Impossible to tell with info (and extra) provided. I'd start with a soil test and then a drainage test.

Dan

For your winter crop that failed did you till the soil or double dig it? The soil should be lite and fluffy down 12-18" also known as friable soil.

Several possible reasons, some already mentioned. In addition to overly compacted soil it could also be low in organic matter, low in nutrients, have an out of kilter pH, etc.

Given it was a corral for some time and assuming horses were in it much of the time I would definitely suspect compaction and an acidic pH. If the pH is out of line then no matter how much nutrients you add to it they won't be useable by the plants.

A professional soil test is needed and without it planting much of anything will be a waste. Contact your local county extension office for info on how to get one done and then follow the recommendations given for correcting all the problems.

Dave

To be more direct, and building on the comments, horses pound down wherever they are kept, and drop nice salty manure which radically alters the soil. A garden going straight in somewhere that horses have trampled without fixing their effects? No.

So. You have to fix what the horses compacted and salted. You have to add lots of organic matter, till down at least a foot, but deeper is better, as the soil is likely severely compacted. Soil test will give you what you need to add to correct the soil chemistry changes, and a drainage test will verify how badly compacted the soil is. Lots of work ahead to have plants.

Dan

Oh! I forgot to add one vital piece of information. After leaving it alone since my winter veggies failed, the entire area was taken over by weeds that grew in some cases up to 5 feet tall!! It was a jungle in there, and when the weeds were taken out, rabbit holes were discovered (or gopher, but I've only ever seen rabbits in our property). However, while pulling the weeds the roots weren't deep. I don't know if that's because the weeds don't root deep naturally or because they simply couldn't. Weeds: grass, some wheat looking weeds EVERYWHERE!, dandelions, REALLY poky somethings with hollow stems that grew quite tall poky stems and leaves, and some spindly looking ones with yellow flowers. I don't know weeds, sorry!

So, based on the fact that there were so many weeds the dirt wasn't visible... what do you say? Also, my strawberries are doing okay. The plants were transplanted from my previous house and have spread runners, though the berries are mostly small in size.

what do you say?
* Posted by dan_staley 5b/SS 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Wed, Apr 27, 11 at 23:28

To be more direct, and building on the comments, horses pound down wherever they are kept, and drop nice salty manure which radically alters the soil. A garden going straight in somewhere that horses have trampled without fixing their effects? No.

So. You have to fix what the horses compacted and salted. You have to add lots of organic matter, till down at least a foot, but deeper is better, as the soil is likely severely compacted. Soil test will give you what you need to add to correct the soil chemistry changes, and a drainage test will verify how badly compacted the soil is. Lots of work ahead to have plants.

Dan

Since you seem to be scratching your head about the weeds going gonzo while the veggies struggled, I'll chime in. Weeds grow EVERYWHERE, veggies need specialized conditions (which we humans supply). Weeds can handle more adverse conditions than veggies... they grow in swamps, they grow in arid lands without anyone watering them, they even grow on almost bare rock in the mountains. Compared to veggies they have strong roots that can drill through tough ground. Which is likely what has happened in your ex-corral.

The good news is that all those weeds have helped start the process of breaking open that compacted ground and their rampant growth suggests decent nutrients locked in there. But I would still get a soil test because there's no telling what the pH is and a test should tell you exactly what rate of amending you will need, not just what type. And you'll likely need to continue to open up that hard soil, as the others have mentioned.

Cheers!

Agree. Heavy weed growth is often an indication of really poor soil. They will thrive where nothing else will grow. You can't use them as an indicator of good soil.

Your additional information only confirms the need for all of the above recommendations: the soil test, eliminate the compacted soil, and work in large amounts of organic matter.

Or find another place for a garden.

Dave

thanks everyone! I'm renting a tiller soon and we're bringing in truckloads of topsoil :)

Sorry but topsoil isn't organic matter. It is just more dirt and most top soils will only compound your problems. OK for landscaping but not much good for gardens.

Further, most hand operated tillers won't dig deep enough to eliminate the compaction. 6-8" is their max. depth. Fine for an established bed but little use for breaking ground. A tractor powered plow, double plowed and then harrowed 'might' do the job on at least a small area but you need to have the compost there first so it can be worked deeply into the soil. And you will still need to have a soil test done.

I strongly suggest you first do some research into soil improvement before wasting your dollars on trucking in topsoil. The Soil & Compost forum here is a good place to start.

Dave

I'm renting a tiller soon and we're bringing in truckloads of topsoil :)

* Posted by dan_staley 5b/SS 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on
Thu, Apr 28, 11 at 9:43
* Posted by dan_staley 5b/SS 2b AHS 6-7 (My Page) on Wed, Apr 27, 11 at 23:28

...You have to add lots of organic matter, till down at least a foot, but deeper is better, as the soil is likely severely compacted. Soil test will give you what you need to add to correct the soil chemistry changes... [emphasis added]

Dan

okay i will do a soil test too. We have chickens and lots of compost we've made from weeds and poop that have since turned into rich brown compost.