Hi there! I am about 3 hours west of you, on the eastern edge of the Fingerlakes region, but there is heavy clay soil here also, but on top of gravel, so it drains well. Compost is what has really worked for me, both homemade and what I have gotten from our municipal site. Also aged, hardwood mulch on the flowerbeds has impoved the tilth as it breaks down. I have had the most success with vegetables in raised beds. I don't have a large vegetable area (96 sq. ft. of growing space!), but plant it intensively. Initially, I filled the beds with anything I could get to raise the level to the top of the 8"--existing soil, compost, purchased garden soil, chopped leaves... Following that, I top them off every year from the compost bins in the spring and put chopped leaves on in the fall. The soil is very easy to work with in these beds.

One good thing about clay is that it tends to hold nutrients and moisture better than a sandy soil. The first thing I would do before adding fertilizers is to have the soil tested to see if it needs anything. You may very well have to adjust the pH. You can contact your local Cooperative Extension office to see what their process is to test.

I do whatever I can to garden organically, and truly believe that if you "take care of the soil, the soil will take care of the plants."

Good luck! Lois