Clay is a lot like that soda pictured above. There's a lot of colas and they all "do" the same thing and taste similar, but the things that make up the cola tend to be different. A lot of the volcanic clays of the northwest and some of the south/south-west mountain clays are a lot more prone to heaving/cracking/negatively-aggregating and tend to be of smaller grain size than the 'hard pan' clay common in my area of the south-east. Both are extremely small particles, but what makes up these particles are generally different sources and differing levels of weathering/aging through the soil profile. They may both turn to sticky mud on the surface when wet, but when they dry they show some interesting differences in how they reform soil aggregates (not counting soil baking which can crack/crust even on soils with a low-ish clay content). The reason people see much about organic material over sand is 1- its just a generally safe guideline not taking in account the personal knowledge of the person working the land and knows what he/she can put in it and 2- organic material works in tandem with clay to very efficiently move nutrient exchange more so than other soil amendments.

...but I do not have any in the rows since I do not want to rot the herbs and carrots. If mulched properly, you won't. I did dig down a few inches tonight and my soil is very moist, so thankfully that is the case. Then don't over water which is what I suspect you may be doing more than you think. And your statement is proof positive that just because it appears dry on tip doesn't mean it's dry underneath. Watering too frequently and too heavily is actually harder on plants than too little water. Roots require oxygen just as much as they require water and nutrients. You will have to adjust throughout the season and be attentive to the amount of rainfall you receive each week. There are two schools of thought on watering. Frequent shallow waterings or less frequent long, deep waterings. The general rule of thumb is that mature plants need 1-2 inches of rain per week in summer. You should provide whatever portion of this moisture is lacking. One inch of rain equals 65 gallons per 100 square feet of garden space. But this is just a guide. Time of the season, stage of the plants, soil composition, and many other factors affect the amount of water required. Be consistent during fruit production. If the plants are young or new transplants, they need time (2-3 weeks) to develop an established root system depending on the plant. Mulched beds require far less water than plants that are not mulched. Raised beds require more than non-raised beds. If a good amount of compost is incorporated into the soil, less water is needed. Compost holds 6-30 times it's weight in water. Dry winds dehydrate plants. Cooler temps require less water. Those using drip irrigation whether from a soaker hose or milk jug are likely getting the best use of their water which is going right where it needs to go and the ground has time to absorb it. There are hundreds of methods of watering. Whatever you do, just be consistent. Roots require oxygen equally as much as they require nutrients and water. I personally believe in a couple of deep waterings per week with the use of 2 inches of mulch to reduce evaporation and maintain a more stable soil temperature.

Hi, I am new to this forum and gardening so please excuse if I do not make sense :) We moved into a new housing estate where the soil in the garden is nearly all clay, so drainage is a big issue. While I continue to work on the lawn I have made two cinder block raised beds, one right next to another. The first bed is 4 blocks high (around a meter high) while the second one is 3 blocks high (80 cm). I put in a concrete footing for structural support and beds are set right over the clay soil. The reason for the height is more to do with the aesthetics than anything else. It is time now to start filling the beds with soil, however I am not sure if there is any point in filling them up all the way. I have been considering filling the bottom of the beds with concrete blocks so that the actual depth of the beds is not as deep, however not sure what kind of effect that is going to have on the drainage. Also, should I cover the inside walls with a plastic to reduce the moisture damaging the concrete blocks? The outer walls of beds will be covered in tiles. In general the climate here (Ireland) is generally wet as we do get a lot of rain. What would you recommend to do in this situation?

Randy... Definitely drill holes in the bottom. You don't want any standing water. A lot of 1/4" holes will do. It looks like you've used regular lumber, which is prone to rapid rot. In a situation like that, I would paint the inside with at least two liberal coats of evaporative cooler coating. You can buy this at hardware stores, Walmart, etc. This is a benign substance, similar to asphalt, and will last for quite a while, protecting the wood from moisture. Do this after drilling the holes, making sure the coating doesn't fill the holes. I would treat the outside with Thompson's Water Seal to further preserve the wood. I would elevate the four posts on bricks or concrete blocks to combat rot. Treat the bottoms of the posts with Thompsons or a copper-based material. Your bed will require 16 cubic feet of artificial soil, which could be expensive, but you only have one small bed. You might first find 10 cubic feet of good peat-based potting soil (five 2-cubic foot bags). mix in five cubic feet of coconut coir (2 bales), and one cubic foot of worm castings. The potting soil will have good water retention, the coir will provide good drainage, and the worm castings will supply the soil organisms. Notice that I didn't mention compost. You shouldn't need it. The mix I described above won't have meaningful amounts of fertilizer, so you can control the nutrients you supply with a water soluble fertilizer such as Jack's 20-20-20, which includes minor nutrients. Have fun.