Vegetable garden questions. Fence & soil (Rapid City, Hot Springs: for sale, price, to eat)

[Afishinado]

So we bought a property on the west side of town between Mt Rushmore Rd & Sheridan Lake Rd.. We have clay for earth and it appears a fair number of deer.... Would like about a 10' x 40' vegetable garden.

I will have a wheel loader there for a few days doing a little grading to give us more level area (we're on the side of a hill). I'm going to fence off about 50 x 125' for our two dogs with 3-1/2 to 4' high 2x4 wire and wood posts. Thinking of digging out the garden area about a foot down and getting a load or two of top soil bought in to plant in.

I have never had a garden in clay, and my experience with clay is zero, I assume it turns into rock when it gets dry! So......

1. Can I go just make the fence around the garden double high or say 6' high?
2. Do I really need to bring in top soil, or am I missing something?

Any help appreciated..

[Chops00]

I'd make that fence as high as you reasonably can, the deer in West Rapid are plentiful and determined when it comes to eating tress and gardens.

If you can bring in some high quality soil or compost to mix in with the soil it would be a good idea. The soil in West rapid isn't the most conducive to gardening, as you've discovered.

[SD4020]

The deer wander off the hill behind my house, walk down he ally or cross the front lawn. I'm in center of town. It

Compost would be help out the soil. The city landfill has compost for sale.

Compost | Rapid City South Dakota

[uncleharley]

The topsoil that you can get for a reasonable price will be local soil which is mostly clay. Consequently you may do better with compost from the city landfill. The landfill is located just south of Rapid on hwy 79. I believe the price ranges from $16 to $32 per ton. They will pro rate the price for a couple of hundred pounds, but it sounds like you will need a couple truck loads. If you can haul it yourself, the guys at the landfill will dump scoops of the compost into your truck or wagon. You may also want to mix some sand in with the compost and clay to help with drainage and compaction. The compost from the landfill is decomposed yard waste. A source for decomposed cow manure is the feedlot that is located a few miles south of Hot Springs on hwy 79. That is a little longer haul but the compost will be richer.

I would do some digging to determine where or how deep your rock is before beginning to amend your soil. The results may have an impact on where you locate your garden and other structures. There are two types of rock in the Black Hills. Diggable rock and blastable rock. It is a very good idea to know what you have and where it is located before sketching out any plans.

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[Afishinado]

Thanks everyone! I think we're going to not have a garden, decided i don't want it bad enough.