I confused as to why you have taken clay out of a bed. Clay soil only needs organics mixed into it to get it to break apart. Put in enough organics and you have great fertile soil. Digging a hole in clay soil and adding organics to the hole gets you a hole that collects water.

I see no reason you can't use the clay in the compost pile but I would have left it in the bed.

If its not A LOT of material, it would be okay to put a few chunks of clay to the compost bin. I have done the same myself a few times, when I had dug out holes for some shrubs.

Usually I put the excess clay diggins on the downstream side of my rain garden, trying to dam up some more water in there. But the compost pile does help loosen the clay up quite a bit. I was able to fix my clay concreted bulb tool, by sticking it in the compost bin for a month...

Thank you for responding to my post, shebear.

I recently moved to the Newark, Delaware area from Michigan. My new home already has an existing bed adjoining the wall of my garage(western exposure) but had nothing planted in it. As I went to prepare the bed for planting new perennials, I realized it was nothing but compacted clay and couldn't even get my shovel in to make a planting hole. So I amended it with some compost, manure, humus, etc. The bed is along a cement walkway that leads from the garage to the back of the house. I had to get a lot of the clay soil out of the bed in order to be able to accomodate all the organic amendments. If I had just added the organics to the existing bed, the volume/height of the bed would have raised higher than the walkway along the bed, resulting in water run-off from the bed onto the walkway.

Even now whenever I water my plants, I still have quite a bit of the water flowing onto the walkway inspite of digging the bed to a depth of 10-12" and mixing in organic materials to already existing soil in 1:1 ratio.The bed was 20ft x 2ft in size and I dug up the entire thing and filled it up with a mixtureof organics to original soil(clay) in 1:1 ratio.Then I planted the plants.

I have a similar bed in the back (next to a covered patio) where I want to put in more perennials.I am encountering the same problems there as well.I anticipate quite a bit of extra clay soil will be left over after amending that bed.

Hence the question about what to do with the extra clumpy clay soil. Thanks.

I would not put it in the compost in chunks. The best would be to break it up and put some in a pail of water. Stir the pail until the clay has broken up completley and you have a clay slurry. Use this slurry to "water" your compost pile.

The clay has a high Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and as such holds nutrients. The advantage of the slurry is that it coats the compost material more intimately than dry clay. Clay or soil and old compost should always be added to a new compost pile to increase the CEC and to introduce beneficial bacteria.

Go back and read Sir Albert Howard's use of urine earth.

Here is a link that might be useful: Waste Products of Agriculture

The Rodale Institute did a study in 2006 concerning the use of clay in making compost. Their patent pending formula calls for:

· Leaves
· Manure
· Clay
· Gypsum
· Leonardite (called snake oil by some, guess the Rodale people are suckers too)

The resulting compost is supposed to be of superior quality according to the study. The link below leads to the full article.

As Cowgirl2 states, the use of soil, clay, urine earth, and other additions to the compost pile can enhance the benefits of compost. Exactly how one goes about making the compost will end the end result in compost much better than any purchased at the big box stores IMOÂ

Blutranes

Here is a link that might be useful: Good Compost Made Better

Leonardite and gypsum? What's sustainable about that?

I dunno Alfie, but they felt the need to get a patent to protect their interests. I guess nobody can use those ingredients in their compost anymore, hmmm...

Blutranes

my yard is nothing but clay soil and I used the clumps of red clay in my compost pile that I started in March. I did mix in alot of the clay soil in the pile and it did not heat up but there were a lot of worms. I turned the pile every week and it looks great all the clay soil really broke up well. My compost pile is a 6 foot by 4 feet high mound, I put alot of grass clippings and shreaded paper in the pile now. Right now I don't have much brown leaves to throw in. a neighbor gave me a bag full of leaves that I ran over with the lawn mower and added the shredded leaves to the pile. I noticed yesterday that the pile is heating up.

"If you removed 1 inch of soil from a garden bed and replaced it with 1 inch of compost, in a short time you will have a hole about 1 inch deep."

