coming from the heaps of the stuff I had stashed last night in the veggie garden. There was gray soot forming and it was almost too hot to touch. It got nearly 80 degrees in central KY today. Since part of the mulch was sitting against the house I felt it was in my best interest to quickly relocate all the stuff ASAP.

So I integrated the compost with chunks of clay I broke with my shovel. I alternated layer of clay chunks with layer of compost and then stabbed and turned with the shovel. Finally I moved as much mulch as I could on top. There's probably in upwards of 8 inches of mulch along about 15 feet of fence. I watered it all down after to further reduce the heat. I had no idea how hot that pile would get.

You'll all probably laugh, but I don't own a wheelbarrow and considering the volume of compost and mulch I had to move, I used a plastic snow shovel to scoop, walk over and dump..over and over and over and over again. The snow shovel actually worked great and I got alot moved faster than I thought I would.

My hope is that adding the clay uniformly wedged between all the compost will act as a screen to retain some water as it moves downhill along my back yard. I am hopeful that all the digging of the clay allows a bit quicker drainage. I know the rest of the backyard will continue to hold water. The rain from the other day still is keeping the backyard muddy. Since I have reduced porosity one would think I have increased flow. We'll see what happens during the next big rain. The existing plants I had already planted, I raised up higher in the bed so they have more room for their roots below.

The best part has arrived... I can now actually plant all these berry plants. We're due the occasional shower this weekend, but still unseasonably warm. I think these plants will like that.

What a lot of work! If you don't have a wheelbarrow, use a tarp. It's much easier to load onto and just pull it where you want it.