Comparing Soil Structure vs Soil Texture (Fixing Heavy Clay Garden Soil)

In this new series, we will look at different ways to fix heavy clay garden soils. The series starts with looking at soil structure and soil texture - how they are different and why they are important to gardeners. The videos will help gardeners turn their clay soil into a loam which will improve plant growth.
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Growing in Vista, CA (Zone 10a) - Elevation 397ft - Latitude 33N
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[@kevincurtright1692]

Looking forward to the series! Thanks for ALL your great content !

[@oobik_design]

Thanks DIego for all your work. I've been avidly following your In Search of Soil series and a fair number of your other podcast episodes. Most of the time I'm listening passively, mainly for entertainment (yes, I listen to soil chitchat for fun) but recently I've started to take notes. I'm really excited to see this new series you've got coming up - a practical soil remediation series is exactly what I'm looking for. Once I get the basic foundation right in my garden then all the advanced soil nerdery from ISoS will be more applicable!

[@aenorist2431]

Nice coincidence, I am just starting a garden on soil that every potter would envy me about. Near pure clay, its a morass right now, and in a valley you can't get any delivery into -> no mass compost. Lets see what ya got :D (I have a feeling I will be broadforking my ass off, and mulching with just about anything I can get my hands on)

[@tbluemel]

Just another brilliant, concise and succinctly useful video. Thanks again, Diego!

[@ausfoodgarden]

Terrific explanation and very easy to understand. Looking forward to the rest of the series. 👍

[@EarlybirdFarmSC]

Very good explanation Diego. Can't wait on the series.

[@toxicrune]

Very excited for the series.

[@adminbio8884]

Clear speech, TNX

[@hart796]

Great work Diego! I can’t wait to learn more about soil. I live in heavy clay and I need a remedy! Keep on keepin’ on!

[@williamvanbeek663]

Very good explanations. Thank you for being consistent about soil and not DIRT.

[@liaquattalash3262]

Nice video . How a farmer can differentiate between clay and silt...what will be key points to note while digging profile pit to see differences in clay and silt..???

[@stevefromthegarden1135]

Nicely done

[@Officinalis13]

yes Diego. Keep adding some authors so we can make some more resarch

[@johnroydelacruz1433]

Thank you for enligthening

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Again, very clear, succinct and easy to understand. 1 thing we found out the hard way and is often overlooked is we're so excited to get going, we worked the soil (heavy clays) in early spring. The grounds was saturated and we made it much worse by working it. In retrospect it would of been better to wait. First comment made me LAUGH OUT LOUD. There's no recipe for success, but the recipe for failure, is trying to please everyone. We really enjoy your perspective and personality. Life's short stay awesome brah ;)

[@WhiteWolfeHU]

Working clay is a nightmare. Might I recommend you mow and tarp the area, then broadfork your rows, add compost, wood chips, hay, leaves etc… if you must then use weed barrier in the walkways. Clay is not bad it can hold moisture and your organic matter. Work on loosening the soil through forking or cover crop and work on having a productive soft top 6 inch organic layer. If you have small amounts of organic matter and no compost, just amend the hole you plant your transplant in, ex: adding peat moss and pearlite just where the plant is going.

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@@WhiteWolfeHU awesome thanks for the thoughtful response. Definitely will incorporate these ideas. Thankfully we have access to free wood chips and relatively cheap, decent "compost" Cheers from Victoria Canada

[@Jtsfarm]

Thank you for saving me three hours reading a book Diego! 📚 🌱 ☀️

[@benthere8051]

Thank you, Diego. I am looking forward to viewing your video series. One day after some seriously cold weather, I went to my garden. The water in my compacted clay soil had frozen, and then melted, leaving a soil with a fine-textured loamy quality. The ice had separated the clay particles leaving a very fine-grained soil. Had I mixed it with sifted compost, it would have retained that texture and would have become fantastic soil. If I could've done that on a much larger scale it would've made a much better garden.

[@aenorist2431]

Frost can be nice in that way, but what its ultimately doing isn't too far from tillage. You are looking at a mechanical breaking of structure, after all.

[@skunkebud8]

Great knowledge, thank you! And that outro made me laugh!

[@darleneclark6098]

I really need this information. We're moving from the north east ( very loamy soil) to the south east( red clay) were building our dream homestead and have never gardened in clay before.

[@WhiteWolfeHU]

I’m not sure of the % in my soil but it’s black clay that’s super sticky when wet and dries and cracks like a brick. I do no til, and compost a lot, keep mulch on soil always and you will have a nice 6 inches of relatively soft growing medium that also retains moisture. I amend with green sand, expanded shale, biochar. Im happy to not be in the sand, there’s radically different soil just 5 minutes from me.

[@markostipcevic]

First! Love the soil biology talk.

[@morganflaherty9552]

How fluffy it is compared to its actual components that make up the soil structure

[@TheNorseTexan]

♪♪♪ D-I-E-G-O, D-I-E-G-O, D-I-E-G-O and Diego was his name-oh ♪♪♪ Great video, sir!!

[@michaelirwin5583]

Love the Metallica shirt! Just found out why my onions were small last harvest as well

[@neverwinterfarms]

If we don't have ready access to a body of water... Have you found any commercial vendors that sell silt?

[@StreetMachine18]

i've had a few times when i replaced my kids play sand from their sand box and i threw it into my compost pile. hopefully creating a loamy-er compost. idk if thats right or wrong but it seems like a good idea

[@WhiteWolfeHU]

Sure it won’t hurt… compost is organic matter but that sand will help your clay soil. I add playsand or construction sand into my pots to make the right soil.

[@zachlloyd9392]

What if my soil isn't a clod, but literally a chunk the same size of the shovel and you need tools to break it apart most of the time? Old soil surveys had it as a clay loam Mollisol soil. Been farmed a shit ton using ferts etc for generations... all I ever see is clay until I get to shale about 2 feet down. 🤣

[@theokirkley]

7:40 Tillage is bad for soil? Someone please explain what he means

[@busker153]

Paused at 46 to answer, then continue on... Yes. Soil texture is what the "dirt" feels like. It is created by the combination of organic, and inorganic, materials you have collected together. Soil structure is the work of microbes! They build channels for water and air to move around in a way man never will be able to do.

[@aenorist2431]

9:14 I am intensely curious how you want to change soil texture, beyond introducing organic matter. Actually changing the % of clay, silt and sand would require dumptrucks, which I doubt is a feasible solution. Totally with you on the structure though, thats the important part you can get your biology to fix.

[@WhiteWolfeHU]

I garden in clay and have grown very nice vegetables. It’s taken a few years to improve my soil, through amendments, compost, cover crops, and forking. I add green sand( ancient deposits )and expanded shale. I’m only trying to amend 4 inches, and work into 8 inches deep. Plus keep 1 inch of thick mulch like wood chips and hay. I still run risk of losing crops to heavy rain and water logging.

[@Cannedscourge]

Sandy Loam. Who is she, and why can't I reach her?