Question
We bought a house with a garden that s been severely neglected and we are in the process of trying to bring it back to life. We re newbies in this matter and are not sure how to proceed. As we live in the Prairies, I believe our soil has a lot of clay underneath and my husband is trying to level the front yard and has moved a lot of the soil from the back to do this. How do we proceed to finish our yard so that we can have a healthy lawn? We were thinking of adding top soil to our yard. Any advice you can provide is greatly appreciated.   Totally at a loss in Winnipeg, MB

Answer
If you have a lot of clay, I recommend tilling in some materials to loosen it up some.
Cedar bark mulch is good for loosening up clay, and a little humus helps a lot.
you want to eventually turn that clay into good topsoil.
Orgnic gardening can dio this for you.
i would get the top 6 to 8 inches loosened up, then let my organic program loosen it further down/
6 to 8 inches of good, loose, rich soil will grow grasses nicely, and it doesn't take tht long for the soil to improve further down. You should get about 1 to 2 inches further down per year.
Organics also takes the labor, and a good deal of the expense out of gardening.
The way to tell if your soil is loose enough, is to dig some up, and while it is not wet from a rain or watering, take a fistful and sqweeze your hand shut, the open it flat. If the soil makes a solid ball, it is too tight, if it all crumbles, it is too loose. If it makes a fairly firm ball, but some of it crumbles the it is good soil.
I am on a totally organic progrqm, and have been for 8 years. As of the last 5 to 6 years, i do not have insect problems, or weeds in my yard.
Weeds like poor soil and will not thrive in rich soil.
Chemicals do not enrich the soil. they feed the vegetation then wear out and you have to reapply them.
for every harmful insect you will get in your yard, there are hunderds of beneficial ones that will feed on the harmful ones, so you never need to use insecticides.
When you do use them, you kill all the beneficial as well as moct of the harmful insects.
The insecticides will more effeciently kill the beneficial ones than it will the harmful ones.
Toads, lizards and grass snakes will eat the rest of them, but you must make a safe environment for them to live in. chemicals will kill them and they will stay out of your yard.
If you would like more informations about organics, write me, and i will be more than happy to shard what I have learned.
Charlotte