Is there anyone up around Waynesville, NC that could give us some advice? My wife and I just built a home in the mountains up there. There isn't much real soil, just clay with a lot of rocks in it. I have a lot of experience with South Florida sugar sand, but that stuff up there is totally different. Digging in it is quite an experience compared to digging in our backyard in Florida.

We need some advice on what to plant, where to plant it, mulching slopes that have been hydroseeded and eventually getting a vegetable garden going. Our home is at about 3500 feet of elevation. I got the soil test boxes from the extension service but don't have any results yet.

I'm thinking the vegetables will do best with a raised bed and lots of composted material over the clay. I'm presuming the rest will require a lot of lime, but don't really know.

Is there anyone up there who might offer some advice to a flatlander?

John