We have since pulled out everything from the flower beds and we are starting out fresh. We are near Indianapolis and the soil is a very hard clay soil (like concrete) and when we pulled out the existing plants from last year, they had not even taken root in any way. Which leads me to believe that the soil was too hard for the roots to penetrate.

I am very new to this, and I have never experienced gardening before, my plan is to till the beds and till in compost at the same time this weekend. And then give the soil time to re-settle over the next few weeks before planting again.

My question is whether or not this is the best approach, or if there is a better way to work the soil in order to be able to plant in a few weeks? As I said, I am pretty clueless on where to even begin....

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains� too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

My question is whether or not this is the best approach, or if there is a better way to work the soil in order to be able to plant in a few weeks?

One problem with tilling clay is that if you don't till in enough organic material, you make bricks. And it takes LOTS of compost.

Consider just making a "lasagna" bed, with layers of raw material for compost in the beds and plant in the layers. The soil under them will rapidly improve. The heavy mulch will keep the clay moist enough for the roots to penetrate.

The first year, I would remove some of what passes for soil in your beds and replace it with tilled in organic matter. Compost, shredded leaves, manure, used coffee grounds from the local Starbucks, whatever you can get your hands on cheaply. (or even free if you check Craigslist) It's really hard to shovel out too much clay and till in too much organic matter to replace it unless you happen to be the one sipping icy beverages in the shade while overseeing the yard crew.

I would plant only annuals for this spring and summer to give that organic matter time to decompose and begin to work it's magic in loosening up the clay still underneath.

When fall rolls around, you can get your hands on all those awesome leaves falling out of the trees. All your annuals will be about ready to bite the dust anyway, so you can go ahead and till shredded leaves into the beds. (even if you don't have a mulching mower to shred your leaves, you can often buy a mulching blade for the mower you do have) I'm sure you will find that it's easier to till deeper after the organic matter and the earthworms drawn by it (especially those coffee grounds... Coffee grounds are earthworm magnets so don't skimp on them.) have loosened up your clay/concrete. I would leave a layer of shredded leaves on top of the beds and if you like, you can put in some fall color like pansies.

The next spring, you start all over again, but after you till in more organic matter, ask yourself the question, "Have I solved my concrete clay problem to a deep enough depth that perennials and shrubs would be happy to grow here from now on?"

If you don't think you have it deeply enough yet, then plant annuals only again and keep going in the same manner. (It's much, MUCH easier to till in organic matter when you don't have to worry about protecting the roots of perennials and baby shrubs)

The last thing I would till in before I start planting shrubs and perennials would be organic matter that takes longer to break down, like bark nuggets and wood chips. (pine especially breaks down slowly) The organic matter you have been working so hard to add to the soil will slowly break down over the years and disappear, so longer lasting organic matter would be worth the effort.

The good news, is that I started with concrete clay myself, and it is awesome to garden in once you have added enough organic matter to it. Plants love it.

First of all I would plant some sort or annual cover crop (assuming you could get it started), anything that will grow fast and tall in a season. At the end of the year I'd add a lot of coarse organic material, even wood mulch a lot of if you can get it cheap enough, and till it all in. I'd add more more mulch on top after tilling (to control weeds) and let it all sit for a year.

I'm not sure about Indy but ft wayne had a municipal mulch/compost place where you could load your own for free.

One thing I would not do is dig "beds" unless you are digging the whole thing. You'll end up with a swamp if you don't dig large areas. I'd also be careful about digging around any downspouts, bathtub effect on steroids. LOL

If you have the energy raised beds might be something to consider.

Thanks for bringing up all the bad memories. :-P