"Putting something called "topsoil", which most likely will be around 95 percent mineral on top of, or into, clay which is mostly, if not all, mineral, is simply tellong someone to through their money away since it will not last very long. " Huh? kimm, you obviously don't get it. Since when is a sandy loam topsoil "not going to last very long"? The one thing that would be a waste of money here is to amend the native clay with more than ~ 5 weight % organic matter, because there is hardly any way that higher levels can be maintained in permanent planting beds, and keeping even 5% takes regular maintenance. I appreciate your MI experience (not dissimilar from mine). However, it is irrelevant to our situation in TX in the Houston area. The supplier example I provided above sells sandy loam topsoil. It will meet the municipal specification of the City of Houston and Harris County. That's not a soil lab desire, as you mistakenly commented previously - it's a major market buyer requirement in a very sizable market. The supplier also has to be able to identify the source location for selling topsoil, and the project engineer has the option of having it independently tested. Buying topsoil is no different than buying any kind of soil or compost - get it from a good, reputable supplier, and know what you're buying. In spite of your objections, good topsoil has it's appropriate uses. The OP's situation is one of them, and as you might observe, it was noted to be an optional step, but one which provides advantages I noted previously. If you actually read what was posted you will see that the recommendation is to use the topsoil optionally on top of the underlying amended clay. It is a practice used by top landscapers in our area, and it works incredibly well for permanent planting beds. For beds dedicated to annual plantings a very different approach is preferred.

I have owned both a Troy-Bilt Horse rear-tined tiller and a light Sears front-tined tiller. The rear-tine will definitely dig better and easier, unless you are on the side of a hill, where it becomes a battle of wills between you and the machine. The problem with the rear-tine tiller is that it is not good in tight spaces, like near fences and buildings. It takes a lot of room to maneuver and turn. And do not EVER use any tiller next to a chain link or wire fence. One wrong move and it will wrap 20 feet of wire around the tine shaft, faster than you can imagine. I eventually got rid of the Troy, and have owned a small Sears front-tine unit for about 18 years now. The front-ender is very good for getting into small areas to till up a few square feet in established landscapes, gardens, etc. It will also dig very deeply if you hold it in place. The rear-tine unit can't dig more than a few inches deep, because of the tine shaft. This is how I make a new garden in clay loam soil: 1. Rent a small tractor with a bucket and tiller. 2. Till the soil as deeply as possible. Make several passes. This is easy, fast and fun with a tractor. 3. Use the tractor bucket to top-dress with an inch or so of coarse sand and an inch or so of organic matter like bark, compost, wood chips, etc. Level with a rake. Do not skip the sand: it will make a permanent improvement in your soil, unlike the organic material. Add lime and superphosphate if needed. 4. Till the amendments in as deeply as possible. 5. Use a rake or shovel to shape the area into raised beds with sloped sides, with low areas in between the beds for walking and kneeling to plant, pull weeds, etc. I usually end up with about 12" depth of amended soil in my raised beds after this step. I don't use 4x4's, rock or anything to make walls for my beds, but you can if you want to. It's a lot of work though. At this point, your soil is somewhere between loam and sandy loam on the soil triangle, and is ready to produce a beautiful garden for you, right now. It will be even better when the organic materials break down. Your wallet will be lighter, but your back will not be broken. Any future soil preparation can easily be done with a small front-tine tiller. You have probably heard that sand plus clay = concrete. There may be soils where this is true, but I have yet to find them in 40 years of gardening. I have used this method in New Jersey, Oregon, California, and Washington state, with uniformly excellent results. If this issue worries you, buy a bag of sand and try my method in a small area of your yard, as a test. For more information, Google "soil triangle". I would be happy to show you "before" and "after" using this method. I presently have gardens near Portland, OR and Kalama, WA, where I have amended heavy soils. If anyone would like to see the results, please email me from the website link below. Here is a link that might be useful: contact info

Hi Denise, Good observation. I too have felt the diff.(most of my clay pots are older, hand-me-downs from other folks, garage sales, close-outs, etc.) I'm not sure the manufacturing has changed much, but it's known among potters that clay & its components (exactly how much of each component mineral, etc.) is variable from clay to clay as they come from different places. When I was a teenager I went to art school up in Maine for 2 summers; while I was studying textile design one summer & glassblowing the other, I often hung out w/ the potters. We all used to go dig clay together in a particular clay pit they'd dug on the edge of the woods. Green clay oddly enough, not terra cotta colored, but discussions were often had how great it was that we had our own clay pit, rather than having to depend on raw clay from other locales which was known to vary sometimes from batch to batch, but certainly btwn diff. locales when compared one against the other. Then again, maybe they're just making them lighter, I do recall noticing that the walls of the pots do seem thinner, the newer ones as compared to the older.

On the comparison between a car accident and a chimney fire: Though most people don't know the details of crash tests and safety ratings - and driving may be the most dangerous thing to do, they regularly do what they can to prevent being involved in an accident. They check their oil, tire pressure, have their brakes inspected, etc. Anti-lock brakes (now a standard, I believe) used to be a oft chosen safety option. The same can be said of many different industries in which a potential regular risk is involved. But my question is this: If you had a vehicle for which a passenger side air bag was not standard but would cost extra to have one installed; but you know that if you were in an accident that airbag may prevent your passenger from being injured, wouldn't you spend the extra money for the airbag? I would say the same for the liner. Though you have the chimney swept every year, that doesn't prevent creosote from building up in the meantime. Even an experience user, one who uses the hardest, driest wood available will still have creosote build up. I have seen chimney fires in between annual maintainance. So, if you knew that if you had a chimney fire, the liner may help prevent damage to the masonry chimney as well as to your home (and the fire may not even damage the liner), wouldn't you consider spending the extra money for that peace of mind? Now, I'm interested that the sweep you had out agreed that "all this BS about needing a liner and all is nothing but profiteering by the Sweep industry" because as a CSIA sweep he is supposed to be familiar with NFPA-211 code requirements which speak extensively of the having the appropriate liners for appliances that have specific manufacturer requirements. Addtionally, those of us who have given you advice on a chimney liner have nothing to gain from suggesting you get one. I can assure you that the local professionals you spoke with are not going to pay us for encouraging you to have one installed. These suggestions were given because of our professional experience, expertise, and knowledge. In this situation we do need to have a perspective relative to the risks you will be taking when using your stove. Will it be used everyday? How many hours per day? For how many months? Years? How often will it be inspected based on how often you use it? Many stoves used everyday require sweeps/inspections as often as every two months. One last note: last year in my area there was a family who had a woodstove vented into a masonry chimney - I do not know specific details as to the condition of the chimney; whether it had a liner, when and how often it was swept/inspected - and they had a chimney fire. The fire spread to the walls and the house caught on fire. Three children were trapped in the home and were killed. A rare story, yes, but not altogether unheard of. Is it worth the risk?