MIgardener: Do Not Fear CLAY and SANDY Soil Here is Why
Clay and sand don’t have to be your enemy when growing a garden. In this episode we will talk all about what it takes to make the best of a situation that otherwise isn’t great and have an amazing garden.
Sometimes clay is in fact rich in potassium and phosphorous, especially if it's ever been amended with compost. Nitrogen is the one that's very mobile in a watershed.
Hey Luke! I gave you a shout-out on my new channel because you guys helped me with my potato plants recently! Thank you soooo much for the info you guys gave me (by email)!!
we're looking for property up north and I'm anticipating having sandy soil up there. I've been trying to learn the best ways that I will be able to create a garden there and I've read that the sand just sucks up any amendments and they magically disappear. we're getting older and won't have decades to amend a garden. do you think this is true? does the sand just disappear the compost or other amendments added to it?
Hello, nice to meet you, I'm from Indonesia. I recently saw your channel, it's quite interesting, it's quite good too. I want to learn about organic too. What pesticides or flowers do you dislike? I'm currently growing chilies.
When having unlimited water supply, sand is the best soil. Compost is not soil and people kill many things by putting compost in the root zone. I did some experimenting and some plants will live in decaying matter (compost) but when put side by side with equal water, sand outperforms everything else. Aerations is the most important things for roots.
I just amend my clay soil with Walmart compost aka garden soil. Big tomatoes and pumpkins every year. What is the name of the other channel your recommended? Can't seem to find that name
My soil is all clay .there is no top soil . It is very dry . No matter how much i water. It dries right up . I have amended with cow manure ,horse manure , large amounts of compost , top soil . 3 years in it is the same super dry super hard clay
I have 100% sand regardless how deep I dig. I dug my 6×3 rectangles, lined the sandy floor and walls with cardboard and weed barrier, inserted the walls of metal raised beds, and filled with raised bed mix, cow manure, top soil, vermiculite, worm castings, mushroom compost, leaves, perlite, and cotton burr compost. X4 beds. They are great. I just keep adding organic material to improve the soil.
This was one of my favorite videos. I have been watching the channel for a long time. I loved the deep dive into the soil types. I have grown with your channel from how to start a tomato seed to deep diving into soil types! Thank you all for the content!
Where we are in SW Ontario (not that far from where you are), within a 5 mile radius there is everything from hard clay topsoil to clay loam, sandy loam and sand that tobacco was grown in for years. On our home farm we had fields that, when ploughed, went from the hard clay low spots to sandy high spots in run down the field with the plough.
Generally the topsoil in our area is only 5 to 10 inches deep and I would suspect that the clay you showed at the beginning of your video, if dug to create your pond, was subsoil which is definitely not fertile and will not grow a single thing for some time, even if compost is added.
Over the 40+ years we’ve been on this property we have purchased well over 100 cubic yards of manure-based compost which has been added to the same two 25’x50’ gardens but if I only add compost every second year, the productive of the garden declines.
Despite all the compost added, there are still some things I cannot grow in our gardens, thus I have added a few raised beds of different sizes and depths with triple mix (black loam, compost & light clay or sand) purchased from a local supplier. Before planting, I usually work in more compost, 10-10-10 fertilizer and maybe some vermiculite and perlite depending on the porosity of the triple mix.
I have learned what I can grow in the ground in our gardens, what I cannot grow (well or at all), and what grows best in the raised beds.
The problem also is that with clay, a hard-pan can be created below what is worked up and planted in, which can trap water when there is a lot of rain like we had in 2024 with 3 rains of 4+ inches of rain during each. I had plants literally drowned out in 2024, and made some changes to how I planted in 2025 if that happened again. Live & learn based on the soil and conditions you are growing in!!
THANK YOU!!! All of my “soil” is GA Red Clay. I recently heard that adding Gypsum to clay is very beneficial, but I haven’t started researching it, yet. Have you ever heard of this or have experience with it? I always add compost to my clay and last year switched from pinestraw to pine wood chips as mulch. I think I messed up by adding weed cloth below the chips, though, so I doubt they’ve been beneficial. Anyways, i was just wondering if I could make the clay with compost even better with the gypsum? Thanks for ALL you do! I’ve learned so much from you and love your seeds, too 🙂
My soil is all clay here in NY. I did raised beds though for the majority and filled it with a good mix which made a difference. Also love that you shouted out James! I watch his channel along with yours, Epic and Millennial. The group of you provide such great info and all fill in the gaps of each other! It's nice to see some of you interacting with each other and giving each other shout outs. It's always good to see different styles and opinions.
