Berries - Will they grow in Clay Soil? Greenville area.
eldemila
14 years ago
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torajima
14 years agotamelask
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Growing grass in red clay soil
Comments (13)Hi - I too am a 'newbie' to NC gardening and after living in/around Chicago for 50 years, this red clay has ALMOST done me in... I am convinced that whenI first moved here that FIRST I should have enrolled in 'pottery classes', invested in a Kiln and got rid of alot of this clay BEFORE I began bringing in mulch (14 square yds.) and top-soil (12 square yards of questionable 'dirt') and peat, more peat and MORE peat... ;-) It HAS been a very interesting 4 years since I have moved here. This is virgin soil that has NEVER been improved (I live in a mobile home park). I have even found a lot of arrowheads in the soil. Apparently people do NOT believe in 'improving' soil in trailer parks... ;-) I am the talk of the entire park for 'wasting' my time/$ on my yard, but I consider it MY home so I pay them no mind ;-) I even save all my coffee grounds to work into the soil. The three plants that seem to do very well for me (even in this red clay) are Irises, Daylilies and Cannas, but I too am having a lot of difficulty with GRASS. Or the 'lack' of grass. That 12 yds. of 'top soil' that I got turned into a nightmare as it contained a lot of dark grey/black CLAY!!! I have learned that I prefer RED clay over the dark clay. At least you can 'see' it ;-) What else(besides coffee grounds) can I just toss on to help break down this soil? Any help would be much appreciated. Do any of you have web pages/sites from your gardens as you worked on them? Links would be appreciated by me as I feel very much like a pioneer in this endeavor to 'get the best' of virgin/native soil... Here is a link that might be useful: 4th year of winning Red Clay war......See MoreI need a fast growing tree for clay soil, any ideas?
Comments (2)Don't know where you live in California, but if you have leaves available like we do in Massachusetts, mix LOTS of leaves in with your "soil". It will make a whale of a lot of difference in the soil. Leaves are cheap, otherwise use peat moss. Another option might be to mix coffee grounds in with your soil. Rome wasn't built in a day, and you cannot correct your soil condition overnight, but either one of the above will definitely help. you can coffee grounds FREE at many Coffee shops if you will give them 5 gallon containers to fill. Take all they will give you. Good luck....See MoreSmall Area/Clay Heavy Soil Help
Comments (7)I have very heavy soil too, have found that the first year will be different as you adjust the soil. I would add sand along with the compost to help drainage (especially if you get some shade), and start off with unfussy crops. Avoid carrots this year, unless you want to double-dig. How about...things with roots "partly ready-made," like potatoes, garlic, onion sets (not onion seeds), or small-rooted things like beans and peas (their vines help do some of the stabilizing work of a root, plus their root nodules fix soil nitrogen). Be sure to remove all of the potatoes at the end of the season so that they don't pop up all the next year. You could even try a few strawberries if you feel ready for a perennial, they don't need deep roots either and have pretty foliage. If that is a sunny wall, you could also try a cherry tomato vine against a trellis on the wall, if you provide compost and keep it away from the peas and beans, as the extra nitrogen could make it too leafy. This is a more fussy crop but the hot stones would keep it warm at night, and it's very tasty so it might be worth it. Put in a fast cover crop like buckwheat when not actively gardening, and till it under prior to its forming seeds, to boost soil aeriation and nutrients. Have fun! :)...See MoreAny clay soil gardeners in California grow gooseberries? What kind?
Comments (5)I'm in Ohio and grow them in clay soil just fine. I did break it up and supplement it with plenty of organic material upon planting, but its been a few years since and they've produced just fine....See Moreeldemila
14 years agotamelask
14 years agoeldemila
14 years agotorajima
14 years agoeldemila
14 years ago
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