Plants to break up soil

[Leenstar]

I hope to covert a bit of lawn to two new beds this spring.

That part of the lawn is currently sodded on what's pretty thick clay soil.

PLAN:
1. Lay down cardboard over sod
2. Put in my usual brick pathways around beds
3. Spread leaf mold and finished compost on top of the cardboard

Ideally I'd like to plant into the compost with stuff that I hope will break up the sod and compost with time.

Any ideas? I figured if nothing else I'll keep planting stuff on top and layering on the compost for the next coule of years

I was considering getting daikon's to plant to see if they might burrow down. Other productive planting crop to break through the soil that you have found successful is what I am looking to hear about.

I don't want to till because I have a drainage pipe from the house and my house electric line running underneath. I figured this would be an experiment in no till management/conversion of a lawn to a garden bed.

Any suggestions on managing this attempt at making new beds in terms of my plan or specific plantings to make?

[steev]

My opinion of daikon is that it's stinky if tilled in or left to rot; it's not going to want to go through cardboard that isn't pretty far gone.

Black mustard or alfalfa root deeply and can be mowed to mulch/sheet compost.

Field peas?

[Joseph Lofthouse]

Purple haze carrot sure tried to take over my hard clay field last summer: The roots went deep and stayed there in spite of my attempts to dig them. And long-taprooted parsnips go so deep into the clay that there is no hope of getting them out.

My most successful lawn-to-garden conversion was to spray the lawn with glyphosate, and then spray it again two weeks later, and then when it was good and dead, take a shovel and slit the soil barely enough to plop tomato and pepper transplants into the sod. It was wonderful. I sure miss using poisons in the garden.

[MikeH]

This might be helpful - portageperennials.wordpress.com/2012/10/30/1644/

[MikeH]

Feb 22, 2013 0:35:12 GMT -5 Joseph Lofthouse said:

My most successful lawn-to-garden conversion was to spray the lawn with glyphosate, and then spray it again two weeks later, and then when it was good and dead, take a shovel and slit the soil barely enough to plop tomato and pepper transplants into the sod. It was wonderful. I sure miss using poisons in the garden.

Nuke the soil, the insects, the earthworms, the microbes.

See www.pesticide.org/get-the-facts/pesticide-factsheets/factsheets/glyphosate

[adamus]

I'd plump for parsnips. Unlike carrots, they have a really hard root end, and can penetrate even the hardest of soils. Potatoes work the same, but not as deeply.

[raymondo]

All of my beds were reclaimed from lawn on heavy clay. I've used a variety of sheet mulching techniques and like them all. I would begin by just planting things that won't mind growing in the initial compost layer. Then, from the second season onwards, one bed at a time, plant a cover crop that winter kills and rotate this round however many beds you end up with. I like the combination of a grass and a legume planted late enough that neither sets seeds but early enough to get some decent size. If chicories winter kill in your garden, then add a chicory to the mix as these are deep rooted and in any case, diversity is good. Just my twopence worth.
It would be great to see progress updates on your new garden if you get the time.

[Leenstar]

I appreciate the advice. I want the spot to come out of the gate productive.

I'll try to take some before pictures and document how the project goes.

I like the idea of putting in some chicories and parsnips. I've run out of chicory seeds i think. I tried to gorw it repeatedly and just couldn't eat it. Maybe the endive I just bought might work out....

[steev]

Couldn't eat chicories because they were too bitter? Have you tried the Pan de sucre types? They're much blander.

[Leenstar]

I had Witloof that I grew to try my hand at winter cichons. I couldn't get my act together to dig the roots in time and didn't have a good place to grow the cichons inside. trying to use the green witloof for regular eating was terrible.

[steev]

Yeah. Witloof is not such an easy slog. Even any of the radicchios are more palatable and less laborious, but pan de sucre types are probably the least challenging, both in labor and use.

[caledonian]

How about lambsquarters? When left to grow, its roots are substantial. And rye is a famous option.