Great video. i wish compost worked to break up clay. The best item I found to break up clay is gypsum. It allows the clay particles to flocculate creating a better draining soil. Creating hills when you plant trees / grapes gives roots a chance to get oxygen when the rest of the clay is swamp land.
In our area, we have a deep layer of rocks and – not clay, but silt. Our area was once covered in the prehistoric Lake Bonneville, and it certainly left its mark! It's very rich in minerals and micronutrients, but very fine excepting the rocks, so we almost have to till every spring in order to keep it from compacting. In our garden, we've added homemade compost (chicken and horse manure + leaves + grass clippings and garden extras) as well as, more recently, wood chips and biochar. The soil still compacts by the end of winter, no matter what.
I first subscribed to you when I saw your video recommending using sand to amend clay soil, just like Dr. Mittleider (and Jim Kennard) recommend. It is funny how people think it'll make it worse, when a quick reference to the soil triangle would show otherwise.
Anyway, my first garden has been in 100% clay soil. Certain plants really haven't liked it (looking at you, beans), but for the most part my plants haven't cared since they get all the nutrients they need via the Mittleider feeding schedule. With that said, I'm definitely amending next year just so it isn't so much of a pain for me – the gardener.
What do you think of Gary Matsuoka? He says to only put compost on the top and not to mix it in the soil. Do you mix it in yourself or let it happen naturally. Anyway im about to attempt to ammend soil with sand. I attempt to garden every year and hardly anything ever grows 😢
Surprised you didn't warn to not create adobe. Sand clay and straw sounds like a great mix until it dries out😂. I'm glad you gave a shout out to James. It's cool you guys are both developing your bigger properties the same year.
30 Comments
Great tips. Thanks for sharing
what about shale/rock, living on the Canadian Rockie Shield
Sometimes clay is in fact rich in potassium and phosphorous, especially if it's ever been amended with compost. Nitrogen is the one that's very mobile in a watershed.
Thanks for the info, I hope 3rd graders, these days, still have an opportunity to work with clay like we did as youngsters. Happy gardening.
Hey Luke! I gave you a shout-out on my new channel because you guys helped me with my potato plants recently! Thank you soooo much for the info you guys gave me (by email)!!
we're looking for property up north and I'm anticipating having sandy soil up there. I've been trying to learn the best ways that I will be able to create a garden there and I've read that the sand just sucks up any amendments and they magically disappear. we're getting older and won't have decades to amend a garden. do you think this is true? does the sand just disappear the compost or other amendments added to it?
You should do some soil testing down through the layers of your soil, I think you might find it really interesting.
Mycelium is the key.
Molybdenum
Hello, nice to meet you, I'm from Indonesia. I recently saw your channel, it's quite interesting, it's quite good too. I want to learn about organic too. What pesticides or flowers do you dislike? I'm currently growing chilies.
That’s one thing I love about you, Luke, you always look at the positive side of things. Thank you so much.
❌⭕️🙏🏽♥️
Good video Sir! Great explanation.
When having unlimited water supply, sand is the best soil. Compost is not soil and people kill many things by putting compost in the root zone. I did some experimenting and some plants will live in decaying matter (compost) but when put side by side with equal water, sand outperforms everything else. Aerations is the most important things for roots.
I just amend my clay soil with Walmart compost aka garden soil. Big tomatoes and pumpkins every year. What is the name of the other channel your recommended? Can't seem to find that name
I watch James' channel even though I live in North Carolina. His channel is The gardening channel with James Prigioni for anyone trying to find it.
My soil is all clay .there is no top soil . It is very dry . No matter how much i water. It dries right up . I have amended with cow manure ,horse manure , large amounts of compost , top soil . 3 years in it is the same super dry super hard clay
I have 100% sand regardless how deep I dig. I dug my 6×3 rectangles, lined the sandy floor and walls with cardboard and weed barrier, inserted the walls of metal raised beds, and filled with raised bed mix, cow manure, top soil, vermiculite, worm castings, mushroom compost, leaves, perlite, and cotton burr compost. X4 beds. They are great. I just keep adding organic material to improve the soil.
Great video thank you luke
“I never realized adding sand to clay soil could backfire… have any of you tried it? What happened?”
