Want to start a new garden in Backyard...need some help (Houston: how much, houses)

[amood06]

I want to start a new garden bed in my backyard, it will not be a rectangle shape or anything, I would like it to curve around our deck. I previously planted a ton of flowers (before I knew about this whole clay soil thing) and the majority of them died with the exception of some shrubs. I had noticed that it takes awhile for the water to drain after that area is watered. Almost a full 24 hours to be exact. I like tropical flowers and palm trees, but I am open to anything.

So my question is: How in the world do I build a garden with clay soil? I keep hearing about raised garden beds. But how do you create one if you don't want a rectangular garden bed and don't want to line the garden bed with wood? If so much of Houston is clay soil how do people cope with this.

Sorry if I'm all over this place with my questions. I'm suffering from plant fatigue trying to figure out what I'm going to do with the backyard.

[Oskar_Z28]

From what I saw on newer houses is that they use alot of sand to level the yard after construction and when they add flower beds, they raise them. So that may be your best bet.

To do it right, remove some clay, and bring in some decent dirt first. It may be expensive though, so it depends how much you want to spend. Plant grass, then add flower beds as needed. I don't like raised flower beds, so I never went there. Also, I have an older house, so the to 8 - 10 inches of dirt was decent and I never had to remove clay. I actually had to bring in tons (literally) of dirt to make my flower beds after I scraped the old mulch and old grass.

[amood06]

So do I even need to remove the clay can I just add a lot of dirt and mix it in with gardening soil? When you say dirt do you mean topsoil?

[Oskar_Z28]

You may not have to remove clay, but ideally you would want to replace it with something better.

I am not a botanist or landscaper, so take my advice as you will.

Top soil is typically sandy mixture with some organic material. You could use all organic mixture like humus and mix it with clay. I get my humus at this place off of 249 and bltw 8 that has a parrot on the sign. I usually just mix it with the clay and older topsoil to get good mixture.

But if you don't remove clay all you will be doing is adding volume. I don't know what your set up, but that may be acceptable for what you need. Just make sure you don't build your beds any higher than your foundation.

[Ellen Pitts]

I would recommend checking out the two books, "Lasagna Gardening" and "Square Foot Gardening" from the library. Both of these talk a great deal about soil amending. I really like lasagna gardening. Her philosophy is to lay down a thick, biodegradable cover over whatever soil you have right now. In her book she talks about turning a gravel driveway (at their garden center/b&b) into a new flower garden by using this method. You basically will use thick wads of newspaper (drowns out weeds), soak with a hose and pile on top of that the composting material that will eventually turn into soil. She uses layers of composting material: a bit of started compost, a layer of peat moss, a layer of shredded leaves, etc etc, until you have a "lasagna" bed. She makes them in all kinds of neat curvy shapes. Then you leave it to 'cook' and the worms will do the work for you. They will make their way through all that clay to get to the organic material and it will be turned into soil in one season. She says you can plant in it before it is turned into soil! I've used her methods in combination with SFG with great success!

[Svensk08]

You need some reliable advice from professionals who know about our soil and growing conditions here. Pay a visit to several of the locally owned nurseries (NOT the big chains or BigBox DIY centers). The folks who work there will share their knowledge and suggest books on gardening specifically for the subtropical Houston-Gulf Coast area.

[chicagomama]

We did raised beds for our veggies garden, (with wooden slats forming the rectangles) and then just ordered a bunch of regular soil from Living Earth - Technology Co. we made a large curvy bed behind our pool and planted tons of plants that attract butterflies. We have super thick, clay under the dirt we brought in. THey can deliver it on to your driveway and then you wheelbarrow it to where you want it. We also ordered mulch from them and put maybe 4" on top of the dirt.

Go to a place like ENchanted Gardens or Enchanted Forest or Caldwell's - they know what they are talking about and can help you pick which plants would work. Pick easy bushes/flowers like Lantana that will grow anywhere....

I love the lasagna garden idea, you can put the newspapers right on the place you want the bed to be.

Good luck!!

[Ellen Pitts]

The climate might change what types of plants you choose, but clay soil is clay soil no matter where you are located. The ph can vary based on location and soil nutrients can vary, but they can vary from one part of the garden to another. The only way to know your ph and soil health is by getting a soil kit and testing it. A garden center can't tell you that. You can get a test kit from your local extension office. You can also buy the test kits from garden centers. They aren't as sensitive and don't give you a comprehensive analysis of your soil, but I wouldn't think that's necessary for planting a few flowers.

[chicagomama]

Really quick- if you contact Ft Bend Master Gardeners, so you can send in a soil sample for pretty cheap and they can tell you what you need to do...

[NTT]

It's much easier than you think. Clay is actually good for plants & trees. It has good minerals and nutrients. As you already know, the only problem with clay is that it won't absorb and hold water well. It needs help. It's simply a matter of mixing it (50/50) with compost and/or peat hummus to help retain the water for the plants/trees. I do this to all the plants/trees I plant. I don't do raised bed or any other special treatment to the clay soils except for the 50/50 mixture above. All my plants/trees are doing well for all these years.

The compost/hummus I find work best is actually the inexpensive Earth's Finest Organic Compost Peat Hummus. A 40 lb bag is anywhere from $2-3. If Earth's Finest is not available, use any other brands that is organic. The organic mixture has worm eggs that will hatch when moist. The worms will help to mix the soil and result in a very rich soil that lasts a long time. Worms are very beneficial for the soil & plants but you probably already know that.

Before digging into clay, water the area as much as you can the day before. The clay will soften and will be easier to dig and mix.