Personally I would add my organic materials coffee grounds, eggshells, veggie trimming, throw away veggies that are turning, leaves (small leaves or larger dry crumbled leaves) break down quicker til it 6-8 inches wet down and cover with some black plastic (10mm) to aid in decomposition. Keep damp watering slightly and turning.
4 Likes
Great looking plants on the side there BTW! 20-25gallon smart pots perhaps?
1 Like
Those are some revegged clones I had that are finally starting to bud again. They are only in 7 and 5 gallon smart pots, but they are pretty big. My biggest is about 3 feet tall. The buds however look like they are going to be an experiment in micro growing. lol I have 5 other autos that are in 3 gallons just past those that are looking gorgeous though!
1 Like
Holly Molly I missed that guess by a country mile they look as big as my 20 gallon worm bins!
1 Like
Thank you! That is a great idea! Iām gonna get on that,
1 Like
The absolute fastest way to regenerate bulk soil is to literally turn the whole area into a compost pile, as @99PerCent said!
The faster you can get a huge amount of decaying plant matter the better. If you can find manure (any kind, the more the better, cow/horse/dog, etc.) toss it on there, all plant matter including shells and citrus, break it up as much as possible and toss it on. If it will add organic matter and increase microbes in the soil then you should add it. If youāre about to ask if it should gone in the pile, the answer is already yes! (No wood that has been chemically treated though.)
Water all the organic stuff like you would a lawn and after a month or so start turning the dirt and organic matter together. Every couple months turn the new stuff into the old stuff, and it will get a lot easier to turn as you incorporate more organic matter.
6 Likes
Iām doing an identical project on the opposite coast from ya, but I have an immense amount of plant waste material that needs to be processed anyway.
Working on one cubic meter at a time, Iām digging a hole, laying down wood and brush, and then layering the soil back in 50:50 with green matter. The top is covered with fresh wood chip mulch and Iāll either plant a cover crop or let the weeds take it over till spring.
100% of the material was on site, which makes a huge difference in final cost of the project. Itās all man hours over here, where I expect youāll have to buy some of it. If you pick a good cover crop like alfalfa you can kill two birds with one stone. (Or catch two birds with one net, if you prefer)
9 Likes
Probably a silly question, but besides a shovel, is there a better tool to use to mix up the plant matter and turn the compost in the holes
2 Likes
There is always a bigger dig tool
This will get you down into the soil. Breaks it up a bit and makes it easier to turn over.
A favorite of mine 
99
4 Likes
Hmmā¦ Iām gonna check the garage first. My gramps may still have an ancient one in there still. If not, Home Depot here I come! Thank you!
1 Like
They carry heavier ones and lighter ones.
The ancient ones are all heavy.
99
True. My girly girl self needs a light one. Home Depot it is!
2 Likes
Youāre a rock. Donāt kid me.
99
2 Likes
I have two (slightly different) shovels, one mattock, and two (slightly different) metal rakes. The mattock is the workhorse, and the shovel is just to move the loose earth.
4 Likes
Woo loving this new thread! Good job @Meesh
I would suggest alfalfa as a top dressing along with the straw
Along with WORMS! (No matter how āgross they are 
)
They will help break down the clay
Also it sounds like the nut shells will help with the drainage of the clay if well turned into it. . .
Also adding sand from your front yard will help with this.
So add sand and chicken poop, turn sand, poop and nut shells into the top 6ā,add worms ,and your top cover of straw/alfalfa and water it down every couple of days when you water your plants and at the end of winter, turn your soil again, plant and top dress again as needed. . .I donāt see why you wouldnāt be able to grow in it by next spring. . .it wonāt be āsuper soilā yet but it will definitely be āsoilā
6 Likes
Got a few new items today. OSH is closing all of itās stores and is having a saleā¦ anywho, Iāve got a small patch Iām digging into today and throwing that soil in for a cutting flower garden Iām sectioning off. I got a cheapy soil tester kit as well for a general idea of nutes.
Thanks for the tip on this tool @99PerCent! I already tried it out briefly, itās a beast and exactly what I needed!
9 Likes
Woo hoo, getting that area fertile will definitely make a gardener out of you in no time, plus after its all said and done you can still back with pride and honor for your grandpa
3 Likes
Looks like youāll have a nice HĆ¼gelkultur bed in the near future !
3 Likes
is there a budget for this? (affects my reply) 
are you physically capable of digging & turning it all by hand?
ro to till er 
mmm
1 Like
Well, Iām obviously trying to go cheap and bit by bit, but I havenāt set a budget per seā¦and I definitely canāt afford to go crazy and buy everything I could possibly need for the entire 20x20 plot all at once.
To be honest, Iām kind of kicking ass out there with the digging, turning and such. With that new mattock (that is the best thing since sliced bread) I bought today I dug up about a 4āx4ā patch easily this evening . This is gonna be a quick job with a bunch of new dirt etcā¦ because I need it ready for what will be my flower cutting garden and I will need to plant the bulbs come fall. This is another part of the yard that is sectioned off that my Gramps grew flowers in for my Grandma. May they rest in peace. The veggie patch obviously is gonna take more time, but yes, I think I can do it mostly on my own. My Dad has offered to help me on some of the other planters come fall. Those are gonna be the MJ beds and we are borrowing an actual digger from his buddy and are going to clear it completely out about 4 feet and add all new build a soil. BTWā¦ Dad said he will buy me the red wigglers and come over and put them out there for me in a week or so as Iām squeamish. Yay! Dad Rules!
9 Likes