Hi Riceloft, re. digging down into the clay I just have one lesson that I learned...I planted grape vines a few years ago and knowing that they could have very deep roots I dug down deep into the clay where I was going to plant them, maybe 4 feet down. After a heavy rainfal the holes filled with water. A week later, the holes were still full of water. The clay did not absorb any water, and created in-ground pools. I worry that this would cause underground reservoirs of moisture that would prevent any meaningful drainage, and the only way the water would get out of these holes was through (a) roots using the water, or (b) soil in and above the hole wicking water upwards, but presumably that would only happen if the soil above was dry enough that wicking would take place, which even with normal regular rainfall would possible mean constantly soaked roots.
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