Annelle Kurtz

Hi. Annelle Here, from South Africa.

My '2-cents worth' >> also add into the calculation how much financial input was invested into the setting up of each plot. ie: "greenhouse" or chicken coop/ shade house structure. Animals bought (I'd definitely add in ducks > their poop is MAGIC!

Some people would of course source more costly mulch or non-local materials to build structures for growing taller crop varieties. Some seeds would cost a lot less, some plots could grow their own mulch ( like tagasaste is a fast-growing mulch plant). etc.

?

A

Hi, I'm a NewB to the group.

We recently bought a property in a Winter rainfall, Mediterranean climate (roughly 650mm rain per annum, mostly in winter).
Our soil is very thick/dense clay (the type they make clay bricks out of) with a very thin topsoil layer of nutrient-poor-low-humus-sand.
If we were to dig contour swales I fear that the water will just sit there in the clay and wait to evaporate (not soaking in at all)?

We had a soil specialist out to advise us and he said not to expose the subsoil clay to the top, because nothing will take root in it and it will prevent water from going down into the soil below it.
Good news is (i guess) that we could probably line a few ponds with the clay but how will I get any fruit trees to grow in such terrible soil?

Anybody with experience that could help advise?