Landscaping & gardening tips for newcomers to the Charlotte area - Part 3 (fit in, rentals)
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Our plants returned with a vengeance this spring. The perennials have thrived and we haven't had to buy any new plants for the flower beds . . . yet.
I accidentally over-fertilized the mostly-fescue lawn last fall, so I skipped the Spring fertilization. The fescue is looking great, which leads me to wonder whether I should do this every year!
My most-prized tree, a dwarf Japanese Snowbell, has sprouted hundreds of buds! I can't wait for them to bloom. Last two years, the snowbell did not bloom at all. (I think because I made the mistake of fertilizing the little tree. I later read that fertilizing discourages budding.)
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Quote:
Originally Posted by msm_teacher
Before you start - amend or replace your soil. Your plants will be healthier and need less watering.
Ammend it.
When my parents moved us to South Jersey & we encountered the clay, they were baffled & their solution was to dig out clay & pour in top soil to replace it in a couple of areas. This did not work well at all. Water would stand for prolonged periods after rain.
The 2nd year that we were there, a native came along while they were out removing clay, with bags of topsoil & asked them what they were doing. When they told her, she asked How's it working? They told about the standing water & she told them that's because you're creating something like a dish. You need to mix the topsoil with the clay & eventually some of that topsoil will work down & break up the clay, further down. She told them that top soil or compost could be used, but it had to be worked into the clay. This woman had the most beautiful gardens in the neighborhood, so they took her word for it.
I helped to mix the clay & topsoil. The difference was night & day.
Now I have the fence up and the space is defined. The plan is to remove the grass "as much as possible", build some beds and plant a few things to get started. I know having a lush garden is a long process and wanted to ask a few questions. I want to have some fruit trees but not sure how to go about planting them. From everything I read, I shouldn't dig a hole and fill it with top soil or anything else but rather work it, how would I go about doing that? which fruit trees work best in our soil? would a lemon tree be a good choice? what about Fig? Thanks for your feedback in advance
When my parents moved us to South Jersey & we encountered the clay, they were baffled & their solution was to dig out clay & pour in top soil to replace it in a couple of areas. This did not work well at all. Water would stand for prolonged periods after rain.
The 2nd year that we were there, a native came along while they were out removing clay, with bags of topsoil & asked them what they were doing. When they told her, she asked How's it working? They told about the standing water & she told them that's because you're creating something like a dish. You need to mix the topsoil with the clay & eventually some of that topsoil will work down & break up the clay, further down. She told them that top soil or compost could be used, but it had to be worked into the clay. This woman had the most beautiful gardens in the neighborhood, so they took her word for it.
I helped to mix the clay & topsoil. The difference was night & day.
Yes - I can't spell! Thanks.
We have a tiller and where the soil is the native, my husband has great luck tilling in ammendments he buys in bulk from Turtle creek.
However, I stand by my statement that sometimes the soil just has to be replaced first. You still work in the native soil underneath before and after adding the ammendments. But, unless you are building a berm, there can be just too much volume.
Also, many houses are built on fill, so the exact ammendments to add may vary in this area.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,814 posts, read 34,751,094 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by happehart
Now I have the fence up and the space is defined. The plan is to remove the grass "as much as possible", build some beds and plant a few things to get started. I know having a lush garden is a long process and wanted to ask a few questions. I want to have some fruit trees but not sure how to go about planting them. From everything I read, I shouldn't dig a hole and fill it with top soil or anything else but rather work it, how would I go about doing that? which fruit trees work best in our soil? would a lemon tree be a good choice? what about Fig? Thanks for your feedback in advance
Go with fig, but I'd plant it in the fall or during the winter. (preferably fall)
I'd dig the hole first, then, based on what you see (lots of clay vs some veins of dirt) mix in topsoil or compost & that means a much bigger hole than the rootball.
Next, fill the hole with water & walk away to do something else. Check it every 20 minutes or so. If the water is still standing after an hour, let the hole dry until in the evening or the next day. Wet clay is a disgusting mess. If the hole has not drained in one hour, either refill & try elsewhere or enlarge the hole. Refill with water if you enlarge it. (another reason to let it dry some)
When the hole is good, put the tree in. Unfasten the burlap, if the rootball is covered with burlap & let it drop down. The burlap will rot & feed the tree.
When refilling the hole you can either mix clay & topsoil (or compost) or refill with very thin layers of topsoil alternated with clay.
Anyone have any tips for manually tilling an 8' x 8' garden that is mostly clay? I can't buy a tiller and the rentals won't fit in my car.
Last year I tried to dig it up about a foot deep, but really I just succeeding in turning over large lumps of clay. I then tried to "stab" the chunks with the shovel to break them up, this didn't work very well, after two days it was barely broken up!
I know to amend with compost/eggshells, but need to get the clay broken up first! Otherwise, I may have to do beds raised 8-12" and buy topsoil, but I'd rather not have to do that.
If it's only 8'x8' I would consider creating a raised garden using (4) 2"x6" planks (or something similar). Then you could add good soil, and tilling/hoeing would be a breeze for the life of the garden. And would probably result in better growth too. But if you wanted something bigger than 8'x8' a raised garden would probably be too big of an undertaking.
Go with fig, but I'd plant it in the fall or during the winter. (preferably fall)
I'd dig the hole first, then, based on what you see (lots of clay vs some veins of dirt) mix in topsoil or compost & that means a much bigger hole than the rootball.
Next, fill the hole with water & walk away to do something else. Check it every 20 minutes or so. If the water is still standing after an hour, let the hole dry until in the evening or the next day. Wet clay is a disgusting mess. If the hole has not drained in one hour, either refill & try elsewhere or enlarge the hole. Refill with water if you enlarge it. (another reason to let it dry some)
When the hole is good, put the tree in. Unfasten the burlap, if the rootball is covered with burlap & let it drop down. The burlap will rot & feed the tree.
When refilling the hole you can either mix clay & topsoil (or compost) or refill with very thin layers of topsoil alternated with clay.
Thank you so much, this is great information.
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