>> I just thought they were the new "miracle plant" that was going to help break up this stuff. What's the point if you have to amend the soil to get them to grow?
My theory is that what farmers call "heavy soil" is already so good that I would kill for a few yards of it. (Well, not kill for it, but at least envy and drool.) What I call heavy clay, they would laugh at and say: "Yeah, right, don't even TRY to farm THERE!"
Mine is only gray in a few places where it i extra-pure. The average rock-hard stuff is dark brown. I assume that means its only 70-80% literal clay particles.
My approach is to make a raised bed with 6-10" of amended soil that is merely "very heavy clay" soil. I amend with com post, bark fines, crushed rock etc. Then I try to add enough m ore compost every year to keep the top layer light enough to be live soil and support plants.
But first I assure that another 6-12" of clay UNDER the floor of my raised bed is graded down to some trench that runs downhill. To the extent that the clay layer "perks", it will drain and let air in to whatever microscopic pores exist. That way, roots and worms and leached compost can get into it SLOOOWLY.
This way, roots, worms and organics will gradually deepen my root zone. Years f4om now, the original clay might be only 15-25% of the soil in and under my raised beds. I fear that I will still have a small hill of excavated clay waiting for more compost or cover crop roots to penetrate it..
In theory, and if I had more sunny spots, I could grade my clay hills, amend an inch or two of the surface, then plant crops like clover or alfalfa that DO have little jackhammer roots for breaking up clay. Keep adding organic matter, and in a few years I might have 6" of soil good enough to allow cover crops on a wider area.
