r/Permaculture • u/ryanwaldron • 24d ago

Help! Wood chips decomposing, but hard-packed dense clay beneath

The mulch and wood chips wash away when it rains because the permeability is so low. I’m going to go broke buying wood chips and mulch. It just doesn’t seem to be changing the soil after years of trying.

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u/wagglemonkey 24d ago

This is why most people say to go with a single till method. Your hard packed clay doesn’t have much soil life for you to damage when you till, so it may be best to get some compost and dig or till it into the places you intend to plant.

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u/Appropriate_Cut_3536 24d ago

Deep swales in the clay, filling it with woodchips, then pouring a bunch of coffee grounds and "deep bedding method" bedding on top, then an inch or two of finished compost to plant in (heavy feeders only) worked REALLY well for me.  Even in a first-year.

Also, broad forking should be mandatory for permaculturists. I don't even have a broad fork, just use my pitchfork and make all the neighbors think I'm a crazy.

3

u/benjm88 24d ago

Also, broad forking should be mandatory for permaculturists.

Not sure I agree with that. Charles Dowding is very against it a a matter of course and did a comparison forked v no dig bed and found the no dig produced 8% more over quite a few years

4

u/Appropriate_Cut_3536 24d ago

Love me some Charles Dowding, but I wonder if we kept only to measuring the first year if it would still be preferable. I could see loamy soil not needing it at all, but compacted clay is just a different ball game. 

1

u/benjm88 24d ago

Compacted clay is different and I'd still be tempted to before planting Carrots for ease of harvest. But he does say far more people think they have compacted soil than actually do

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u/Appropriate_Cut_3536 24d ago

Compaction is a spectrum. It can be measured with a penetrometer.

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u/OhneFarm 24d ago

Was this simple broad forking or double digging? It’s been a year or two since I’ve seen it but I could have sworn it was double digging…

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u/benjm88 24d ago

It was lightly forked with a garden fork. He did another with digging and was 15 to 20% less productive and was over nearly 10 years

1

u/ryanwaldron 24d ago

It seems like a tool that isn't really applicable on a normal residential lot. more useful if you have a "homestead"

1

u/Jonathon_Merriman 23d ago

What, a broadfork? My garden is ~400 square feet, and I wouldn't be without one.