janice, this is an old thread, and you may well find some good info on it, but since you need help fast I'd suggest you start a brand new thread and post your photos and your text above on it. That will get people's attention and hopefully get you some help fast. For the dog I'd suggest calling your vet asap. So sorry this has happened! And I hope that you'll get some good answers soon from folks who know about these things.

Many of our medical people have not yet accepted that exposure to many of the poisons sprayed on land that is "conventionally" farmed can cause chronic health problems even though they recognize they can cause acute health problems. Exposure to more then one could cause a symbiotic relationship that is not healthy. That some people are more susceptible to adverse reactions to these poisons is also a known and if that person is exposed to more than one of these potential allergins can cause even larger problems. Unfortunately the only way to find put if a person is suscetible to any substance is to expose them to that substance. While an allergist can, and will, test someone for these types of allergies it will only be done if there is good reason to suspect there is a need. So alaria121 if you are still able to please update us on what, if anything has been found.

Thanks everyone... you all seem very knowledgeable. I haven't been able to do much or get the soil test. We got an inch of rain this past weekend followed by a few inches of snow. Which created a mess in the field. I don't know which direction I need to head... I almost came very close to putting my place up for sale just because I spend a huge amount of time gardening and can't do any gardening until it's 100+ degrees outside in the middle of summer thanks to the heavy silt/clay. I definitely don't want to till.. The main reason for this is that I would have to till and do all this work when the temps are 100+ during summer when the land is completely dry. I'm reading a lot of conflicting information. Some say you must till others say don't bother let mother nature do it. Well I just seen another post on here of someone saying their new soil didn't mix with the native soil after 3 years, Some are telling me to create a lot of raised beds with new soil. Some say just add compost once a year, others say you must add it every year. I'm trying to think about this logically... just by what I see from walking around my property. I have a few small hills... these hills are also heavy silt/clay, but it's raised higher and it doesn't have the spongy feeling of the lower soil. What if I tried to recreate this? I don't care if my grassy pathways get real wet.... my goal is to keep my actual beds dry. I need to mix the soil somewhat... but I don't want to till. Would it be bad if I lightly turned the soil over in each bed with a shovel? I have an unlimited supply of brush/dead tree limbs/logs/sticks. Next pile a thin later of these on the turned soil to add pure organic matter. Then add compost/topsoil. The topsoil/compost I found and really like is a mixture of raw topsoil, sand and 25% leaf compost for $25/yard. After that, add 2-3" of mulch. Turning the soil over seems like it would help mix the two somewhat to get the process started. In the end, the topsoil/compost will add about 6" in height with another 3" of mulch... the total height of each bed would be aprox 9" above ground. The concerns I have doing it this way are: 1. Will the sand in the new soil clog what little air space I have in the native soil? 2. Will water become trapped when it gets below the turned soil? 3. I've never bought topsoil before... will this fluffy stuff become hard & compacted enough to support 40' tall trees? I'm hoping this new soil/tree limbs/compost will improve the soil below so the trees can grow deep... but I've also read that trees have most roots in the upper 6-12" of soil Here's my plan so you can get a better understanding of the beds. That space is around 300' wide x 300' deep. The colored icons in each bed are different types of trees... mostly conifers. Each bed is roughly 2000 SQFeet... so I would need a lot of compost/topsoil. I'm not going to kill myself so I would just do 1 or 2 beds a year lol. This post was edited by ricksample on Mon, Mar 31, 14 at 8:39

Muddobber, Welcome to the Ozarks! I spent a few years in Florida, gardening while I was there... and the Ozark soil is a completely different situation, isn't it? I feel like a beginner again, coming back and having to relearn how to do things! The earthworms are a great sign--they do wonders, but it can take time. My opinion: The organic matter in your mulches will do the job, but possibly not work miracles in just a year or two. But with patience and more mulch... My mother has a little garden plot (about 3'x3') that she's kept mulched with grass clippings for a decade. The soil all around it is hard as can be (Dad's a chemical fertilizer guy), but you can sink a pitchfork 12" into the ground in the garden plot-- like a table knife going through soft butter. It's amazing what organic material and a little time can accomplish. ...if you can still get a "decent" harvest out of what's there, I'd vote for continuing to lay on the OM and wait for nature to work its magic on what's beneath. I'm not sure, but letting pigs trample around on it might not be the best long-term idea-- their weight may work against you. (If you need some leverage with the family, look up Ruth Stout's books- try half.com for bargains and out-of-print copies.) Good luck!