Quote:
Originally Posted by mensplace
I wonder in all honesty about the real benefit of planting deeply. This year I did, but when I pulled the vines at the end of the season, I really saw none of the roots that many have long insisted grow from the soil level along the root stem. Almost all of my roots came at the level beneath where the stem ended and roots were when planted. You hear a lot; for example, many have long sworn that you need to plant your tomatoes sideways to develop more roots. I wonder how many people are growing tomatoes in rich, deep topsoils versus the typical Georgia, heavy, micro fine, quick to compact, slow to drain, heavy red clay in regions that are hot and humid throughout the summer, or with maybe an inch of any real topsoil and virtually impervious, anaerobic hardpan six inches below the soil line. Seems I have always been told that roots branch out laterally as well as vertically and that most soil life exist within the top six inches, especially here....and I HAVE added humus every year AND tilled. Of course, other soil scientists have told me NOT to ever till deeply here as that simply kills the soil life down into the anaerobic zone where it will, for the most part, die, i.e., till only the top six inches. Before I got here, this soil, like most in these parts, had been worked with cotton since before the seventies, mostly with traditional NPK approaches. I have added to it and added to it, AND tried to break the hard pan, AND tried to develop the top. If I went back there today I would still have heavy, Georgia clay that holds water like crazy and becomes rock hard and cracks during summer drought. SO, do I really benefit by putting plants well below the natural root line? MOST ag types down here say NO and DON't break that hardpan as down at that level it is rock hard clay and will soon be again...without oxygen. This clay is NOT that lush, rich dark stuff folks elsewhere call "soil" or even "topsoil".
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We too have hard yellow and red clay here, but in my garden you can berry your hand easily in the soil, do that anywhere else in the yard and you will have broke fingers.
What we do is add any lose matter we can, shredded leaf mulch , ash from where we burn yard materials. One way of losing it up is to add peat moss bales, or straw bales. It takes time but you will eventually see results.
If you have one of those places near buy where you can get much by the truck load or that sells it by the dump truck load you can have that brought in and till it in, as it breaks down the soil will stay lose and be great soil.
Another option would be to use raised beds.
But I can understand the frustration, I have two gardens and the older one is in great shape the newer one is like you described.