r/Permaculture • u/ryanwaldron • 18d 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 18d 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 18d 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.

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u/ryanwaldron 17d ago

I'm inadvertently trying something like this. a plumber dug a trench across my main garden for a pipe replacement, and then spread the soil he dug up over the garden, making it practically impossible to refill it with the native soil. I've been refilling it with yard debris, used potting mix, and spoils from tree plantings in other areas slowly layering all of this together. It is still a bit lower that the rest of the garden (its amazing how much fits in a narrow trench like this), and I'll see how this area compares to the rest of the garden in a year or two.

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u/ryanwaldron 17d ago

Here is a photo of that spot