How to dig garden deeper...

[Lycanthrope]

My garden is in a clay area, the top soil is pretty good now, but for some crops, like carrots, they hit the layer of clay underneath and push up out of the soil quite a bit by the end of the season. Standard tiller only gets down about 6 inches. Id really like to break up that layer of clay underneath a bit and get down 10 inches or so, but this would be just about impossible with a shovel. Garden is in fenced yard and is about 30ft x 20ft. Im wondering if anyone has suggestions about how to do this, is there some kind of hook that could be used with a skidsteer or small tractor that would be able to get deeper and bust up that lower layer?

 

[lunkerslayer]

Bring in some peat Moss in to your garden and start to learn how to bank up your carrots, radishes or whatever else that likes to push up. Do not mess with that clay layer that's what keeps your water from seeping to where the water doesn't provide any help with your garden. Learn to bank up or build up soil around your veggies.

 

[BDub]

Make your life easier. Build raised beds. Even if you till that clay it will always be clay. Carrots grow like crazy in raised beds.

 

[Kurtr]

go rent one

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[lunkerslayer]

http://www.bobcat.com/attachments/soil-conditioner/features

 

[KDM]

IMO, it would be easier and more conducive to vegetable growing to put old telephone pole sections around your garden, drive some steel stakes on the outsides of the poles and then fill with good black dirt. That'll give you about 12 inches of good soil to work with. Like was mentioned before, clay won't help much if you work it into the soil you already have. Good Luck!!

 

[dean nelson]

50 gallons of ammonia nitrate and some diesel fuel ought of do it! definitely won't have to worry about aerating the soil anytime soon!

 

[Lycanthrope]

Thanks for the responses, not a bad idea about building up the whole area a bit. It was all clay originally, but ive been adding a lot of organic matter for 5 years now and its getting pretty decent.

 

[Wild and Free]

I know a lot of people going to barrel and bucket gardening for some plants versus gardens as well. Tons more production easier to tend and less space.
potato production is totally insane from the few I have seen the last couple years. Get more potatoes from one barrel as a dozen garden plants in a good garden on a good year.

 

[johnr]

Farmers market, it's all American grown

 

[lunkerslayer]

i like my raised garden but it still only helps so much, I still have to bank up my vegetables that are in the ground because with a heavy soil that gets rained on it will still form a crust unless who add either peat moss or sand which will help some. also grass clippings help keep soil from drying out and forming a hard crust.

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Farmers market, it's all American grown

Liberal:shame:

 

[Vollmers]

Use your ice auger DJ! :;:

 

[Lycanthrope]

This should keep my inner rabbit satisfied for a while...

 

[Davy Crockett]

How big of an operator are you ? If you have horse power a ripper might do the trick.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trgve1W-_D0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MpfMq163fo

 

[Lycanthrope]

Soil ripper might work, I know there are some rocks I hit with my walk behind tiller occasionally, might help get them up/out also...

 

[Kurtr]

This should keep my inner rabbit satisfied for a while...

where are the behives?

 

[Captain Ahab]

This should keep my inner rabbit satisfied for a while...

Adding a dab of Mexican vanilla to each carrot seed, I see.

 

[raider]

rent a bobcat mt55 with a tiller... the tillers will go 10-12"...

if you have a lot of time to kill, you could get a trencher on that mt that goes to 3' i believe...




fwiw lunk, the soil conditioners only go bout 2-3" unless you want to dig holes and make a mess...

 

[Davy Crockett]

Those are some mighty fine looking carrots , I'd say your lucky to have ground like that. Up in the hills we average about 6'' topsoil and under that is heavy gumbo clay in most areas. Our carrots are usually short and fat with sunburns .

 

[lunkerslayer]

Good Call raider here a couple picks of some choices by bobcat