Lost cause? Raised beds, on top of clay, questionable drainage

Anthony_Toronto · March 9, 2014

I remember picking potatoes from my grandmother's garden when I was small (and nice deep carrots), and washing them off and having them go right into the pot (or my mouth, for the carrots), but in my yard I have had to construct raised beds over clay, as the builder removed all topsoil before adding a sprinkling back before sodding. Soil depth is between 8 and 12 inches, maybe that's being generous? Anyway just wondering if it would be worth it in any way to attempt potatoes in these conditions. When I tried witloof chicory a few years back (the 'belgian endive' experiment) they started off nicely but then the roots rotted beginning on one side of the plot and working its way across the other...maybe it was a bug of some sort but I suspected poor drainage due to the clay shelf the beds are sitting on. Containers probably not an option, but if I could mix in some taters between the kale, lettuce, basil, peppers, eggplants, onions, and squash then I'd love to give it a try, even with a few plants, if only to get a few servings of gnocchi. Thanks for any insight...and I may add another layer of 4x4's this spring and cart in another 5 yards of soil, but that might not have much of a material impact.

March 9, 2014	#1
Anthony_Toronto Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 413	Lost cause? Raised beds, on top of clay, questionable drainage I remember picking potatoes from my grandmother's garden when I was small (and nice deep carrots), and washing them off and having them go right into the pot (or my mouth, for the carrots), but in my yard I have had to construct raised beds over clay, as the builder removed all topsoil before adding a sprinkling back before sodding. Soil depth is between 8 and 12 inches, maybe that's being generous? Anyway just wondering if it would be worth it in any way to attempt potatoes in these conditions. When I tried witloof chicory a few years back (the 'belgian endive' experiment) they started off nicely but then the roots rotted beginning on one side of the plot and working its way across the other...maybe it was a bug of some sort but I suspected poor drainage due to the clay shelf the beds are sitting on. Containers probably not an option, but if I could mix in some taters between the kale, lettuce, basil, peppers, eggplants, onions, and squash then I'd love to give it a try, even with a few plants, if only to get a few servings of gnocchi. Thanks for any insight...and I may add another layer of 4x4's this spring and cart in another 5 yards of soil, but that might not have much of a material impact.