Quote:
Originally Posted by Worth1
It works and if you can, make the trench 3 feet wide.
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It's actually a new extension to an existing bed. I dug the trench next to the bricks of another bed and simply moved the bricks to the other side of the trench. The entire bed will be about six feet with various shrubs along the fence on the back side. Any roots that go beyond the two feet of trench walls will find itself in the gumbo and red clay that was dug out. If they want it, they are welcome to it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Worth1
That black clay you speak of is a black gumbo, I have planted right in it in Central Austin (Hyde Park 51st Avenue G) with great results.
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You are a bad man! I weigh in at 175 lbs. I've stood on my shovel and jumped up and down like it was a pogo stick and not penetrated that stuff. After a rain, it takes a couple of days for it to absorb water and even longer to dry back out again. I'm told not to work the stuff wet, can't break into it dry. When it is wet and I work it anyway, it's penetrable, but you only get one shot as the stuff sticks to the shovel must be scraped off with large pieces of mulch because it stays stuck to whatever you remove it with. DON'T use your shoes! I've heard that mixing sand it will make it into concrete, but I feel concrete would be an improvement. At least concrete will break up with enough pressure.
So, do you fertilize or does black gumbo have nutritional value?
Alright, here's what I'll do. Since money is tight and my handy yardage calculator tells me I'm gonna need 4+ yards of this stuff, I think I'm gonna fill in with what I already have and whatever I can grab. I'm gonna fill the trench up about half way with my unfinished compost, cardboard, newpapers, coffee grounds... all that good stuff plus some "Zilker Park Christmas Tree Mulch" that I'm gonna pick up in a couple of weeks. I don't think anything I'll plant this year will reach this far down anyway. I'll put about a foot of garden SOIL and then top it all off with my finished home made compost (probably a few inches worth). Yes, I realize that as the bottom stuff breaks down, the level will drop, but that's OK as it will allow me to add fresh stuff next year.
Either way, I spent way too much time digging all that stuff out. I'm not putting it back. I'll have a sunken bed before I do that!
Thanx to both you guys for the advice.