I'm excited to dive into my second gardening year after moving to a charming old farmhouse with plenty of land! There's a large area where a barn once stood, and it's pretty rough - rocky and tough because of the old foundation and large vehicles driving over it. Grass doesn't really grow there, but I see so much potential for my dream garden! I'd love to hear from anyone who has experience reviving such unusable soil into something usable for gardening. Should I focus on restoring the existing soil, or would it be easier to just create raised beds instead? I really want to make this ground work for me in the long run!
3 Answers
I would definitely recommend watering the area first. This should help soften things up! If you can, try rototilling the ground, or see if a neighbor has a plow they can lend you. It’ll give you a head start on working that tough soil.
I went through a similar situation, starting with clay soil. My first step was using a sod cutter to remove the grass. Then, I layered paper, compost, and mulch before planting seeds. It's been a beautiful journey! If you still have compacted clay, try adding a bit of gypsum and perlite. And don’t forget to compost your veggie scraps by burying them! By the way, here’s a picture of my progress: https://preview.redd.it/w9abaoveoxje1.jpeg
If you’ve got some big rocks, you might want to dig those out and use them as borders for your garden. If they’re small enough to work around, just mix in some compost or organic material. It’ll take time, but you’ll get there! Just remember that while you might not have the perfect spot for every square corner, you can always improve certain areas as you go along.