To take that a step further (or a number of steps further):

For about 10 years, I would pile about 3-4 inches of wood shavings on the garden as mulch.

Then I had a broken leg and had to hire a guy to mow the lawn. When he pulled up, I saw a trailer of grass clippings, so I asked him to mulch mow my lawn and dump the other clippings on the garden.

When the pile was about 4 or 5 feet deep, SWMBO "suggested" that I have him stop dumping the clippings (this was before I found GW, so I had a stinking pile of all grass clippings that I never got near enough to smell since I was laid up in bed).

The following spring, I hired the same guy to till what remained into the garden.

I also buried all the apples and peaches that dropped from the trees in that garden area for about 10-12 years (until I cut the trees down).

For the past 3 or 4 years, I've been piling leaves, grass clippings and coffee grounds on the garden to a depth of about 3 feet each fall (last year I had a deeper pile for some reason, and many of the leaves were also shredded).

Last spring, the pile was nearly gone by spring, but this year it's still noticeable.

Discounting last fall's leaves, the level of the garden has risen a very small amount if at all.

Wayne,

Correct me if I am wrong; organic matter leads to compost, compost leads to humus, and humus leads to soil. To differ with you in that regard doesnÂt make sense to me, your assessment is correct. One thing that I have found out in my years of composting; if soil is added to compost the compost will take on the texture of the soil. This reaction makes it easier when adding the compost to the garden. Now, this is just my personal observation and it may be a coincidence, but I have piles of compost over here that has the look of rich moist clay/humus blend that makes for some mighty fine soil amendment.

To differ as to weather compost continues to decompose once placed within the soil is a mute point as well; just because the compost is not in a pile doesnÂt mean it has stopped decomposing. The end result will be humus if left alone within the soil. Anyone who builds a lasagna bed can see that in time the bed will shrink back into the soil, but that is the goal is it not? Thus, any holes made to add organic matter will, end the end, result in a hole in ones garden bedÂ

Blutranes

wow. Thanks all for responding to my "clay soil in compost question". Just love this forum. Lots of great ideas and suggestions.

Also, thanks for the links to new info.Will definitely check it out.Think I will start with the compost slurry and then use the leftovers in the bed as the height of the bed gets smaller. Will keep you all posted. :)

Compost is not soil and soil is not compost.

Compost is organic matter.

Soil is a combination of sand, silt, clay, air, water and organic matter.

We make compost to increase the organic matter component of the soil.... which can then change the water and air components of the soil structure as well.

Putting a bit of clay in the compost, is not going to improve decomposition in the compost pile. Its not going to harm it either.

Sometimes these hard clumps of clay are unworkable, but after putting them in your compost pile, they will soften up and become more soil like and less brick like, making them easier to work with. And sometimes they just blend it with the compost and they will get worked back into your soil, when you apply the compost.

If you don't have a good alternative, the compost pile is not a bad spot.

Welcome to the club... I can't tell you how much having all those vegetable scraps is going to increase your worm count. You might also want to glance over the vermincomposting forum.

On to your post. I am in the same situation, and what I do is pile the clay near my compost bin. Then I add it via a slurry as others suggested. I think it the best approach.

First of all, I hate having clay soil. Ours is so tick here that it actually sticks to your shovel as you use it, and you have to scrape off the clay as you go along. Also, it makes this nasty sucking noise and you dig it out. Ew!

I just put in a new bed, and all I did was add organic materials to the clay (worked it in really well), and then planted. My plants look absolutely wonderful, and the soil has taken on a new texture already.

I did have some clumps of clay I couldn't use when I had to dig out holes for some larger shrubs (not all of the soil would fit back in the holes. I stacked the left over s tuff out in the woods, and the rain is breaking down the pile quickly. I figure that nature will take back the soil and use it how it is supposed to be used.

Good luck with your clay.

Clay does hold a lot of moisture and that "nasty sucking noise" is your soil's way of telling you that you are working it while it is too wet.

Wayne