SHREVEPORT, La. - At Akin’s Nursery in Shreveport, owner Jennifer McGimsey says one of the biggest challenges local gardeners face is right under their feet: Northwest Louisiana’s heavy clay soil.

David Kuchta, Ph.D. has 10 years of experience in gardening and has read widely in environmental history and the energy transition. An environmental activist since the 1970s, he is also a historian, ...

Clay soil is often misunderstood as bad, which is perfectly reasonable when you see waterlogged patches all across the yard. However, although it's heavy and difficult to work with, clay soil can be ...

When it comes to improving clay soil, sand is not the answer. “What do contractors make when they mix clay and sand? Concrete,” said Sacramento soil expert Steven Zien of Living Resources Co. “Adding ...

A: Improving soils is difficult, but not impossible. Soils that contain a large amount of clay character have always been a challenge to gardeners. When it is wet, clay soil tends to be sticky and ...

There are some misconceptions surrounding how we deal with soil when gardening, and I thought I’d discuss a few in this week’s column: to add, or not to use, gypsum; dealing with dense clay; and ...

I'm digging a hole to plant a new evergreen, and I've discovered that the soil is extremely heavy with clay. What could be added to the clay soil to make it conducive to good root growth? Is it good ...

CORVALLIS – When you walk about your yard on a wet day, do your shoes stick in the mud? Could you make ceramic pots out of the soil in your garden? If the answers are yes to both, odds are you have ...

A number of misconceptions surround how we prepare soils for planting. Sometimes the advice may sound reasonable, but it may really not provide the expected. I have often seen and heard ...