@DennisD
Prior to the post by Oregon_Fruit_Grow, I had not visited this thread in 7 years.
The photo was taken prior to the installation of perimeter masonry, mulch, and a miniature golf course through the tree plantings.
Two years after the photo, Janet decided she did not care for the apples and I removed the tree. For an update on that planting hole see Nikita Pineapple Guava.
I am still searching for an apple cultivar that Janet appreciates. For my latest attempt see King David Apple.
One thing I have noticed reading many many posts here @Richard trees is they are some of the best planted and cared for. All the way from putting them in the ground to training them.
In this post I like his approach of digging a big hole, amending it with loose soil + organic matter, setting/fixing for optimal drainage means the tree for the initial few years gets the best in-ground environment to size up quickly. If you see his other threads where three year old trees with what looks like 5-10" circumference trunk and thick supporting scaffolds shows that they grow quick and healthy (he also has a well planned out nutrition program which is out of scope in this discussion).
So, Ideally I too would like to replicate his approach in planting but have limitations with my grow space hence was interested in asking Richard if I can’t do the big hole approach what would he consider second or third best approach.
Is your biggest issue lack of drainage?
drainage, and too difficult to dig 3ft x 3ft x 3ft hole because the soil is hard clay which I think is dirt filled by the contractor when the house was build. Neither I can have someone bring a small excavator due to narrow access path to the yard.
I have a few suggestions I will try to write tonight. Going out today to search for some clay sources!
If you can’t dig down, plant on a mound. Put your “big hole” above grade. It’s the best of both worlds.
If you dig a big hole you’ve still got crummy soil/poor drainage below that. A mound raises things up to improve drainage.
I do a combination of both. I break up the ground and add soil on top and mix. Place a 36" diameter landscape border and plant the crown of the tree 12 inches above grade.
It settles over time but stays a good 6 inches or so above the yard.
The only part of my backyard that holds water after heavy rains I’ve only planted in once. A 3 in 1 hole plum. 3 trees 2 feet apart in a triangle. The soil line on those trees is a foot above grade, planted this spring.
This is my way of working around my setting issues and still use most of my yard.
this is what I have done for the tress I planted this spring. I planted them on the grade and mounded with bagged potting soil. So far it has worked good and the tree grew well. But eventually they will root/already rooted into the clay below the grade, can that slow them down?
I guess we don’t know what roots look like until we dig them up. I wouldn’t sweat it. Trees have been doing their tree things for a long time… It will grow as it needs to.
Without an exact replica planted a different way to compare, it’s not worth the worry unless you start seeing trouble.
Even if you had several trees planted differently of the same rootstock and graft variety, they still aren’t the exact same tree so…
If your soil is really poorly drained then yes. But if that’s the case digging a hole and planting in that will be even worse.
How well does your soil drain? Clay with decent drainage is good soil for fruit trees.
guess I am obsessed making my trees grow like Richard’s 
A foot deep hole filled with water takes approximately 3 hrs to drain.
That’s good enough drainage. Plant on a mound or not, trees should do well. A mound can’t hurt. Don’t over think it.
Thanks, I have two matured apples and a fig tree, they seems to be doing good. I’ve been adding OM for last years and the first 6-8" is pretty decent and fluffy. I was thinking about sowing some ground breaking daikons.
I’ve just planted 2 more fruit trees down the side of my house. There wasn’t much topsoil (maybe a couple of inches) above the clay subsoil. I could have added a lot of organic matter and gypsum and over time that would have loosened the clay and improved drainage. Instead I bought in more topsoil and dug down quite deep and wide with a small gravel drain at the bottom just to channel any water away. I also mounded them up a little, I like to plant raised up whenever possible. I didn’t have to go to this extent and most people would have just dug a hole and planted the tree. I still have to level the site and plant lawn and mulch the new trees. My wife built the planter boxes.
Red Haven Peach and Moorpark Apricot.
Goldmine nectarine planted 2022.
Don’t assume that the soil mix I used in the hole above (original post) is what I’ve used everywhere else. That mix happened to fit the situation.
Here’s the hole I dug for our Eureka Lemon in 2016.
They look great. It really borders the trees well and fits the yard. You also have all of that area inside the bed to plant shallow root annuals.
Thanks Phil, and good idea about the annuals.
Since your clay seems to be presenting your main challenge, there are several ideas you might consider:
If a subdrain is not possible because you have no outlet downhill to drain to, then perhaps you should consider creating planting mounds for the trees you wish to plant. Either way that clay you inherited is worth a lot more than you may realize but it will take some effort to put it to good use.
In your situation I would first do soil analysis of your topsoil if any just above the clay and a separate soils analysis of the clay itself. The purpose being to determine if some ratio of mixing the two together could possibly create a better soil structure that resembles a “Loam”. Loam soils are usually found in river bottoms where years of flooding often lay down a series of layers of sand,silt, and clay. These are typically the most fertile soils you can find. Probably along Willamette river you can see examples of a natural loam.
So if you take a fruit jar and fill it 3/4 with your soil sample, then add water to the top, shake it up and let it settle overnight, you can measure the ration of sand, silt, and clay content. Using this measurement you can see where your soil plots on the soil structure triangle.
Then you can get an idea of how much silt and sand you need to add to your clay to create the best combination Loam.
There are several articles below that can give you some ideas about how to exploit the value of your clay whether it be by amending the large holes you dig, or creating a mound for planting.
Hope this helps you think about your options. In Oregon you probably have access to load of wood chips which if composted to break down into soil could be your most affordable source of organics.
Dennis
Kent, wa
To get to this article by Purdue.edu, google: Fundamentals of Soil Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
To access this other useful article, Google: Fact Sheets Cations and Cation Exchange Capacity
Benefits of soil organisms: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/soil-organism
Municipal leaf waste nutrient components
https://sustainable-farming.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/JEQ-2006-Chem-Comp-of-Leaves.pdf
so this gravel drain is like a French drain, but sits right under the root ball? did you use corrugated pipe to move the water from the ditch and drain it few feet away from the tree?
