newbie needs help with clay soil

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tgilliland81 Joined: 4/21/2012 Location: Ohio Posts: 1	Posted: Apr/21/2012 2:05 PM PST Hello there! I'm a new Gardner and would like to plant flowers and shrubs in front of my home. The area tends to hold water after it rains so I thought maybe a raised bed would be best. I have some extra soil I can use to fill the beds but it is clay. Does anyone know what I should mix with the soil to improve it and what ratio I should use? Quote \| Reply \| Report

Betts Joined: 7/28/2010 Location: Vacaville, CA Posts: 1298	Posted: Apr/21/2012 7:47 PM PST Welcome! We have clay soil too...but no summer rains. We've amended our clay with compost and a soil amendment to provide better drainage...don't mixed in sand, unless you plan to make brick, lol. We mixed in compost every year for the first 5 years...it was a new track house are and they scrape off the top soil to level the lots! We didn't realize it until one of our girls told us. But back to the issue..compost, compost and compost. We're lucky, we get it free from our city recycling center. Will check in to see what other tips you get and how you're doing. Wishing you well, (^_~) Quote \| Reply \| Report