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Old March 15, 2006   #8
Adenn1
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Philly
Posts: 559
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Don:

I have wonderful gray clay and did the same thing you did last year...turned my bed and brought up a good amount of existing clay. I got called away and did not get back to the beds for a few days...came back to find dried, hardened clumps of clay.

I eneded up breaking them up as much as possible with a fork and shovel. I had about six weeks before the toms were to be planted in this bed. I covered the bed with free leaf compost, grass clippings and coffee grounds...and added kitchen scrapes as they became available. When I planted, I took the material from the planting hole and broke it up as best as I could...I added some leaf compost and some peat moss. My plants did wonderfully.

I think in your case your worms will be your best friend...they will help with aerating the soil. Kitchen scrapes and coffee grounds will help as well as adding any other organic material.
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