Turning Clay Into Usable Dirt Question

[PGB1]

Hello All!
I apologize if this is written somewhere else on the group, but Search isn't working for me today,

I had to remove a section of driveway to repair the sewer. It can't be paved until spring due to cold weather, so I decided to put a layer of 21AA gravel for winter. This left me with about 1/2 yard of heavy, tightly packed clay. The clay comes up in large chunks when I dig with the mattock.

Years ago someone told me that if ground up leaves are mixed with the clay it becomes usable soil for the garden. Since I have 5 maple trees surrounding the yard, leaves are plentiful. I usually grind the leaves up with the lawnmower anyway. And I have a small, electric utility mixer to help.

Even though it's inexpensive to dump clay, I hate to take the clay to the landscape supplier because the guy there told me it ends up in a landfill.

Does this sound like a good plan? Do you know a better way to save the clay?

Thanks For Your Advice!
Paul

 

[Anniekay]

Compost added to clay, which would consist of all types of garden and yard waste, that has rotted down to make a rich dirt is what is needed to amend clay soils.

Uncomposted leaves are not going to do much right away, they need to be composted first.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I live on heavy clay soil. When I make up potting compost I always work in a little clay, the tiny particles get surrounded by water as they are small enough the surface tension of the water keeps them there, and nutrients dissolve in water. It's easy to get too much though.
The other thing I do is whenever I have a fire I set it up to burn good and hot and add the clay to it, if possible I dry it out first. The tiny ends of the clay melt and fuse giving you a sort of rough terracotta. When the fire dies down I shovel it all up and go through it with a spade to break up the pieces, then put it through a sieve, I wear a mask, the ash flies. The result is a mixture of wood ash and terracotta, potash and drainage, it does clay earth the world of good.

 

[Owdboggy]

The other thing to do is add lime. As long as the clay is not already alkaline. The lime acts as a binding agent between the flat shaped clay crystals making them bigger. (Look up flocculation) Adding uncomposted leaves would help as would any humus you can find.

 

[Ruderunner]

Sand is good to help loosen clay.

 

[Owdboggy]

Sharp sand, not the stuff sold as Builders sand which is used for making mortar.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Sand is good to help loosen clay.

To a degree, it is fairly dense stuff and tends to sink over time.

 

[PGB1]

Thank You All for helping and for your advice.

Although Oliver's fire idea sounds like the most fun of all, we're not allowed to have fire outside- not even a patio chiminea. The city is very quick to give tickets.

Our city gives away well rotted, black compost. If they still have some, perhaps I'll start with that and see how it goes. Does 50:50 seem like a good mix?

If the compost's not available this late in the year, does it sound feasible to mix the chopped leaves in until spring, then add compost and sharp sand and lime if needed?

Thanks Again!
Paul

 

[Anniekay]

Thank You All for helping and for your advice.

Although Oliver's fire idea sounds like the most fun of all, we're not allowed to have fire outside- not even a patio chiminea. The city is very quick to give tickets.

Our city gives away well rotted, black compost. If they still have some, perhaps I'll start with that and see how it goes. Does 50:50 seem like a good mix?

If the compost's not available this late in the year, does it sound feasible to mix the chopped leaves in until spring, then add compost and sharp sand and lime if needed?

Thanks Again!
Paul

Yes you can add leaves now and as much compost as you can get in spring, if you have to wait for it.

 

[cpp gardener]

It would be better to chop the leaves the way you do and then lay them on top of the ground without mixing them in. Let gravity and microorganisms work it into the ground. Same with the city compost.

 

[PGB1]

Thanks AnnieKay and CPP Gardener for the follow-up.
It should be a fun project. I like anything to do with dirt working. (Well... Not so much using the mattock to free the clay.)
Paul

 

[cpp gardener]

You can also get arborist chippings (what they make when they trim trees and chop up the branches) and spread them out 6-12” deep.

 

[Charlie 001]

If your clay is really that solid then it will take years to get it good. Think about what you want to do with it. If you want to make flower beds. Build up raised beds. Clay at the bottom and good organic material on top nice and thick after a couple of years the plant roots and organic matt will break it down to nice nutrien rich soil

 

[Oliver Buckle]

If your clay is really that solid then it will take years to get it good. Think about what you want to do with it. If you want to make flower beds. Build up raised beds. Clay at the bottom and good organic material on top nice and thick after a couple of years the plant roots and organic matt will break it down to nice nutrien rich soil

I have dug out the clay and used it to make the wall around my raised bed, then I put wood into the hole I had made. The hole tends to fill with water which soaks the wood, keeps the raised bed nice and moist from below through the summer and the nutrients from the decomposing wood, and the compost I put on it, wick up.

 

[PGB1]

Your clay/wood raised bed is a grand plan, Oilver! I really like it.

For the time being, I broke the rock-solid chunks of clay and put clay pieces and chopped leaves in my cement mixer and let them mix. It was surprising how the clay broke further apart and the leaf bits coated the little pieces of clay.

Next, I put a layer on the ground where it will sit over winter. I put chopped leaves on the layer. Next, I mixed more and put another layer, then topped it with chopped leaves. I repeated until I ran out of clay.

In spring, it will be interesting to find out if the clay re-packed itself. Most likely, I'll repeat by adding compost and re-mixing.

Oliver Buckle's raised bed method is something I may pursue in spring. I can use some of my mixed stuff and, if I need more, there is certainly no shortage of clay in my yard. It should be a fun project!

Paul