I have a nice big yard and I want to make some big flowerbeds and a big vegetable garden.
The problem is, my soil is very, very heavy clay, and it stays soggy like you wouldn't believe. I dug a hole for a tree, and the hole SPONTANEOUSLY filled partway with water while I was still digging, because the moisture from the clay seeped into it. I have to protect my yard by not walking on it sometimes, because my foot dents the soaked layer of topsoil the builders added, leaving the lawn permanently uneven.
I don't want to limit myself to swamp plants. Raised beds would be a solution, but I can't afford to raise the area I'd like to make a flowerbed (About 13' - 13').
What should I do? Could I just raise it a couple of inches? What can I do to make a big area ready for plants?
Other info: I live in Central Texas in zone 8b. A soil test found nearly no nutrients in the clay, which is dark gray. It's Ph neutral to slightly alkaline. The yard is level and mostly in sun.
I'd really like to get an area ready this spring, especially since I stupidly pre-ordered plants before realizing the scope of the issue.
