No till gardening

ArcherB · January 8, 2013

There was about 1/2 to 1 inch of "stuff" on top of the clay, which I scraped off and used it to back fill the holes I was digging, and on occasion, I would run across a nice pocket of material from when I had dug a hole to plant in years past, but for the most part, there was nothing beyond that half inch.

I think the problem may have been the red clay. This clay does not wash away. That's why they make bricks out of it. So when the monsoons came last winter, the clay stood firm while all the good stuff on top simply washed out from under the mulch.

You have red clay in Oklahoma, don't you? I know they do in the southern half of the state. Lay down some weed block to kill the grass and stack six inches total of compost from grass clippings, dried leaves and wood mulch on top, in that order. After a full year of sitting out in the weather, you'll find most of it gone. The problem is that nothing can penetrate the clay, simply doesn't stick. It must be worked into the soil or it will simply wash away... or blow away, or taken by garden gnomes... or maybe it's possible that six inches of material simply broke down to half an inch of silt. All I know is where it isn't.

So, now, after 30 years, you have heard of such a thing.

As for now, I've given up on the idea of a raised bed and gone with my new brilliant idea of a "sunken bed". It's like a raised bed, but rather than put good dirt on top of bad, you dig the bad stuff out and fill it back in with good stuff. Sure, when it rains, it will fill up like a bathtub, but in our dry climate, that's not really a problem.

Oh, and what to the Sooners and marijuana have in common? They both get smoked in bowls. :-)

**EDIT**
I don't mean to come off as a smart a... alec, but after reading it, it sounds that way. My point was that in all my brilliance, I appear to have screwed up more in five years that you have in 30. It should take hard work to make that much compost vanish, but to me, that level of incompetence simply comes naturally. I am an over achiever at doing things that make people say, "wait... you did what!??! How did you manage that?"

January 8, 2013	#29
ArcherB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Austin TX Posts: 200	There was about 1/2 to 1 inch of "stuff" on top of the clay, which I scraped off and used it to back fill the holes I was digging, and on occasion, I would run across a nice pocket of material from when I had dug a hole to plant in years past, but for the most part, there was nothing beyond that half inch. I think the problem may have been the red clay. This clay does not wash away. That's why they make bricks out of it. So when the monsoons came last winter, the clay stood firm while all the good stuff on top simply washed out from under the mulch. You have red clay in Oklahoma, don't you? I know they do in the southern half of the state. Lay down some weed block to kill the grass and stack six inches total of compost from grass clippings, dried leaves and wood mulch on top, in that order. After a full year of sitting out in the weather, you'll find most of it gone. The problem is that nothing can penetrate the clay, simply doesn't stick. It must be worked into the soil or it will simply wash away... or blow away, or taken by garden gnomes... or maybe it's possible that six inches of material simply broke down to half an inch of silt. All I know is where it isn't. So, now, after 30 years, you have heard of such a thing. As for now, I've given up on the idea of a raised bed and gone with my new brilliant idea of a "sunken bed". It's like a raised bed, but rather than put good dirt on top of bad, you dig the bad stuff out and fill it back in with good stuff. Sure, when it rains, it will fill up like a bathtub, but in our dry climate, that's not really a problem. Oh, and what to the Sooners and marijuana have in common? They both get smoked in bowls. :-) EDIT I don't mean to come off as a smart a... alec, but after reading it, it sounds that way. My point was that in all my brilliance, I appear to have screwed up more in five years that you have in 30. It should take hard work to make that much compost vanish, but to me, that level of incompetence simply comes naturally. I am an over achiever at doing things that make people say, "wait... you did what!??! How did you manage that?" Last edited by ArcherB; January 8, 2013 at 11:07 PM. Reason: Tone wasn't right.