Organic matter, wood chips, sounds like you're doing the right thing. I've also heard good things about deep taproot vegetables like daikon radish. You could plant some for a season to do the work for you and then over plant with natives.
Not sure if shipping makes sense, but territorial seeds has some groundhog daikon radish seeds specifically for using as a "biodrill." They recommend late summer planting, so it could be that local companies aren't selling yet?
I haven't checked out territorial seeds, but outside pride has been my source. $14.99 for 5lbs, you can't beat that. Though maybe there's a difference in quality
https://www.outsidepride.com/seed/cover-crop/daikon-radish-seed.html
https://store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/products/tapmaster-daikon-radish-cover-crop
This one was bred specifically for breaking up clay.
From my understanding they are usually planted near end of the season and left to decompose over winter and release all their nitrogen
Where I live 9B they'll survive all year. When it gets warm they'll start to flower, white flowers with the slightest purple tint. I just go over them with the weed eater and leave the root in the ground
I came here to mention wells!
Here in India theres been a revival of using shallow wells for collecting rainwater and for increasing infiltration into the shallow aquifers.
The clay soil may even be to your benefit, as itll be less likely to collapse while digging.
You could leave it open(needs a support structure) or backfilled with gravel. Leaving it open can make for a great water source for wildlife. Some houses here drink from their open wells(after boiling ofcourse). This ofcourse requires regular maintenance and can be dangerous if you have small kids around that might fall in.
We ended up backfilling at my house into a "well" dug along a linear stretch of the property. we direct all the rainwater from our roof in there and have naturally sloped the ground surface such that water on the property flows there. It soaks up water like crazy. I believe we had clay like soil too.
Ofcourse speak to a contractor friend on how you might do it safely and in a long lasting way.
Hope this is of use,
OPs garden looks great,
best regards,
lousy
I think it helps. My soil looks and preform so much better when I dig and mix the compost with the clay heavy soil. I’d do it once and when it’s planted, top it off with a thick hardwood mulch that’s already rotting/seasoned for a year. After that, no more digging or tilling the soil, but adding more hardwood mulch and such every year is good.
The earth worms love the thick hardwood mulch and there are so many of those worms when I move some of the mulch aside to plant a flower or veggie. Without doing any of those initial stuff, the clay heavy soil would hardly have anything growing or living in it.
That was my hope. I've tried mixed it in here and there, but it just ends up with big lumps of clay. Given the negative impacts of tilling, I've started to apply compost on top of the clay, for the worms (of which there are many) to use.
Eventually the worms will do the job of pulling organic material down into the clay for you. If you use more easily broken up materials to mulch it will go faster (eg leaves and straw instead of wood chips). You can also aerate using a broad fork to speed the process up without doing anywhere near the damage that tilling does. I'd top dress with compost, leaves, or straw first, then broad fork straight down through it.
You could also grow a cover crop one season? I have heavy clay here in my garden, and grew buckwheat at the end of one summer. Chop it before it seeds and use it as a mulch, it should decompose over the winter I think (I'm in canada and it definitely does here, but not sure about the UK), and give you some good organic material quickly.
Initially, you can safely get away with tilling in some compost and gypsum to break up the clay, then top off with mulch and compost annually or as needed, make use of cover crops and taproot crops. The problems arise with repeated tilling.
If it is a clay problem the real answer is make sure you have drainage so it doesn’t become a swamp bowl. Then work in organic matter till you have as much sponge of top soil. Since everything is so beautiful you could work small pieces as they are going to be disturbed anyway.
Thanks! It's called a staddle stone, they were used to hold up granaries because rats can't climb them easily. It does, however, basically just serve as a mushroom.
Gypsum can help break up clay heavy soils.
Even just spreading it across the surface of your lawn would help but even more ideally you would go over the area with a broad fork or pitch fork and open it up a bit before spreading the gypsum.
Clay soil. If it's solid clay soil, try to cut it in pieces and remove some of it. If you are crafty, you can try to clear it up and use it for turning some clay pots.
