posted 7 years ago
Hi Anthony.
I would suggest a comprehensive soil test. I know a lot of people consider that a hassle when what they really want is to get their hands dirty, but making an informed decision is infinitely better than just doing something.
If your soil has a clayey compaction going on, I think James might be right about the need for calcium. Gypsum is great because it is pH neutral and breaks down slowly, so it's harder to overdo. Of course, if you had a soil test done, you wouldn't have to guess.
What grows in the garden already? Could you list some of the weed species? Oftentimes you can tell what the soil needs from what's growing there because the weeds that volunteer first and thrive are showing up to take advantage of a bad soil situation, to which they're well adapted, and that they often end up remedying.
Take the example of dandelions and other tap-rooted weed species that show up on hardpan. Their taproots punch down through the hardpan and compaction, and even if you don't pull them up, taking the root systems and physically loosening the soil, the organic matter will rot in the ground, providing a corridor of compost in the compaction for something else to come in, something that doesn't like compaction, say, but loves unimproved soil, and happens to be a nitrogen-fixing bacterial host or a hyperaccumulator, whose life cycle will fix that particular problem.
Also, you might want to think about a one-time plowing, or at least a broad-forking (I prefer the latter, because in clayey soil conditions, the action of the plow can smoothe and seal the soil layer immediately under it, causing drainage issues). Broad-forking I think is much better, because it aerates the soil without inverting its structure, but even plowing can be done once to get all those amendments into the top layers of soil, to accelerate the healing process (keeping in mind the sealing caveat).
After that, I would plant daikon radishes or mangelwurtzel beets to further combat the compaction. If you don't eat daikon, you can feed them to livestock or just leave them to fertilize the next crop.
I think you might benefit greatly from some of Bryant Redhawk's soil threads, specifically the ones where he discusses the making and use of compost extracts. If you can increase the fungal and bacterial counts in your soil, the rest of the "ground crew" will show up and not only decompact everything for you, but keep it that way, and look after nutrient and mineral redistribution for you.
But keep us posted. Let us know how you decide to proceed, and good luck.
-CK
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein