Gardening with Clay Soil

How do I know I have clay soil?

In Mississippi, we have a variety of soil types, including clay, sandy, and silty soils, as well as coastal plain, loess hill, and delta soil. In my area of Jackson, MS, we have clay soil. To determine if you too have clay soil, take a handful of moist but not wet soil and squeeze it firmly. If it holds its shape and doesn’t crumble when you poke it, welcome to the clay soil club. You can also try forming a ball with the soil, which shouldn’t break apart when you bounce it in your palm.

Why is clay soil hard to work with?

Clay soil can be a beast to work with. Soils with high clay content can be very hard to cultivate. I saw an instagram video recently from a channel titled bonesandbuilds that really spelled the struggle out perfectly - “I don’t know if you’ve ever bug a hole before, but it’s maybe the hardest thing you ever do in your life. You see it on tv and movies like I’ll just dig this hole real fast and then you do it in real life and it’s like I guess it’s all CGI because it’s impossible.” Dry clay soil feels like cement and wet clay soil sticks to EVERYTHING. Clay soil can be difficult on plants. The soil can be compacted easily making for poor root penetration, poor drainage, and poor aeration.

How do I make this better?

The key to ensuring healthy plant growth in clay soil is proper soil amendment. Remove any plants you want to save, then spread several inches of organic matter on the soil such as shredded leaves, rotted manure, and compost. NEVER add sand to heavy clay soil. Clay particles are already tightly layered with slow water movement. Sand particles are loosely arranged and allow water to pass through quickly. When sand is mixed with clay, the clay fills the spaces between the sand particles, creating a more dense soil that can be even harder to drain. Once the organic matter has been spread, work it into the clay soil as much as possible with a shovel or pick axe. Add more organic matter every year and eventually you will end up with fluffy, nutrient dense soil. Amending clay soil takes time but is well worth the effort.

Can I just work with what I have?

You can 100% work with what you have. Another way to combat the problem is choosing plants that have naturally adapted to growing in clay. It is always better to work with what you have than to try and change it entirely. For those of us that garden with heavy clay soil, there is an abundance of beautiful plants to choose from.

Plants from left to right: Hosta, Coneflowers, Russian Sage, Black Eyed Susan, Fountain Grass, Coral Bells, Coreopsis, Daylily, Butterfly Milkweed, Goldenrod, Aster, and Bee Balm.