Elaine,
You convinced me. "Usually too wet" describes my soil and climate perfectly. Also, when the soil DOES dry out (in the summer, a.k.a. "dry season") is when I don't really need improved aeration. The time I wish I had "channels" is during the 9-10 drizzly months.
I think I'll stick with my regular clay soil improvement plan:
1. As much compost as budget, time and energy allow. Scratched into the top 2-6 inches. Now that my compost heap is no longer a "weed seed factory", I can't make much of my own compost each year, so I have to buy it in bags.
2. Some gritty stuff mixed deep (coarse sand and grit once, then bark shreds every 3-5 years) .
3. Deep turning, screening, heavy amendment or soil replacement the very first year, then deep turning only when the clay washes out of the top few inches and turns the next few inches back into clay.)
4. Deep turning every 3-5 years
5. Grow something annual with deep roots occasionally.
6. (Maybe I should use up the rest of that bag of gypsum over several years, but I do NOT think I have excess sodium. With all the drizzle, I assume that anything soluble was washed out years before I moved in, and my additions leach out within a year.)
