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RE: Early Spring Homestead & Garden Update
How do you deal with clay soil? I was curious what you meant about not working it, and instead just planting fava beans into it as is. Isn't fava bean often planted to help improve the soil?
I'm growing the fava beans for food, seed and compost fodder right now. When I have enough seed I'll grow it as cover crops like you suggested!
To answer your question I'm just not working it while its wet because that will harden it up more when it dries. This soil has a lot of organic matter in it... so I am lucky in that regard. My favorite thing for clay soil is heavy mulch... then it keeps the surface moist and from drying out and hardening and constant cycle of nutrients as decomposers come up to the surface to feed on new organic matter and bring it back down. Working organic matter/cover crops as you suggested in the soil is also good.. chop and drop and no till is also good.
Thanks, that really helps me to better understand how clay soil can work for my benefit.
You're welcome! Check this out. There was this street that was never developed on a slope where construction equipment was driven and parked. It was very compacted clay soil. Toward the bottom of the slope many loads of wood chips were dumped and sat for probably a few years. Because of the slope those woodchips collected water and at the end of the driest portion of the year i found the biggest mallow leaves I have ever seen growing there. And then dug into the woodchips and the soil looks so rich and fluffy.. nothing like clay!! All from mulching!!