I have a (mostly) clay yard and have been working to make it more veggie (and farmer) friendly. I would not hesitate to add it to your existing beds as long as you keep the clay content less than 50% (and something less than 30% would probably be better). When you add it, mix it in well with the existing soil.

Steve

Thanks Steve.

I was thinking it would not be harmful. Doesn't clay soil have a lot of beneficial nutrients in it?

g'day greengardener,

i most likley would use it, as far as i know clay has a lot of nutrients locked up in it, and yes i know there are diffrent clays but for the most of us we have clays that can be helped with a good dose of gypsum to break them down. we did some construction here as well and i kept some of the clayey soil and piled it up as a raised bed treated it with gypsum and use it as our herb garden, it's working well now just nromal fertile looking soil, to the point the spare spaces get used for other vege's as well.

for the vege garden might be wise to do a ph test and add in some dolomite as well if it is on the acid side. can't overdose on gypsum and seek out the good quality stuff should closely resemble dampish talcum powder, not gritty or grainy.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

In SE PA the soil is clay. So trying to keep it to less that 50 percent is nigh on to immpossible. Is most of this clay you have subsoil which may well be better slowly added to a compost pile?

From Oct 95 to this Spring, I've seen thick, heavy red Georgia clay in my backyard veggie garden turn into much more fertile reddish-brown clay loam. It didn't do it by itself- took a lot of mulching and vermicomposting, but if you hang in there and put in the organic matter and the red wigglers, and be patient, that clay can become good garden soil in time.