I don't know much about vegetables, but I always rely on dried sheep's blood to keep the bunnies away. I turned a gravel parking pad into a flower garden--a 3-4" of inches of compost/soil on top of the gravel---followed by mulch--with yearly top dressings of compost--and it looks like this (6 years later):

melanie

Is your clay soil compacted from years of use as a play area? If so, it might be best to remove as much gravel as possible, then loosen the soil with a soil ripper or large rear-tine rototiller. Add amendments and you will be on your way to good soil and a great garden.

You could try Melanie's method in a small area for a year to see if plants thrive and return the following season--put it to the test.

Or mix 6" of sandy topsoil or loam with the gravel and use only rock garden/scree-type plants requiring quick drainage and bony,thin soil.

See Tables 35 and 36 for soil amount conversion charts:

http://www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/B931.htm#Table 35

You could leave the pea gravel where it is, and build raised beds on top. Lots of options for terraced effects, geometric designs, etc. with the gravel serving as the path between beds.

ooooh-cady, I LIKE that one!

melanie

Thanks for everyone's input. I think I'll put in one more row of landscape timbers and then fill in with dirt. Before you know it, I'll be cursing those pesky wabbits. ;-)