Cardboard to amend red clay soil

[HydroExplorer]

Last year I laid down a few layers of cardboard to choke out a serious infestation of Canada Thistle.

This year I dug into the beds and was surprised to discover that my soil is now rich a lot deeper than it was last year. Also, there are a ton of earthworms.

All I did was put out several overlapping layers of cardboard and cover them over with wood chips. This year I added some leaf compost to the soil and now it is growing plants really well.

Anyway, I just wanted to pass on that tip for anyone who has red clay to amend.