Our house was built on a steep hillside and so we have several terraces behind it. All the good soil was scraped off and just heavy clay left. I compost always and am finally getting some perennials to grow ther. our big field down below has better soil but poor drainage. DH dug ditches to the road and it helped a bit, then we discoved a small spring. So we do what we can. I love gardening and every year in addition to all the veggies and flowers we grow about an acre of sunflowers, dry the heads and feed the birds all winter.