You likely have clay-ish soil if you live somewhere in Utah. We live in Salt Lake City and I can’t even make a dent with me standing on a shovel at some spots in our yard! The first year I tried to plant some perennials and noticed water would just run away on the surface… it doesn’t go down! Buying soil can be expensive if you have a decent size of yard. So I’m sharing some of our (cheap/free) ways to improve soil quality.
Clay definition: fine particles (<0.002mm) so easily get too compact that doesn’t allow water to penetrate, or roots… (Learn more about different soil types here if you’re not sure what type of soil you have.)
Don’t despair! You don’t need to spend $$$ to buy soil for your garden. Keep reading.
1. Add organic matter
Compost, manure, grass clippings, weed (no seeds), wood chips, fallen leaves,… tilt/shovel them in the topsoil or simply pile them on top (3-6″.) As it decomposes, it allows water to penetrate the soil faster, encouraging microbe activities to increase – therefore, improving your soil quality.
The cheap way: We often get free horse manure on FB market or KSL in spring. I traded my pears with chicken manure in one summer.
*Do not add sand (you might end up having concrete) or peat moss (which may make soil even more hydrophobic.)
2. Mulch it with wood chips heavily
Water is a prerequisite for microorganisms to grow and proliferate. So keep your soil moist to allow microbes to decompose organic matter (wood chips, yum yum), suppressing pathogens, promoting nutrient cycling with plant roots, and improving soil texture and structure. Either you’re planting right now or in the future, layer at least 3″ of wood chips on top of the soil.
The cheap way: We get free mulch at Murray City (free for residents) or you can sign up for Chip Drop (free for anyone!)
3. Plant as much as possible (if you can)
Around plant roots, there is a group of microorganisms (mycorrhizal fungus) interacting/exchanging nutrition with the roots. Compared to bare ground, topsoil with plants will have microbe activities, and hold more nutrition and moisture. Plant cover crops (rye, wheat, crimson clover-legume can fix nitrogen in the soil) in winter if your vegetable garden is empty.
*Avoid using chemicals like pesticides and fertilizers that can be harmful to mycorrhizal fungus.
