There will probably be various schools of thought about whether to amend or not. However one compromise solution is to create a raised bed that can be made using an appropriate acidic soil mix for the cammy to grow in. Ie., since these are surface rooters, you could slightly cultivate the native soil and then plop the cammy on top of that sandy soil (which would be good for drainage) and perhaps make a mix of native soil with some top soil, composted soil, and some peat for acidity), then mound around the roots in a bed allowing the top of the root ball to be somewhat exposed, then mulch that. Maintaining the acidity is often an issue for those not having naturally acidic soil but if you have oak trees around, shredding the leaves and adding that around the base would help. Alternately, you can get a soil test to see what needs to be added to make your soil acidic and buy acidifiers like ammonium sulfate, applying according to the directions. If you intend to fertilize, you would need to check the fertilizer label regarding whether it really contains acidifiers, since products such as Miracid originally didn't (prompting a label change and the offering of a "Pro" line of products now that has an acidifier, leaving the original product essentially a fertilizer-only product for acid lovers). Hollytone is an all-natural fertilizer/acidifier, which is another choice.

I am not sure I understand what is meant by the phrase 'compost dirt' because compost is compost (decomposed matter that was once living matter) and dirt is generally just dirt...decomposed minerals. Do you mean it is a blend of compost and soil? Compost and sand? Is that 'compost dirt' what is already there in the beds before you start amending? If so, I bet it has much more sand in it than compost. It doesn't really what you add as long as you add healthy, disease-free, fully-composted material. However, the more different kinds of amendments you add, the better for the soil because it contributes more biodiversity. Compost---A high-quality compost is always the best choice. High-quality compost will add not only organic matter but it will be biologically active. You can add homemade compost or commercial compost, sold either in bulk or in bags. Compost generally contains humus, humic acid, microorganisms, nutrients, enzymes, and vitamins. Composted Manure---Cow manure is the one you see in stores most often, but some nurseries sell composted chicken manure or other manures. Be careful when buying manures. It is common with some supplier to add lots of filler to the composted manure products. (By law, I believe packaged manure only has to contain 10% composted manure.) I only purchase brands that are 100% composted manure. Chopped/shredded autumn leaves---These are wonderful for garden soil but usually available only during the trees' dormant season. (Today, though, I have seen drought-induced leaf drop on some trees in non-irrigated areas and if you see the same thing there, you can gather and shred those leaves.) Otherwise, these are great to gather, shred or chop, bag and use in fall. I add some to the beds every fall and save others to use as mulch in the spring. Bagged materials sold for soil improvement. You'll find many kinds of these, including: --Peat moss, which is not considered sustainable and which is hauled great distances, and which is inferior to compost which is alive. Peat moss is dead, biologically speaking. --Greensand. This is a naturally deposited, undersea iron potassium sulfate, so it is a great natural source of potash. --Composted cotton burrs. I haven't used these is a few years, but the ones from Back To Earth were good quality when I used them. May or may not be organic. Always read the bag to see. If it is not labeled 'organic', you can assume it is not. You also may see cottonseed meal which is a good organic source of nitrogen. Both cotton burrs and cottonseed meal may have an odor and it related to something used when the cotton is growing. --Soil conditioners. These are sold under different names. The ones I see here usually are a blend of humus and pine bark fines. ---Colloidal Phosphate/Soft Rock Phosphate. This is an economic and natural form of phosphorus and calcium. It is not water-soluable to it breaks down very slowly and does not leach out of soils quickly like synthetic phosphorus fertilizers do. ---Alfalfa meal. Added to soil in small amounts. It is high in minerals, sugars, starches, proteins, fibers and 16 amino acids. ---Bat guano. Think of this as a fertilizer. It contains nitrogen and lots of trace elements. You'd add it to beds in small amounts once or twice a growing season. ---Blood meal. A natural source of nitrogen and phosphorus. Don't add too much or you'll have excessive leafy growth at the expense of roots and fruits. ---Bone meal. Excellent, slow-release and natural source of phosphorus and calcium. If all you can add is compost or manure, that's fine, but the other amendments increase soil fertility. If you add them, you won't have to fertilize your beds as often because the plants will be able to get what they need from the soil. That's one of the basics of organic gardening...feed the soil and let the soil feed the plants. When I am building new raised beds, I try to add 6 to 8" of organic matter to the existing soil, adding 1 or 2" at a time and rototilling it into the soil. By the time you've tilled the ground in your bed and added 6" or 8" of soil amendments, you have a nice raised bed substantially above the grade level you started with. After the soil is amended and the plants are planted, don't forget to mulch! Your mulch will continually feed the soil as it breaks down too. Dawn

If you build your beds on top of your existing soil, with landscape fabric covering the ground, the weeds should be less of an issue. Then build your mix on top of that. That's what I did, but added 3 inches of gravel over the fabric for better drainage and weed control. I'm lucky here that we've got a regional composter that uses no less than 5 types of plants for compost and thousands of different source plants, so it's as diverse as you can get. And I can get it in bulk from several sources and if I need more than 5 yards, they'll deliver. So I agree, it's much easier in the long run to replace or build over your existing soil. Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden in progress...

Good point, forgot about that. Digging a hole to get 3.5 cubic yards of soil will not be a ton of fun but it does sound like probably my best option. It does mean that I will be taking clay from 2-3 feet down and moving it to the surface so growing medium wise I am not sure how happy the trees will be. I'm going to have to think on this a bit more.