We started work in our soil slightly late in the season so we didn't have many options. The final decision was to dig up as much soil as we could throughout the week, dispose of it in our trash can, and replace it with store bought topsoil. This took a matter of weeks (mostly because I could only fit so much in my trashcan) and lugging that trash can was one of the hardest physical feats I have ever had to overcome. Because we live in a townhome, we were very limited in what we could do with our extra soil/clay and the only option was to dispose of it in the trash.
In the beginning, we were slightly naive in understanding just how much work (and money) would be invested in our small little garden. Our soil was atrocious - almost pure clay. We thought adding 6 bags of topsoil would do the trick but alas, in a few days, the sun continued to bake the soil to a crisp.
But the results have been well worth all the effort. After killing off one of my cucumber seedlings by leaving it in the sun too long without enough water (a small failure), I took what had survived and planted my 4 remaining cucumber plants. By this time, I had already planted my kabocha plant which was doing extremely well. Lettuce and spinach had already been thriving in the shady corner despite the poor soil quality. And store bought tomato plants (two DX 5212, one Sweet 100), zucchini, and summer squash rounded out the mix. And last but not least, some edamame was thrown in, compliments of my mother who also supplied the cucumber, kabocha, and herb seeds.
Needless to say, it has been truly been a labor of love and the sunburned back was totally worth it. And we have already enjoyed some of our labor with delicious lettuce and spinach for salads. I just can't wait for all the rest.
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