Q: You mentioned early in the year you were experimenting with Permatill in your garden; are the results in on that?

A: Expanded slate (PermaTill, Soil Perfector, etc) is used by many gardeners to loosen clay soil permanently. The less expensive organic soil conditioners we gardeners use typically cook away after a few years. I mixed expanded slate into a bed where I plant annual flowers each year and it worked wonders for soil tilth. I went to plant a new lavender last week and the soil was soft and well drained: perfect conditions for this plant.