Seconding everything previously said. I used to garden on rocks thinly covered with clay up in Zone 3/4, and I know what you are up against--and how satisfying it can be to get anything growing there. I don't know the overall characteristics of your site, but here are a few more thoughts that came to mind.
I used to use a lot of peat until I happened onto a true bonanza--a local horseman used sawdust as stable bedding, and his hillside was covered with a well-rotted pile. He delivered a dump truck load to my 1/3 acre and did that stuff get used up fast! I went back many more times for pickup loads. I figured it had the same acidifying qualities as the peat, and it was so cool to mix that stuff into my poor old clay. Of course, that was before I knew about dewormers and other stuff people feed their animals, but when you are working from scratch sometimes you have to take whatever you can get. I collected leaves and grass clippings from anyone I could get them from. We hauled in countless loads of manures. The electric co-op delivered two or three loads (big loads!) of wood chips, which I used for mulch and pathways. One year I used Leonardite, a very black rock dust, which was promoted as being able to move down deeply and loosen things up. I had a tiny package which was enough for the whole place. Composting is key. If you can get a plan together on what you will plant where, just start some piles this year, then plant in those spots next year. If you're in a hurry to have something pretty to look at, there are plants like irises and lilacs that don't mind clay. (See what the neighbors have growing.) You can do fancy gardening later, after you've developed some decent soil somewhere. Another reason to have a plan is so you know where to put all the rocks. The big rocks are great for terracing and decoration. The little rocks can become a base under a gravel driveway. My kids still act mad about all the rocks they had to throw when we lived up there. Tillers don't make your work any easier, because the rocks just kill them anyway. Along with all of this, it's really important to just stop and listen to what your land has to tell you. The work seems to just flow from there. I wish I had known about biodynamics earlier on, but learning to listen probably led me there when I was supposed to find it. Wish I could remember more. It took me about seven years to do my third of an acre. Good luck, and make sure you use your back properly--you'll need to keep it healthy for quite a few years for this project. :) Pam DeTray Former clay whacker, now on blessed river bottom praise be -- _______________________________________________ Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Email.com http://www.email.com/?sr=signup
