lookng to move, does WV have good soil for gardening?? (mineral rights, Home Depot)

[dominicus]

Hi guys,
Im looking to purchase some land somewhere in WV closer to the east end in or near the Mountains and was wondering about the soil.

I heard it has alot of clay, very alkaline, and difficult to grow in. I have plans for a 1 acre organic garden and about 40 various fruit trees.

Also is it true none of the land here comes with mineral rights?

[David Kennedy]

In the EP the apple orchards are on the tops of the mountain ridges and do well in the dry barren soil.
If you are wanting to garden, get some bottom land with a stream that can be used for the dry periods.

In most of Wv the federal government owns the water you will use, but some old English Land Grants carry river rights.

[Ringo1]

I had heavy, clay soil that had to be amended. But the right plants and flowers can thrive even in clay soil if you choose the right ones.

[MrDerek]

I have found the soil to be very heavy clay with some decaying rock that could be broken with a shovel, and yes, very alkaline. Nevertheless, many plants seem to grow well here. It helps to dig a hole and fill it with manure and peat moss to get them started.

[dominicus]

Are any of the following alright to grow: Spinach, potatoes, sang (ginseng), peach, apricot, grape, melon-watermelon, lettuce, celery, beets, etc?

[MeganAK]

We just moved here 1 1/2 years ago and last summer was our first with a garden. The soil is VERY heavy with clay, but our garden did WONDERFUL! We prepped the ground by adding mulched grass clippings, leaves, peat moss, and manure. We did organic gardening and grew our own plants from seed. We had an excellent crop of tomatoes, peppers of all kinds, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, sweet potatoes, snap peas, watermelon, brussell sprouts, okra, potatoes, summer squash, and green beans. I think that is it! The things that did NOT do well were the corn, carrots, spinach, and cucumbers- but much of that was not related to the soil. Everything else did great. We are still eating the potatoes, tomatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, and more! Most of it will last until we have a new crop this year. We have not tried fruit yet but this summer I will be trying strawberries, blueberries, elderberry, and rhubarb. Anyway, that is my experience- which only includes one summer!

[HomersBoy]

It really depends on where in WV you plan to garden. Like others have said, some areas will need more work than others. Soils vary from heavy clay on the ridge tops to the very loamy and sandy soils of the river and creek bottoms. I live in Putnam County along the Kanawha River and it's very rich soil. I grow tomatoes, corn, peppers, broccoli, kale, potatoes, beans, squash, turnips, and sweet potatoes. Last year, I harvested over 50 lbs. of sweet potatoes from 7 small plants that I purchased at Home depot for 75 cents but of course I also had to install an electric fence at a cost of $125 to keep the deer from eating them......lol.