Newbie Q: Can I replant now?mixed in leaves/grass/blood meal

greetings all

I am new to all of this. I am amending my soil with leaves and such. Can I replant now?

The SC soil in my front yard is clay under about 3" of soil and it has basically formed a bathtub for the bed that I put there in May with daylilies, lantana, and perennials (black-eyed Susans, Gaillardias, and Bush Daisy). The bed is in full sun and is about 8 feet across (round shape) and while I spaded up a good bit of it, the bed stayed way too wet after a good rain.

The plants in there did okay (except most of the gaillardias went toes up - too wet) but I want them to do better next year.

So I removed them all ( and the babies that are coming up) and have dug the bed up over the past 2 days:

I added in about a foot of nice fluffy leaves courtesy of my neighbor's maple and pecan trees, a 2 cf bag of Pine Fines (composted pine soil conditioner), some Gypsum clay buster(about 5 good double handfuls) , and I dug up some partially rotted grass clippings from my back yard under the Photinas and added about an inch of that , too. . Spaded it all in good and added about a cup of blood meal and some bagged compost. I now have about 12-14 inches of pretty friable earth, the big chunks of clay are broken up and mixed in. I did not layer the things, they are all garden-forked in and turned over well. I will be adding some lime to bring the PH up, and some more leaves, and some coffee grounds, too.

My question: Can I replant my flowers (except the lantana), a Forsythia shrub, and some of my bulbs now? Or do I have to wait for it to heat up and work and plant later in the spring?

And my hubby just brought home a trailer-load of topsoil that he got at a construction site (clearing a rural plot for a WalMart) that smells faintly of cow manure (my more experienced neighbor agreed that it looked good and the manure smell, while definitely noticeable, was not real strong. )

Should I add some of it?

I am willing to take a chance, I just do not know if the leaves and such in there will be too much for the shrub and bulbs. And can I dig these leaves (we have tons fo them now) into my other beds with azaleas and bulbs and perennials or do I have to compost them first?

Thanks for any help or advice that you can give me - and yes, I will be trying lasagna bedding in another bed and a straw-bale tomato in the spring, but right now I just want to get this bed going nicely because it is the first thing you see at my house.


Many thanks in advance
Lorie in Columbia SC (just below freezing tonight, but a warmish week ahead)

Picture is the garden when first planted in May. And my Abby Labby.

Although I've never used the Lasagna method, it sounds like that's what you've already got going in your garden now. If you still have the energy, after all the work you've already done, maybe you can work in that topsoil you just got. By now you ought to have a raised bed, I think!

Abby Labby! I bet she is a wonderful dog! We lost a Lab last year, that my husband had had for ten years-he had the sweetest temperment I've ever seen in a dog. Although I've sworn before-no more puppies!-we are doggy loving people, so we are getting another one in a few weeks, and although he'll never replace Fred, I hope he will have the same mellow nature and loving behavior.

Abby is the best, she is a real buddy to me while hubby is at work. We had a Carolina Dog named Maggie for 12 years (American Dingo, long story) and I swore that we would never have another because it hurt so bad when she died (still does). So I helped to foster and transport rescue dogs (we have a nice fenced yard) and then along comes this girl - about a year old, as nicely trained as you could want - we tried finding the owners, but nada. So we ended up keeping her. She is my best friend and always at my side. She is also the best friend to our cats, too. I am sure that the other dogs have drummed her out of their club, because she lets the cats bully her and she even sleeps with one of them (Kira - she thinks that Abby is her very BFF)

Thanks for the advice, will add some topsoil and away I go.

You're probably donealready and that's fine. I was going to second, to go ahead. The construction dirt may or may not have manure- we had construction behind us last year and when they dig down, it can really let up a nasty manure-y smell, just from subsoil.
You might want to give us an after -picture. ^_^

Did the planting yesterday, and seriously, if this garden does not take off it is not my fault.

I worked until dark last night, and it is raining today, but I will get a pix and post it soon.

Lorie

It sounds like your garden is off to a good start! AND rain!! We got our first real rain fall Wed and Thurs, and I planted a little winter garden too, just to see if I can get something to grow by spring. Do you have to worry about hard frosts in your zone?

Speaking of animals that get along, here's a pic of my group of misfits. They make their own contributions to my gardening effort, too:>)

You have done a lot of work on that bed. All should be well but non the less I would like to know the actual PH of that soil now and six to twelve months later. In the big box stores we now see organic fertilizers with living bacteria and mychorrhiza. PH changes slowly. Your best working PH would be near netural which is in the range of 6.5 - 7.0. If you have acid loving plants the PH should be 5.5 - 6.0. The same big box stores sell soil test kits which are OK for most of us. What you are doing is wishing for great flowers and such but I do not see where you knew if you needed the lime.

There is a possibility that you could have the nitrogen tied up with to many leaves but you can use a foliar spray of fish and kelp early in the spring to overcome a temporary situation if your plants are not green enough. Fish/kelp liquids are in your big box stores most of the time.

With what you have done well the worms will be in there working for you in no time. I think you have done well..........plant it.

Thanks to all for your advice, I think that it will work out well! I did add some bloodmeal when I mixed everything in and I will be adding some coffee grounds and Kelp liquids later this week, should get the wormies going well.

Thank you all!