Dirt prep.

Out here in my neck of the high desert, the gound I will be planting in is a combo of rock and clay with a little road base mixed in. Would I benefit by tilling the ground and removing the majority of the rock, which is the main ingredient in my dirt, and adding some compost, top soil, and sand. I am thinking of mixing the topsoil, compost and clay together and maybe putting it down on top of sand to help drain the soil. I also wonder if I would be better off just mixing it all together and replacing the clay and rock with the new mixture, just not sure if the funds will be available for that option though.

Sounds like you have a chore and a 1/2 to do with the rock alone. Clay is no good to plant vines on for the drainage alone your looking at a lot of work and money I changed my site for my small vineyard cuz I found out there was clay at the original site and you need to take the clay out of the mix

Remember that vines roots go deeply so if you are modifying the soil, it should be done down to a depth of at least 2-3 feet. That would be a monumental task for you. I am assuming water is a scarce natural resource there so you want to encourage deep root penetration. This may be one case where using a backhoe to make a trench would work well. I think you might be better off spending the time and money on a first class irrigation setup- probably drip. A layer of mulch to help keep the moisture in would be a good idea.

Some of the best vineyards of France are on rocky soil that you couldn't give away to a corn farmer. I would worry more about the clay than the rocks. Maybe try to work in some sand and compost.


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