i have a lot of gumbo in the soil,what can you do to make it useable for a garden?

Question

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Answer 1

You need to add as much organic matter to the soil as you possibly can. If you are trying to amend the soil for a garden this summer, you can purchase compost or soil conditioner mixes at your local yard and garden center. I would suggest starting small, because it will be a lot of work to dig your compost or conditioners into the soil to a depth of at least 12 inches, and preferably deeper. Plus, if you need to buy these additions, it can be expensive. But if you focus your attention on a smaller area, you will get enough success to motivate you for the bigger picture.

Fixing a gumbo soil is a long-term project. You can start this summer on improving the soil that you are not currently gardening in. I have been working for years on improving my garden soil. Every year, I choose another part of the yard and I pile on whatever organic matter I can get for free or cheap. I have poultry, so I spread the straw and manure over the area of my next new garden bed. When fall comes, I spread the fallen leaves onto it. You can also use your grass clippings, but spread them thin so they don't get smelly as they decompose. I toss on weeds that don't have seeds, too. Our local landfill composts yardwaste and sells the compost for really reasonable prices. You can also sometimes find cow, sheep, goat, or horse manure free for the hauling. In the fall, I dig all this into the soil and let it ripen through the winter. In the spring, I have another new garden bed ready to plant.

The point is that you need to add lots of humus to the soil. It doesn't matter as much what you use as that you use a whole bunch of it!

Answer 2

Till in a bunch of soil conditioner. I have heard people say to add sand but I tried it and ended up with a sticky mess. I buy soil conditioner by the pick-up truck load when opening new garden spaces here.

Answer 3

Besides organic matter you may try to add some agricultural gypsum. But as one answer said, you're into a long term project. Changing a soil characteristic is tough.