I did a lasagne bed last Fall (nothing planted in it) and left it til mid April when I planted my tomatoes there.

I used thick layers of cardboard, grass clippings, leaves, pine needles (whatever I could get ahold of) and topped it off with moldy hay.

I also have clay soil, so hard you cannot put a shovel into it when it's dry. This soil where I did this is amazing! I am now a BIG BIG fan of this method...I have not tilled this area, not at that time or since. The ground was soft and full of worms and everything but a few iches of hay was broken down and gone :)

It is not a good idea that you amned only part of the caly soil you have since this will make a place in which water can flow very easily into but which water cannot flow out of, so you end up with a tub of water. All you should need do is pluck organic matter on top of your soil as a mulch adn the soil bacteria, if any are present, should digest that organic matter and move it into your soil for you.

rjinga - I'd love to do that idea, but have lots of perennials in the clay area and have nowhere to move them while doing the lasagne thing. I'd love to see the soil amended to the way you describe.

kimmsr - If I put organic matter on top of the soil as mulch, it might attract the mice and squirrels I'm trying to avoid.
We have tons of squirrels in the area.

Compost. Kimmsr, suggested organic matter, which doesn't necessarily mean raw organic matter that could attract critters... compost is organic matter. Its decomposed organic material that is a great soil amendment for clay and it won't attract critters.

And this forum can show you how to make your own compost without attracting critters.

Joe - thanks for the clarification. Is it ok to just head to a garden center and ask for organic compost? I have too many plants in this garden bed to dig them all up, so want to amend "around the plants." I know it's a pain, but think it's a good start?

Yes, you can get compost from a garden center. Which you should do now, because you don't have any compost of your own... but once you start composting, you won't have to go to a garden center to get compost.

And when you start composting, you will have complete control over the ingredients, so you know it will be good for your plants.

And when you start composting, you will reduce the amount of waste that you put into a landfill and you will decrease your carbon footprint.

And after you become an accomplished composter, you will start bragging to all your friends and neighbors, who have crappy soil just like you do, how great your soil has become...

Joe - Thanks...for the morning smile :)
Can you recommend a type of compost or name so that I avoid being sold something that isn't what I actually need?

The ground is extremely hard right now, so is it ok to put the compost down without mixing?? I'll try to pull a few weeds, but probably only the tops will come out.

When it comes to compost, I would just get whatever is available locally at the cheapest price. Brand names don't mean much when it comes to compost.

Yes you can put hte compost down wihtout mixing, its typically referred to as "top dressing". It takes longer to see improvement with top dressing, but if you already have plants in the bed and you don't want to disturb them, that is going to be your best option.

You probably won't see improvement in the soil right away. It takes time and probably several applications of compost...

Next year, you will be using your own free homemade compost.

Great! Now, if I could only leave work and head out to get some compost and head home to do the job. Of course, it might help to pull those weeds I mentioned before enriching "them" with compost, too.

Do you ever add sand to your soil as well as compost?

ps. Going to get a compost bin .... think there are some places to get them free.

I have never added sand. I've heard of other people doing it, with mixed results. I probably would not do it, especially because you already have plants there.

What are you using for mulch? If you topdress with compost and then cover with mulch that should smother most of the weeds...

I was using natural wood mulch from (sorry) Home Depot.

Typically, when I plant or divide my perennials, I add peat moss to the hole, water and cover with more PM and the mulch.

I've been adding PM and Mulch to this garden for years, but the ground has never softened. Hoping the compost (maybe mushroom compost?) will help - especially if I add some now and in the Fall.
This year I bought some of that Osmocote (sp?) as a slow release fertizer to see it would help the plants.

Adding sand to clay can provide permanent benefits (the benefits from mulch and compost last only as long as the mulch and compost last). The problem with adding sand is that you need to be prepared to add a lot of sand (I've read it needs to be as much as 45%). If you add too little sand, you can actually make things worse. That's why most extension offices recommend against it.

Hi Janice!
Some ideas:
1. You CAN do a lasagne bed & plant in it now - (you'd have to remove your existing plants first) - just "build it", then "cut" the holes into it, add some soil or compost to the holes when you plant the plant into it, and voila! Several people on this forum have said that they've done this (prior to the lasagne bed decomposing) w/success. :)

2. Consider using STRAW as a mulch - w/ or w/o the other mulch you may use - straw is great organic matter and decomposes fairly quickly, and according to several posters on this forum, is pretty darn close to an ideal OM addition and/or mulch.

3. One thing to consider is that some bagged compost (although almost any compost is better than no compost) has less organic matter than others - e.g. a poster here pointed out that the "composted manure" (which I buy b/c there's no alternative @ garden center) that I buy has less OM than a vegetative-based (grass & leaves etc) compost has.

4. Another source for compost - check out your local municipalities - my County dump (which is different than my town recycling center) has FREE compost (made from leaves & grass clippings that other residents dump off), and I really like it too!

5. Do you have access to leaves? These are a great organic matter addition. Some use shredded leaves as a wonderful mulch that disappears into the soil and feeds the soil microbes. I added tons of whole leaves to my bed last year (w/some dried blood), and added a few worms this spring, and of course added compost & mulch, and we have tons of happy worms now :)

Hope this helps,
All the Best, Tree

You probably could make lasagna layers around her existing plants without digging them out.

Tree - Thanks for your all your suggestions. Thinking about doing a modified lasagna techniquie. In terms of the county dump,I live in Chicago and don't think I want to get anything from from there...you never know what might have ended up in it!

I always leave fall leaves on the garden bed for the duration of the winter...but, it hasn't helped the soil much. Maybe if I had added compost as well! I think I have some pine needles and will get compost and mulch.

Joe - Since I don't want to risk moving the plants now, I was thinking about putting compost, newspaper, compost and mulch down around the plants that are still alive after all this rain. The idea of smothering the weeds instead of pulling them is a great idea.