Hey Kimmsr, so, I completed the soil in a jar test, and I was really surprised. Where I thought I had a LOT of OM/compost, turns out there is barely any. I would say it appears to be 1% or less, in a very thin layer floating on the top of the water surface. The rest of the results are harder to tally precisely because the sand and the silt overlap a little at their respective edges, but I can see a general trend. Together, the sand and silt comprise about 70%-75% of the mix. If I had to assign amounts, I'd say it looks like: Clay, 25% Silt 25-30%-ish (depending on overlap with sand) Sand 45-50%-ish (depending on overlap with silt) OM, 1% or less I also did the worm test and was shocked, shocked to find very few worms in the top 12 inches of the soil. I don't know if it's been the freezing weather (last week) or the biblical rainstorms (earlier this week) but I certainly was surprised by the lack of earthworms. The drain test is a little difficult to do right now because we just had a lot of rain, but it appears to be draining faster than 2 hours. So if I'm interpreting these correctly, I am in dire need of more OM, right Kimmsr? I am wondering if the mix that I started (a purchased mix from a reliable local soil company) with was either too light on the OM, or perhaps the OM was not fully composted and the soil food web gobbled it all up? Either way, it sure seems like I need some compost. STAT! And I'm guessing that I WILL need to dig it in rather than just mulch the top. And finally, after reading the PDF you posted earlier, I guess I'm not completely clear on whether to use a fully composted compost---which will provide longer term structure but not much for the soil food web, or a partially composted compost---which will provide more food for the SFW in the short term. help much appreciated! -kmama PS. I guess the issue of whether I need Azomite in this mix is cleared up... there certainly seems to be a rather adequate mineral supply, right? What are your thoughts on Azomite?

8 feet by 40 feet? You can place wide boards across the width which would divide it into several smaller blocks that can be worked from 3 sides. Place them so that the divisions allow you to reach the middle of the section from all 3 sides The boards will disperse your weight so that walking on them will not cause as much compression. Clay isn't a bad thing actually. It holds water and nutrients quite well, but just needs a little help. This could potentially be a really great garden. If you can incorporate a lot of peat moss or coconut coir, it will improve the tilth of the soil immediately and permanently. After that, all you would need to do is keep it well mulched and you'd have some great soil that would need a lot less supplemental water. If I were in this situation I would set up some additional beds (if there's room) to take up the excess 'topsoil' so you can add plenty of peat moss. It will be hard to mix peat moss all the way down to the bottom in that main bed so I would mix in as much as I could in the top section, install some WORM TOWERS then add some composting worms as well as some nightcrawler type worms that will burrow deeply and help build up the lower levels and improve the drainage. Keep the worm tubes fed with organic matter. (Worm tube instructions at link below) I would then plant a mix of deep-rooting cover crops (comfrey, alfalfa, clover, or whatever would work for this season and start growing now in your climate) which will root deeply and add organic material to those lower levels. Cut them down just before they begin to flower, and leave it all there on top as mulch. If necessary, spread it out a bit to let it dry some first, and chop it up a bit if you feel so inclined. Keep the bed mulched at all times. By next spring I think you'd have a great, very fertile bed ready for planting. Just open up holes in the thick mulch and put your seeds or plants in the soil. Leave the openings in the mulch to let the plants grow. Along the back, plan to plant things that you can train up the fence (melons, cukes, beans, tomatoes, etc. If parts of the plant are allowed to grow out the other side, you can harvest from there. Large fruits will need support as they grow which can be done by making little hammocks from pantyhose tied to the fence. Please keep us posted on how things go! Here is a link that might be useful: Build a Worm Tower

Gardengal, I went and got some Vigaro potting soil for the planters on legs, I am thinking it will be good for one of them, maybe I'll need to get a bit more. Then I'll get for the other planter. Purslanegarden, I do have the raised (inground) beds. I use bunny poo tea for my perennials and little trees, you are right about using it straight with no need to compost, but, I do add the poo soaked in water to my compost tumbler, IOW Bunny poo tea. The stuff is gagable to smell, but, I think it makes the worms happy, and my shade perennials. They have "garden soil" in bags, for raised beds (in ground) or to improve poor soil for inground plantings. I looked at some of the stuff from a bag that was ripped and it is likely composted leaves and maybe some peat moss. Composted wood also I am guessing. I make my own compost, but, I don't get a variety of stuff to compost, just some fall leaves maybe some sawdust but not always, our veggie scraps, but not much variety, hence the bunny poo tea added. When I had my own bunnies the bedding and the poo/pee mixture was great. I used those little wood pellets that you burn in the pellet stoves for bedding, it was cheaper than the pet bedding, and was the same thing. I was getting buckets of coffee grounds from a local donut shop, but, the owner got weird about it, I hear he may be in a crime family, not joking. So I haven't bothered them lately. I have gone back once since he got shitty about it, I may go back again. I could get a big 5 gallon bucket of used coffee grounds. I just hope he isn't there. He didn't say not to come back, just maybe he'll use them on his garden. I don't think he'll give me the kiss of death for a bucket of coffee grounds. I'll just have to be happy with what I get for a while. I used to work in a nursing home kitchen, when I think of all the veggie/fruit scraps and coffee grounds I threw away I feel sickened. I didn't know about composting then. Thanks for the info guys

I agree that they don't need special soil. Please head Ken's advice to plant them well away from the house to protect the house's siding (which needs to be able to dry out and not be rubbed by branches) and to allow space to get in for maintenance. So find out how wide your lilac type is supposed to get and add 3' or so to allow for it to get larger than expected and to give the building space. The other thing to consider is sun levels; IME lilacs bloom best with a lot of sun, so wouldn't be a good choice without more than 1/2 day sun. Other shrubs that have done OK vs. the voles that are rampant in my garden include: Quince (Chaenomeles) now has some smaller varieties than the original types Rhododendron (be sure to check the hardiness rating of the variety) Hydrangea paniculata is hardy to zone 3, so will be fine for you) Spiraea sometimes get a bit of vole damage that they outgrow. Hydrangea arborescens needs afternoon shade. Leucothoe does best with some shade.