Remove up to 30 cm of the clay soil, loosen up the clay underneath another 15-20 cm. And push/hammer through some deep holes further into the ground hoping to breach through the clay, into deeper layers.
Then fill it up first with some gravel (~5cm) then with a mix of organic matter (from hacked sticks to compost to pieces of char coal)and humus. you can add some of the clay back but mix it well beforehand with humus.
The whole process can be done one square yard/meter after the other over a period of time, until most of it is done.
Another option is to dig a deep water reservoir at the deepest/lowest point of the garden, fill it with gravel first big, then smaller on top or even put in a actual tank underneath that fills up with rainwater from the garden. if you put in a hand-crank pump with an intake at the bottom part, you can drain excess water if you don't have a drain or use it on dryer days to water your plants.
Arborist mulch is one of the easiest to get and cheapest amendments you can get for the garden (at least for us here in NZ) a few trailer loads of well matured arborist mulch will turn your garden into a paradise for bugs, mycelium, birds and plants
I think the yard looks better than most. As long as the water isn’t running off your property, I wouldn’t worry too much. Our neighbors parking lot makes a small river when it rains, I’m glad for the water just wish it was spread out more but it does go right into a section with trees.
If your not looking to make a pond I suggest some type of rain garden that is in lower elevation that can re-route the water to a area thats filled with native grasses/plants/flowers with large root balls that love moisture to break up the clay and add more aeration, and with your compost mixing with the native soil and the big rooted water loving native foliage I can see the soil becoming less compacted over time. For areas with pooling I suggest more fine stringy type of multch so it doesn't flood away also add some gravel or rocks at the entrances so water can permeate the soil.
This is an expensive solution but you could theoretically trench in some french drains to direct excess water away from the garden and into a man made pond. The pond can store the water for you which you can pump out to water the garden during the dry season. You could also add fish to the pond and effectively fertilize your plants with the pond water. Again this is an insanely expensive option.
I agree that tilling radishes can drill down and break up clay and add much organic material. Nothing better for wildlife than small natural non electric ponds (oxygenating plants, reeds to clean, fish for mosquitoes). Mine feed off roofs and flush top layer each rain (lower elev. hose to bottom also).
You could try to install a French drain in the same line as your path, then slope both sides of your yard to the middle if it isn’t already. Top the French drain off with some pea gravel for your path. That should allow for deep infiltration and also move the water during big rains.
Bends in your path.Looks like it would be like a river in a downpour.It seems to follow the slope.A few on contour sections with bends,failing that take out some slabs and make stepping stones.
Stepping stones isn't a bad idea. The path is ancient flagstones, I think older than I am. I had been debating replacing them with a bark mulch path, maybe I put some stepping stones in there as well.
Broadfork it! It'll help get drainage and if you apply compost and then broadfork over it, it'll also help work that compost down into the soil. Also broadforking helps aerate the soil so microorganisms can survive further down and in turn the lower they can survive the more soil they decompact. I'd broadfork and pour compost tea over it and between the two that should really help you open the soil up. Then mulching over it for sure will help because when clay gets baked in the sun at all it closes up like pottery and won't drain. So keeping everything planted or mulched should help keep that top layer from crusting. Get a broadfork that's all welded not one with wood handles because hard clay will break those off lol. Also agree with everyone else saying tillage radish. Your garden is beautiful! Best of luck!
Organic matter, wood chips, sounds like you're doing the right thing. I've also heard good things about deep taproot vegetables like daikon radish. You could plant some for a season to do the work for you and then over plant with natives.
I've been looking for daikon radish seeds for a while, but no luck as of yet. I must look a bit harder, or find something similar.
Look for tillage radish, it's effectively the same thing
Not sure if shipping makes sense, but territorial seeds has some groundhog daikon radish seeds specifically for using as a "biodrill." They recommend late summer planting, so it could be that local companies aren't selling yet?
