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9/10/09 8:20 A

WOW!! I was reading your situation with
the soil.... good luck! and I will send
you some construction guys to help you.
You have a challenge on your hands!

You have good suggestion from people that
live with that kind of soil. I would add
the peat moss and take your vitamins! Your
going to need them.

I guess I would go with the raised beds.
At least you know the soil would be workable.

Make sure you wear gloves with your new tool
that has ummmmmm teeth!

All the best, Linda

Edited by: IWILLREACHIT at: 9/10/2009 (08:23)

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9/8/09 11:04 P

I would love to have a raised bed - actually a number of raised beds. It would make gardening much more accessible to me & even help me keep out the critters.

We have to use this nasty looking shovel to dig in our soil the firs times...instead of being smooth edged, it's got giant sort of ummmm teeth. It looks evil & is one of the few things apart from a tiller or construction vehicle.

We own a tiller - and not one of those cute ones. It's massive & requires some serious muscle to work, but even it is no match for the quartz deposits. So the idea of digging a trench is overwhelming, though considerably better than going along digging little holes LOL!

To give you an idea of what I'm up against (well, for those of you not already living in soil like this) they had to BLAST out the spot for the house. You know, with dynamite or whatever they use these days for that sort of thing. LOL! So raised beds - although an initial expense would be SOOOOO NICE!! Weeding would be - well, almost non-existant, I could easily control smaller garden spaces for critters & bugs ... Ahhhh yet one more garden dream!

THANKS for any & all ideas anyone has given & those yet to come!

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9/8/09 5:00 P

Great ideas, Simplelife09

Sunny

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9/8/09 4:54 P

It sounds like your soil conditions are similar to a rocky hillside I plant bulbs on. There are so many rocks there that a narrow transplanting shovel is the only thing that I know that will work. The trench might work if you dig it out with a small pick ax and the raised bed would give you a chance to add soil without rocks. Sorry I can't offer any other suggestions.

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9/8/09 8:36 A

Be sure and add some peat moss soil to your clay soil
while you are working it up to plant. I also like the idea of the trench. It is much easier and you get the same results.

Hugs, Sunny

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9/7/09 8:30 P

I might not have the effect you want but raised beds would probably save your joints!

Loren

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9/7/09 1:27 P

I usually dig a trench and then just add the bulbs. Doing them one at a time is too time consuming, IMHO.

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9/7/09 12:55 P

Hello all - I have a problem I hope someone has a solution for.

We live very near mountains & our soil is a combination of red clay & an unbelievable number of largish rocks & chunks of quartz. The traditional hand-held hole makers are out as is the thing you put on your drill. With the drill attachment ..well, if you hit a chunk of quartz & the drill jerks hard enough to really hurt your hands, elbows, and shoulders.

Other than crawling along & hand digging the holes what else can I do!?

Many thanks in advance!