Galeux d’Eysenes and Triamble winter squashes
I have now seen how the other half lives and I have decided I like where I live just fine, thank you.
What could I possibly be talking about? It seems I complain, in about every third post, about my clay soil. Never again! I have had direct experience, in the form of the school’s garden, with soil that is not majority clay and…no thank you. Nope.
I wouldn’t say the school’s garden has been an abject failure, because it has not! NO, we’re harvesting all kinds of things from it. It is rather loose soil, pretty sandy, so seedlings barely have a chance and you can almost forget about planting seeds unless you cover them with wet burlap OR can count on a wet spring. But between that sandy soil and the *($%# deer, it’s been a…learning year in the school’s garden.
Fortunately, I realized quite early that the garden could be troublesome, so…I planted extra stuff here at home.
Glad you came to visit!
Got something to say? Email me at fastweedpuller at gmail dot com.
fast grow the weeds 
no doubt a clay-ey loam soil is the best.
No kidding. I struggle with my sandy sandy soil. I was actually lying in bed last night, worrying that no matter how much I amend those beds, there’s still silty sand underneath, and those roots are going to grow right down, and . . . hate it.
Sigh.
Nice for you to realize how good you’ve got it! My Triamble look just like that.
Wow. Nice to hear. I’ve been fretting about my clay soil, and now I will count my blessings. All I have to do is keep adding fluffy stuff, and I’ll eventually have that prized clayey loam…..I’ve never gardened in sandy soil, so I haven’t known how good I have it I guess.
See, I wouldn’t trade my sandy loam soil for anything. I love how after the spring thaw, we can get in there and work it much sooner than our other gardening friends. And I never have to worry about standing water in the garden. And it’s just sooo nice to work. I guess it’s all about what you are used to. 🙂
I’m not sure if my soil is sandy, but it certainly is heavy/dense. I have to keep breaking it up. Like Milkweed, I’ve never had the other, but I guess each has its frustrations….
Ed, perhaps it’s simply a matter of personal opinion! I know I sure like my soil NOW.
Stef, yeah. I don’t know if they’ll hate it, but they’ll drain well should you get a real flood. Not a bad thing! Yeah those squash are really cool and it makes me happy to see them plump up.
Milkweed, if nothing else, the clay is really fertile stuff. I keep adding more and more stuff too, but maybe the plants know better and try to tell me I am wasting my time? Either way I will keep adding organics to the ground. Can’t hurt the worms!
Liz, as ever, the voice of reason. Do I remember that your garden is on a slight hill? That would sure help with drainage in the springtime. Raised beds help dry things out too. The fact that I buried drainage piping all the way around the gardens (some 300′ not fun at all) to keep the garden a bit of a desert island in the wet season seems to help with that standing-water issue at least. Ah well. Had I started with lighter soil I might be singing the same tune!
MC, yes…but one always wonders if the grass is greener elsewhere! In the dry season our soil is just nasty. In the wet season it’s nasty too. Ah well!