This was one of my favorite videos. I have been watching the channel for a long time. I loved the deep dive into the soil types. I have grown with your channel from how to start a tomato seed to deep diving into soil types! Thank you all for the content!
Where we are in SW Ontario (not that far from where you are), within a 5 mile radius there is everything from hard clay topsoil to clay loam, sandy loam and sand that tobacco was grown in for years. On our home farm we had fields that, when ploughed, went from the hard clay low spots to sandy high spots in run down the field with the plough.
Generally the topsoil in our area is only 5 to 10 inches deep and I would suspect that the clay you showed at the beginning of your video, if dug to create your pond, was subsoil which is definitely not fertile and will not grow a single thing for some time, even if compost is added.
Over the 40+ years we’ve been on this property we have purchased well over 100 cubic yards of manure-based compost which has been added to the same two 25’x50’ gardens but if I only add compost every second year, the productive of the garden declines.
Despite all the compost added, there are still some things I cannot grow in our gardens, thus I have added a few raised beds of different sizes and depths with triple mix (black loam, compost & light clay or sand) purchased from a local supplier. Before planting, I usually work in more compost, 10-10-10 fertilizer and maybe some vermiculite and perlite depending on the porosity of the triple mix.
I have learned what I can grow in the ground in our gardens, what I cannot grow (well or at all), and what grows best in the raised beds.
The problem also is that with clay, a hard-pan can be created below what is worked up and planted in, which can trap water when there is a lot of rain like we had in 2024 with 3 rains of 4+ inches of rain during each. I had plants literally drowned out in 2024, and made some changes to how I planted in 2025 if that happened again. Live & learn based on the soil and conditions you are growing in!!
THANK YOU!!! All of my “soil” is GA Red Clay. I recently heard that adding Gypsum to clay is very beneficial, but I haven’t started researching it, yet. Have you ever heard of this or have experience with it?
I always add compost to my clay and last year switched from pinestraw to pine wood chips as mulch. I think I messed up by adding weed cloth below the chips, though, so I doubt they’ve been beneficial.
Anyways, i was just wondering if I could make the clay with compost even better with the gypsum?
Thanks for ALL you do! I’ve learned so much from you and love your seeds, too 🙂
It's as if God gave us all that we need, just have to figure out the puzzle.💙💙💙
My soil is all clay here in NY. I did raised beds though for the majority and filled it with a good mix which made a difference. Also love that you shouted out James! I watch his channel along with yours, Epic and Millennial. The group of you provide such great info and all fill in the gaps of each other! It's nice to see some of you interacting with each other and giving each other shout outs. It's always good to see different styles and opinions.
Great video. i wish compost worked to break up clay. The best item I found to break up clay is gypsum. It allows the clay particles to flocculate creating a better draining soil. Creating hills when you plant trees / grapes gives roots a chance to get oxygen when the rest of the clay is swamp land.
In our area, we have a deep layer of rocks and – not clay, but silt. Our area was once covered in the prehistoric Lake Bonneville, and it certainly left its mark! It's very rich in minerals and micronutrients, but very fine excepting the rocks, so we almost have to till every spring in order to keep it from compacting. In our garden, we've added homemade compost (chicken and horse manure + leaves + grass clippings and garden extras) as well as, more recently, wood chips and biochar. The soil still compacts by the end of winter, no matter what.
Fantastic video, you really delved into the reasons why organic matter is so important in different types of soils.
I first subscribed to you when I saw your video recommending using sand to amend clay soil, just like Dr. Mittleider (and Jim Kennard) recommend. It is funny how people think it'll make it worse, when a quick reference to the soil triangle would show otherwise.
Anyway, my first garden has been in 100% clay soil. Certain plants really haven't liked it (looking at you, beans), but for the most part my plants haven't cared since they get all the nutrients they need via the Mittleider feeding schedule. With that said, I'm definitely amending next year just so it isn't so much of a pain for me – the gardener.
What do you think of Gary Matsuoka? He says to only put compost on the top and not to mix it in the soil. Do you mix it in yourself or let it happen naturally. Anyway im about to attempt to ammend soil with sand. I attempt to garden every year and hardly anything ever grows 😢
Surprised you didn't warn to not create adobe. Sand clay and straw sounds like a great mix until it dries out😂. I'm glad you gave a shout out to James. It's cool you guys are both developing your bigger properties the same year.