The only way to know what the soil might need is with a good, reliable soil test. What is the soils pH? How well does the soil drain? How much organic matter is in the soil? What kind of life do you find in the soil? If the soil has a pH between 6.2 and 6.8 and has a good balanced nutrient level then puting any fertilizer down is a waste of your money, time, and effort. If you add some fertilizer that is not needed you can create problems you don't want.

In general, the best thing to add to clay soil to amend it is organic matter as you're planning. If you till wood chips into the soil, they can tie up nitrogen and make it unavailable to plants until the chips finish decomposing. If you put the wood chips on top as a mulch, that's not a concern. You can also add something with enough nitrogen (such as coffee grounds) at the same time. When you add organic matter, it helps right away, but it decomposes and needs to be added on a regular basis (probably yearly). Sand is a permanent amendment, but you need to be prepared to add a lot of it (which can be as much as 45%). If you add too little, it can actually make things worse. For that reason, many people recommend against adding sand. Compost can take a year, but hot composting with the right mix of stuff can sometimes produce compost in a few weeks.

JMO but some of the best buys in used equipment, when you know what you are looking for, can be found on eBay. craigslist also has some bargains but they have to be evaluated more carefully so more basic knowledge is required. One way to save money is to buy a pressure canner (you need a canner, NOT a pressure cooker) that is also large enough to use as a BWB canner. That eliminates some needed equipment. The Presto brand canners are usually the least expensive. You may see some Mirro canners that are less expensive but they tend to have more problems. 12 qt. models or larger are required to qualify as a canner. Presto makes a good 16 qt. size. The qt. sizing is how they are rated and determines the number of jars they will hold. For example the 16 qt (model #1755) holds 12 half-pints; 10 pints; 7 quarts. The 16 qt size is deep enough for BWB half pint jars but nothing larger. For the best flexibility for both BWB canning and pressure canning, many consider the Presto 23 qt. model #1781 to be the ideal. It is deep enough to use as both a PC and BWB and holds 24 half-pints; 20 pints; 7 quarts. If you can find a used All American 21 qt. model (called Model 921) that you can afford so much the better but new they are much more expensive. Jars - the best sources used to be yard/garage sales. Not so much any more although you may still find some. If you have a Fred's Dollar store near you they have the best prices on Golden Harvest jars as well as lids and rings for the jars. Walmart is also a frequently used source although their prices are higher. Again eBay and craigs list often has some really good deals on bulk lids and bands. You can compare all these models side by side on amazon.com. You will also need a copy of the Ball Blue Book for starters. Here is a pic of it but don't pay this price. It is 1/2 this price at Walmart. This just scratches the surface but I hope it will give you some places to start looking. Dave

Renee- I don't do many vegetables in containers, but what you describe with your beets sounds like damping off- ?fungal thing that can happen when conditions are a little moist. If you look it up and that sounds like what happened, I think they recommend having a fan to keep the air moving around your seedlings can help prevent it. Here is a link to some recommended fall growing dates for Texas. Your local extension office might be able to give information more tailored to your specific area re: growing dates and the best way to amend your soil. You're right though- the time and effort you put into amending your future vegetable beds now will pay off a lot down the road. Texas fall vegetable growing dates Sorry I can't be more help- your area is really different than mine and don't want to lead you down the wrong path. Lisa PS I can't tell from your original post if you direct seeded your beets or if you were planning on transplanting, but as a general rule root crops need to be directed seeded. They don't tolerate being moved. I pretty much direct seed all my fall vegetables. Some spring things I transplant if I want to get a jump on getting them going in before it heats up too much. I would assume it would be similar in your area, but that's an assumption on my part. Lisa