Clay soil

clay is the richest soil but most unworkable. sand is the most workable but holds the least water. loam holds the most water but has no structure. a combination of all three is the best soil.
you have clay with a significant portion of sand. it'll likely be rich in minerals butnseverely lacking in nitrogeneous compo8nds or any organic material. you need to add already broken down organic material (compost) or things that will break down quickly. the only problem is anything other than compost has weed seeds, will take ages to break down, is contaminated with something, or, in the case of wood chippings, will be a net negative for nitrogen.
you need to buy a metric shitton of compost and till it in. literally- manure compost is often some of the cheapest. find a llama ranch and get some or go to a dirt guy and get some regular compost. everything else will be cheaper, but will also bring you some kind of headache or not work at all. either spring for a single, spendy purchase of 1/2 a cubic foot of compost per square foot of land, rent a tiller, and till it in and forget about it, or kike out and do something else and get sucked into endless weeds or contaminated soil and eventually give up and curse the ground and what it grows
I'll be smiling down and laughing in the great garden in the sky
also buy a soil test you might need to balance P.H.

>>1174963
Just went to the dump.
They have mulch there.
$25 a ton.
A lot cheaper than bag after bag of $5 potting soil.
Check around, there's probably something like that near you.

Buy topsoil. 35$ a yard around here. don't even bother fucking around. Typical home needs like 5 yards and a load of wheelbarrows and rakes.

>>1174963
Organic matter.

The biggest problem with clay soils is their lack of moisture retention. They both shed water not allowing it to soak in and they aren't capable of holding onto what they have.


The first thing is to check with your municipality and see if they have a composting program. Mine does and charges $14 for a u-load-it truck load which ends up being about a yard.

In the area I live the soil is pretty damn clay. When I set garden beds up for people I usually aim for a 50:50 split of compost. The easiest way is to lay 3 inches of compost down and turn it into about 3 inches of clay soil.

On top of this mixture you will add in 3-4 inches of mulch. Whether it's wood chips from a local arborist, hay, leaves, whatever as long as it's at least 3" Avoid going with 100% grass as it mats down too easily and chokes out the soil making it anaerobic.

Once you've mixed it up and topped it with mulch You will never turn the soil again. Ever. The only thing you'll do is top up the mulch at least once a year to the requisite 3-4 inches.

Mulch is the secret to a successful garden. It protects the underlying soil from the heat and sun keeping the soil far cooler than the surrounding surface ground. Retains moisture in the soil for far longer. and sets up a microbiome of life that helps to free nutrients for your plants.

Alright so basically organic matter is my best bet here. What do you guys think about tilling in some organic matter then throwing some cardboard down to help retain some moisture to help speed things up

see if your county's sanitation department has free mulch or compost. They should be producing both as they use it to seal up layers of trash in the land fill. They also produce it for the county to use in parks and buildings.

my county allows residents to take all the free compost or mulch they can haul away. my soil is all solid georgia red clay. so I work the compost in to add organic matter to the clay.

>>1174963
Compost (organic, whether it be chicken manure, blood and bone, whatever you like)
Gypsum IS A MUST
Depending on the crop you're growing you'll probably need to add some trace elements
Top off with mulch

How to add moisture retention to shit dry clay soil?

>>1175090
Water crystals.

I'm in Alabama, have hardpan red clay soil. It's highly acidic for soil. Check the PH for balance. I had to use a shitton of lime to get things right. Then everything the others have said about soil amendments. Get good compost. If you don't, you'll have a giant weed garden.

>>1175090
This was already fucking answered