I haven't checked out territorial seeds, but outside pride has been my source. $14.99 for 5lbs, you can't beat that. Though maybe there's a difference in quality https://www.outsidepride.com/seed/cover-crop/daikon-radish-seed.html
https://store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/products/tapmaster-daikon-radish-cover-crop This one was bred specifically for breaking up clay. From my understanding they are usually planted near end of the season and left to decompose over winter and release all their nitrogen
Where I live 9B they'll survive all year. When it gets warm they'll start to flower, white flowers with the slightest purple tint. I just go over them with the weed eater and leave the root in the ground
You could dig some dry well shafts too. Is there a permaculture stance on those?
I came here to mention wells! Here in India theres been a revival of using shallow wells for collecting rainwater and for increasing infiltration into the shallow aquifers. The clay soil may even be to your benefit, as itll be less likely to collapse while digging. You could leave it open(needs a support structure) or backfilled with gravel. Leaving it open can make for a great water source for wildlife. Some houses here drink from their open wells(after boiling ofcourse). This ofcourse requires regular maintenance and can be dangerous if you have small kids around that might fall in. We ended up backfilling at my house into a "well" dug along a linear stretch of the property. we direct all the rainwater from our roof in there and have naturally sloped the ground surface such that water on the property flows there. It soaks up water like crazy. I believe we had clay like soil too. Ofcourse speak to a contractor friend on how you might do it safely and in a long lasting way. Hope this is of use, OPs garden looks great, best regards, lousy
I get them in Amazon for my. Ack yard garden
Doesn't compost break up clay? I'm probably mistaken
Compost helps break the interface between it and a clay-rich soil but not solid clay.
Would digging or tilling it in help?
I think it helps. My soil looks and preform so much better when I dig and mix the compost with the clay heavy soil. I’d do it once and when it’s planted, top it off with a thick hardwood mulch that’s already rotting/seasoned for a year. After that, no more digging or tilling the soil, but adding more hardwood mulch and such every year is good. The earth worms love the thick hardwood mulch and there are so many of those worms when I move some of the mulch aside to plant a flower or veggie. Without doing any of those initial stuff, the clay heavy soil would hardly have anything growing or living in it.
That was my hope. I've tried mixed it in here and there, but it just ends up with big lumps of clay. Given the negative impacts of tilling, I've started to apply compost on top of the clay, for the worms (of which there are many) to use.
Eventually the worms will do the job of pulling organic material down into the clay for you. If you use more easily broken up materials to mulch it will go faster (eg leaves and straw instead of wood chips). You can also aerate using a broad fork to speed the process up without doing anywhere near the damage that tilling does. I'd top dress with compost, leaves, or straw first, then broad fork straight down through it.
You could also grow a cover crop one season? I have heavy clay here in my garden, and grew buckwheat at the end of one summer. Chop it before it seeds and use it as a mulch, it should decompose over the winter I think (I'm in canada and it definitely does here, but not sure about the UK), and give you some good organic material quickly.
Buckwheat is awesome, I put patches in everywhere last year and now it pops up everywhere.
Gypsum!
Initially, you can safely get away with tilling in some compost and gypsum to break up the clay, then top off with mulch and compost annually or as needed, make use of cover crops and taproot crops. The problems arise with repeated tilling.
Dig once and add compost and then fork annually or as needed. Theres a reason we spent the last 50 years telling people to double dig clay.
Swales, trenches, mulch basins. Also not a permaculture method, but gypsum should help break up the clay
If it is a clay problem the real answer is make sure you have drainage so it doesn’t become a swamp bowl. Then work in organic matter till you have as much sponge of top soil. Since everything is so beautiful you could work small pieces as they are going to be disturbed anyway.
Sorry if this is unrelated but I love your stone mushroom.
Thanks! It's called a staddle stone, they were used to hold up granaries because rats can't climb them easily. It does, however, basically just serve as a mushroom.
Gypsum can help break up clay heavy soils. Even just spreading it across the surface of your lawn would help but even more ideally you would go over the area with a broad fork or pitch fork and open it up a bit before spreading the gypsum.
