You could try putting some of that fast acting gypsum on it...Gypsum works great for loosening soil. plus if you get the fast acting kind it works pretty quickly.

do you walk on the gardens?

see how we do our raised beds, soil always workable with fingers only, with that organic matter you talk of just spread it around the plants under the mulch let the worms do their work.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens straw bale garden

Is that compacted or crusted?
Soils will crust over to aid in slowing moisture loss.
Did you cover that soil with a mulch?
Mulches aid in preserving soil moisture, suppressing "weed" growth, keeping soil cooler, and adding organic matter to the soil.

What is gypsum and how does it work?

I did not add any mulch, never have in any garden I previously had either. What type is recommended?

I don't walk on the beds at all since they are raised. But they do seem compacted, not crusted. I literally had to use my weed removal hand tool to loosen the soil as a regular hand shovel proved ineffective when penetrating the surface.

The soil you got was probably clay and it will tend to get like that in dry weather even if it has organic matter in it. It helps to add organic matter every year by various methods: 1) dig or till compost into the whole bed, 2) amend planting holes for tomatoes, etc. individually, 3) use organic mulches like grass clippings, compost, shredded yard waste, pulled weeds, etc.

#3 above will also help keep moisture in and keep the soil softer. Note, if you don't mulch bare clay, torrential rainstorms will pound the surface and when it dries, it gets hard.

Just a few ideas that might work for you.

Gypsum is a mineral, calcium sulfate, the same stuff they make drywall out of. The calcium in it will improve the texture of clay while not changing the pH like lime does.

You have genuine dirt in the mix and it does what dirt does- eventually settle, i.e. compact.
I have discovered cocoa bean hulls are a wonderful compost topping that last a long time although they change in nature over time but at very good for the soil.

Looking for the easiest solution, and something that I could actually do now, not next season. Do I just sprinkle gypsum liberally or do you have to work it in? Can I do that now? Can I buy it at a garden center?

gypsum is often used as clay breaker and soil improver, we use heaps of it here, be sure to buy the best quality stuff which is likened to dampish talcum powder not gritty.

if you need gypsum now then spread it liberally over the surface of the garden lightly rake it in if possible then mulch the garden with a spoilt hay or similar. you could also mix a good mix of gypsum in bucket or watering can and pour it around the garden.

you cannot overdose the garden with gypsum, use it around your fruit trees as well.

should only need the one application especially if you mulch heavily.

we never bring soil in for gardens, that is why we prefer mushroom compost from the mushroom farm, it never fails us.

did you look at our straw bale presentation?

it shows what we do at all times, not so much with the bale edges but the mix in the garden, our new beds to be started this month will have corrugated roofing sides, but will follow similar recipe as we have lots of branches and raked slashed grass to use, and access to mushy compost.

like they say when you are on a good thing stick to it, we have.

gypsum not expensive over here around $28AUD for 28kilo bag. we buy ours from produce/feed agency but good garden shops should sell good gypsum.

keep in touch

len

As mentioned mulch is critical, the heavier the better.
I use wood chips and it makes a big difference with clay soil.
If no rain, you'll also need to water the entire soil surface and not just rely on a drip system.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wood chip bed

It was said "Gypsum works great for loosening soil."

Gypsum improves clay ONLY IF the problem is excess sodium

Only a professional soil test can determine if that is so.

Beyond that, repeated additions of organc matter is the Silver Bullet for all soils.
Mix in at least two inches each time youplant.

Mulches are a material placed on the soil to aid in soil moisture retention, suppressing unwanted plant growth, keeping the soil cooler, and adding organic matter to the soil. Mulches can be anything from shredded leaves to wood chips. Mulches should never be mixed into the soil, they should be raked aside to plant new things.
To help cut down on the cost of purchased mulches many of us lay newspaper or cardboard down first and cover that with the mulch material.
Soils with inadequate amounts of organic matter, especially clay soils, can compact because the organic matter helps keep the soil particles seperated. Compost is a good source of organic matter that you can make with the yard and kitchen waste you generate. Your grass clippings can be added to your garden as a mulch, any tree leaves yuour deciduous trees drop this fall make an excellent mulch as well as a base for compost.

My soil test report made no mention of Sodium. Here is the breakdown:

pH: 6.50
Phosphorus: 672 ppa (above optimum)
Potassium: 2010 ppa (above optimum)
Magnesium: 749 ppa ((above optimum)
Calcium 4051 ppa (above optimum)
Zinc: 22.45 ppm (adequate)
Copper: 3.16 ppm (adequate)
Manganese: 73.82 ppm (high)
Boron: 2.40 ppm (adequate)
Iron: 330.70 ppm (high)

So should I put down the gypsum (if I can find it)? Could it hurt? How much to apply?

After sprinkling on gypsum sould I cover with shredded mulch (non-dyed) or pine bark nuggets, or something else. Has to be something I can purchase because I have no compost material hanging around my property.

Please do not waste your time and money applying gypsum. It will not perform in the way you'd like. Your best option will be to apply compost or mulch....and get something planted. You might take a garden fork to it to stir things up some, but plant roots are incredible soil de-compacters.

You can purchase compost in bags, by the way. I prefer to use soil conditioning products composed of bark. Also readily found at any garden center.

It all goes back to whether the type of clay your local soil is compost of, is a sodic clay or not. Local gardening/farming experts such as the Extension office will usually know whether gypsum will work in your area. The lab can test for sodium but only if you ask them for it, so it's kinda late for that on this go-round.

It's often applied to lawns as a top dressing in my area, but I can say with confidence that I've never added it to my garden beds and compost has done the job admirably.

I see from your initial post that you're looking for instant results, and I don't think either gypsum or more organic matter on top is going to do that per se. Mulch to maintain more even moisture and keep the soil softer. Keep amending each year and the texture should improve.

On that last point, I wonder if some of the highly processed soil/compost mix that's sold has had its microstructure destroyed by mixing, pulverizing and handling, and it takes a couple years for the microbes and worms to create porosity again. Especially if it started as clay. No cure for that but time.

I had it tested by Rutgers Ext Office and posted my results on this forum.
It would be helpful for you to post that list here.

Echoing what the others have said - compost would be your best choice. Also if you have a pile of leaves sitting around toss that on the bed.

Normally it is recommended to start preparing next years soil this year. I leave my beds covered with leaves (even pine needles) during the winter months. This will attract earthworms to break-up the soil.

I can drop a fork and it will bury the tines in the soil. I sold my tiller after building my beds.

IF you have an interest search for "Lasagna Gardening".

obtw - it can take years to get some soils right. Not sure what is in yours.

Soils in New Jersey will not be sodic. That will be soils where rain fall is limited over long periods of time such as southern California. Your soil test results do not indicate any reason to apply gypsum. What is missing from that soil test is the amount of organic matter in your soil and that can be easily determined with these simple soil tests.
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.