Question
I'm going to plant a garden here including 2 rows of Devil Claws. Should I put Perlite in the soil here and till it under and will a plowed garden compact as much as a unplowed garden?

Answer
Hi, I would not use perlite.  Over time, it breaks down into very fine particles and clogs airspace.  Use organic matter to improve your soil.  A plowed garden makes root development much easier for plants.  Eventually, soil will return to it's natural state. That's why farmers till every year for maximum root production and yield in monocultures.  Nature improves soil texture with worms, microbes, insects and the root action of desirable plants and undesirable weeds in a garden left to itself. That's why you have native plants to an area.  They have evolved to thrive in your soil without tilling.  Jim