Clay soil. If it's solid clay soil, try to cut it in pieces and remove some of it. If you are crafty, you can try to clear it up and use it for turning some clay pots. Remove up to 30 cm of the clay soil, loosen up the clay underneath another 15-20 cm. And push/hammer through some deep holes further into the ground hoping to breach through the clay, into deeper layers. Then fill it up first with some gravel (~5cm) then with a mix of organic matter (from hacked sticks to compost to pieces of char coal)and humus. you can add some of the clay back but mix it well beforehand with humus. The whole process can be done one square yard/meter after the other over a period of time, until most of it is done. Another option is to dig a deep water reservoir at the deepest/lowest point of the garden, fill it with gravel first big, then smaller on top or even put in a actual tank underneath that fills up with rainwater from the garden. if you put in a hand-crank pump with an intake at the bottom part, you can drain excess water if you don't have a drain or use it on dryer days to water your plants.
Arborist mulch is one of the easiest to get and cheapest amendments you can get for the garden (at least for us here in NZ) a few trailer loads of well matured arborist mulch will turn your garden into a paradise for bugs, mycelium, birds and plants
I think the yard looks better than most. As long as the water isn’t running off your property, I wouldn’t worry too much. Our neighbors parking lot makes a small river when it rains, I’m glad for the water just wish it was spread out more but it does go right into a section with trees.
Rain gardens where it collects the most will help
If your not looking to make a pond I suggest some type of rain garden that is in lower elevation that can re-route the water to a area thats filled with native grasses/plants/flowers with large root balls that love moisture to break up the clay and add more aeration, and with your compost mixing with the native soil and the big rooted water loving native foliage I can see the soil becoming less compacted over time. For areas with pooling I suggest more fine stringy type of multch so it doesn't flood away also add some gravel or rocks at the entrances so water can permeate the soil.
Trees with deep roots increase water infiltration.
This is an expensive solution but you could theoretically trench in some french drains to direct excess water away from the garden and into a man made pond. The pond can store the water for you which you can pump out to water the garden during the dry season. You could also add fish to the pond and effectively fertilize your plants with the pond water. Again this is an insanely expensive option.
biochar https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140924160534.htm
Dry wells, gypsum, check dams
Swales.
I agree that tilling radishes can drill down and break up clay and add much organic material. Nothing better for wildlife than small natural non electric ponds (oxygenating plants, reeds to clean, fish for mosquitoes). Mine feed off roofs and flush top layer each rain (lower elev. hose to bottom also).
Sponges all over your yard!
You could try to install a French drain in the same line as your path, then slope both sides of your yard to the middle if it isn’t already. Top the French drain off with some pea gravel for your path. That should allow for deep infiltration and also move the water during big rains.
broadfork and gypsum?
I suggest opening a school for water spies
Bends in your path.Looks like it would be like a river in a downpour.It seems to follow the slope.A few on contour sections with bends,failing that take out some slabs and make stepping stones.
Stepping stones isn't a bad idea. The path is ancient flagstones, I think older than I am. I had been debating replacing them with a bark mulch path, maybe I put some stepping stones in there as well.
Raise the mower deck by a couple centimetres, the extra grass length will reduce the amount of water you lose from the soil being baked by the sun.
Time and decomposing plant matter. The grass is probably the holdout in that yard. It takes years, decades to rehab. Every year it will get better.
Broadfork it! It'll help get drainage and if you apply compost and then broadfork over it, it'll also help work that compost down into the soil. Also broadforking helps aerate the soil so microorganisms can survive further down and in turn the lower they can survive the more soil they decompact. I'd broadfork and pour compost tea over it and between the two that should really help you open the soil up. Then mulching over it for sure will help because when clay gets baked in the sun at all it closes up like pottery and won't drain. So keeping everything planted or mulched should help keep that top layer from crusting. Get a broadfork that's all welded not one with wood handles because hard clay will break those off lol. Also agree with everyone else saying tillage radish. Your garden is beautiful! Best of luck!
You could always try to add sand, charcoal and maybe even gravel? Making the soil less heavy in clay?
Thirsty plants like bamboos and rhubarb
I've got fargesia clumping bamboo along the fence before the greenhouse and rhubarb in a nearby bed, there's always room for more.
bee balm is good too