Hi lbelle, welcome to Louisville. I believe you are in the right region , but we dont hear much from people in this part of the valley.

As to the soil in this part of the valley, it generally runs to clay and can be quite heavy. It benefits from a lot of organic matter additions a , but then doesnt most soil?

The three trees you mention grow well here though you might want to consider kousa dogwood rather than the florida. Anthracnose has just about wiped out the ones in the woods. Kousa is apparently immune to it.

When it comes to flower gardening, the first completely safe planting out date is May 1st though many plant out much earlier than that. I am going to set out most of mine about April 15th.

I hope you enjoy GW as much as I do.

Welcome to the Ohio Valley Forum! You might want to contact your county extension agent to get your soil tested, so you find out exactly what amendments it needs. You could also buy a soil testing kit. Joyerman's right, it probably is heavy clay. Let us know what you plant, and how your garden develops. How fun to have a clean slate to start with!

Thank you for the warm welcome! Not looking forward to all that amending. I probably need to get one of those small rototillers I see advertised. I do like the Kousa dogwoods look. See ya around in the next few months.

I'm in Louisville also but sorry, no clay soil in my yard! I can only assume that everyone's yard is different. Perhaps you don't need as much amending as you thought, but as we all know, compost is always a great thing to add. What part of Louisville are you in? That could make all the difference. Believe the lower parts in the south end are actually in a flood plain and have much more clay than my area. I've got a small yard but a pretty extensive plant collection. Let me know if I can be of any assistance!
Carol

I'd say have a soil test done ASAP. That will tell you exactly what type of soil you have and what amendments you might need. After you get the results, you'll need to identify what you're wanting to grow and amend per those particular plants' needs and the soils needs.

One thing I did notice in your message was the words "new construction" which gives me pause. Some builders when grading the land for construction remove much of the topsoil (and in some cases SELL it) and return only 6" of topsoil when putting in the turf etc, leaving the owner with really crappy soil. Turf requires very little quality soil, but trees and others plants need much more!

Compaction is another issue you may have to deal with as the heavy equipment like dozers compact the soil something fearce.

Good luck!
Shannon

hello and welcome! the valley here in the Louisville area is big- think Mauldraugh hill and those big, big hills going down 65 almost to E-town :))

the soil is very different too- a lot may depend on who lived there before and what they grew/or didn't grow

I started gardening in 1997, and have added and worked my soil, so that it's much better now (do gardens ever get done? haha) I have lived in this house 23 years, so it was a 'start all over' project.

Be sure and check out Vicci's two posts about a get together - maybe even a loosely organized 'club'- what fun!

also, I invite you to check out the winter sowing forum here on GW- it's wonderful, the folks are friendly, it's busy there (lots of tips, help, fun) and it works! I have been w/s for 5 seasons now, and I have tons of plants - I plant at my Mom's house -(she lives across the street from me) and last summer did 2 big beds at my sister's house and still had plants to give to co workers, etc.

so, nice to meet you-
get ready for spring!
best wishes,
Linda