If you have very poor soil-in this case too much clay, how can you naturally improve the condition of your soil in order to plant a vegetable garden?

Mix sand with it and spread minerals in the soil. But it would be wise to do a soil test first to see what you need.

By ordering or bringing in some very good topsoil and laying it in the area of choice, and plant your organic garden. Good luck...

My advice is the same, there are several different types of topsoil to choose from, and in this case you can ak or request the one most appropriate for your needs. I'm sure the dealer of topsoil can suggest what that might be when planting organically.

Depending on how much clay is in your soil (mine has a very heavy base), aged horse manure and cow manure will be your best bet. To give you an idea, my garden is roughly 3,000 square feet and I use 2 pick up loads every year. I also use 3 tons of sand every spring and use 40# of 20-10-20 fertilizer.

After I have mixed all this into my soil, I like to let it sit and let mother nature melt this all together. Then I grab 4 different spots in my garden and take soil samples to my local nursery/agriculture center to see what I need to add to my soil to make it just right (this may take a few weeks to find out your results). I have found that this is the best way to prepare my garden.

Just a hint, do all the hard work now, and you won't be chasing your tail trying to figure out why plants arent doing well. In the past I have had beautifull plants just to find out that my hard work was for nothing. Corn with no ears, watermelon and canteloupe that had no flavor and beets and carrots that were so small, it was a waste of time to even try and use.P.S.You can do the manure in the fall, but you will probably have to add a little in the spring.

Thanks all! So far all I've managed to make a success of is container growing and grow bags. Now that I'm certain that I'm settled here it's time to get things right and do the work that will let me make my garden what I want it to be.

It doesn't make sense trying to alter your soil. It would be much easier to use raised beds instead.

If you add sand then you'll be forced to dig up the soil and mix it with sand. This is very time consuming. Then you'll have to let the mixture settle and then you may have to dig it up again.

Instead, get strips of wood or board and construct raised beds. Then add soils that are better for vegetables into the raised beds. This may take you a day or two to complete.

Here's some more advice on raised bed gardens.

Actually, if you are willing to invest the time and labor, you can make heavy clay soil a lot lighter. It does take time. The first year, you won't be able to grow much if anything.

You will also need a roto-tiller. First get several cubic yards of mixed sawdust and wood chips. Till them in thoroughly.

Next, get some sand and till that in thoroughly. Water it down well, cover it with some kind of plastic tarp, I used the wrapping from pallets of lumber shipped by rail, they were considered to be trash, and worked very well for me. You have to let all this sit for one growing season, BTW.

The next year, you want to get the result tested. As wood rots, it depletes any nitrogen content, so you have to put that back. If you use an acidic wood (pine, oak, e.g.) you'll also need to "sweeten" the soil by mixing in some agricultural lime.

Rotted manure, as mentioned earlier, will help with the nitrogen build-up, as well as improving the tilth of your garden. I try to stay away from chemical fertilizer as much as possible, but sometimes it's necessary to get the right chemical balance. Now, after a year, you're getting there.

Next, try to get some chopped straw, or chaff, from a farmer or organic gardening center. Till this in last and start planting. Have fun and best of luck.

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