Sorry you didn't get an answer sooner. I lived just south of New Orleans for most of my life. The soil there was called gumbo and it was dark and crumbly and rich. Here in north MS we have red clay. So I can give you advice about the clay. The best advice I can give is to work the soil (dig, plant) only after a rain. Wait several days and the soil is like chocolate cake, a bit moist and crumbly, but not slimy like pottery making. If it is dry, you actually need a pickaxe to break thru it.
The next important thing is to add lots of organic matter to your garden beds. Which the easiest way to do this is to mulch everything with something that breaks down fairly quickly, the best in my opinion is shredded leaves. now is the time to gather these leaves. or in south LA you should have lots of grass clippings. If you can make compost, you can add that as you get it.
Another important point: dig your planting holes 2 to 3 times as wide as the plant's root ball (if you are planting a shrub or perennial, for example) and just as deep as the root ball. Break up clumps of clay - if they are a bit moist they will break up easily.
If you are not familiar with lasagna gardening you can google that and that is a great way to make raised beds to take care of the clay problem and over time the clay will become more workable.
Hope this helps. Clay has many good qualities, I hated it at first, really hated it becoz I missed my great gumbo soil, but I have now become one with it.
Laurie

Thanks Laurie, I am finding out the soil in MS is not what I'm used to in south LA. I am going to start a compost heap so I'll have some for spring I hope. Can I use manure from my four legged neighbors? By the way hope you and the family had a lovely Thanksgiving.

Brenda
south LA/MS

Here is a link that might be useful: http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/575578430PXcgMP

Yes manure is great, from horses, cows, goats, rabbits, chicken...
I don't have a source, wish I did, my sister has several horses but she lives 5 hrs away, and when I'm down there, I don't have a truck. Probably should take a sealed plastic box home with a little of it!
Manure is great in the compost heap. You are not supposed to add it to gardens fresh though.
And I did have a wonderful Thanksgiving, my family came in for the week and we ate and shopped alot.

Rabbit manure is really great, you can use it green and it doesn't burn the plants. I agree with Laurie, the only way to combat the clay is with organic matter and lots of it, manure, compost, shredded leaves. Check to see if you have a horse stable and/or rabbit farm in your area, they usually give manure away if you can haul it. The horse manure is usally mixed with hay, which can have lots of seeds in it, that is another reason I like rabbit better. Get a couple of rabbits, they are pretty cheap to feed and then you have your own source. Also vericomposting is great, try to attract worms to your beds, which will happen if you use lots of organic matter. Hope this helps.

Sharon

1. NOW is the time to get in and turn the soil-while it's wet.
2. Find a tree cutter and ask him to dump a load of wood chips on your property.
3. Work it into the clay (or gumbo).
4. Add some 10-10-10 fertilizer since the microbes will rob NO3 as they break down the organic matter.

Yeah mix lots of organics like manure, coffee grounds, peat, wood chips, chopped oak leaves and other compost items. This will help to improve the texture of the soil. Gumbo mud is plenty fertile ,but doesn't drain well. So don't do buck wild with the fertilizer.

I have the same stuff in my yard,and instead of trying to ammend the soil,which will take forever. I am going to grow a garden in straw bales.Plants grow better ,faster,easy.