How to Lighten Heavy Soil With Mushroom Compost

Thick clay soil offers vegetable and flower gardens rich nutrition through vitamins and minerals, but it also presents some challenges. The Cornell University Department of Horticulture calls soil compaction the biggest challenge for garden shrubs and plants, and notes that thick soil decreases drainage and room for root growth. If your yard features heavy clay soil, use a loose organic amendment -- such as mushroom compost -- to increase drainage and moisture retention before planting.

Garden fork
Mushroom compost

Instructions

- 1
  Amend the soil in fall or spring, before or after frost, for easiest digging. Don't amend clay soil when it's wet as this makes the process more challenging and may spread disease. Tilling the soil in fall gives the foundation the wintertime to rest for planting, while spring amendments provide more immediate benefits.
- 2
  Dig into the top 8 to 10 inches of soil in a given garden spot. Loosen the soil as much as possible and throw out rocks, weeds and old roots. The act of tilling and mixing soil aerates it and is an important first step to better soil quality.
- 3
  Lay 2 to 3 inches of mushroom compost on the soil. Use a garden fork to turn this amendment into the previously tilled layer of clay. The initial amendment loosens the soil and makes further amendment easier.
- 4
  Repeat this process with another 2- to 3-inch layer of mushroom compost, and then a third layer of compost, to produce a mix of 50 percent mushroom compost to 50 percent clay soil. The gradual digging makes the amendment process easier, though it takes longer.

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Soil