Fellow zone 7 resident, what plants can I plant that will thrive in clay soil? Next time I get paid, I'll be back on my gardening kick.
Do you like okra? Okra will grow like the dickins. Be prepared to pick it almost every day in the summer, or you'll be overrun with huge pods. It will be nine feet tall by the end, in full sun, so get a step ladder.
Sweet potatoes like this area well, though you should break up the heavy clay with a fork for them, and if you've got a slightly sandier spot they'll like that even better.
Collards will grow in just about anything. I've had great success with cowpeas (field, crowder, pink eye & black eyed peas - that whole family), plus those will reseed themselves if you're not too thorough with picking them, which I find convenient.
(Seems like a theme here - things that are traditional old time foods also grow well here. Not too surprising, in the end.)
I also grow tomatoes well without amending the soil much. And many herbs, though lovage is defeated by the heat after a season or so. But basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, rosemary, lemon verbena, and dill have thrived for me.
For almost anything, see if you can help the soil out, just a bit. Rotting logs buried in the bed, or mulch on top, or a couple bags of that cheap aged manure you can buy, mixed in over a large area, will go a long way. Don't feel like you have to totally reshape what the soil is like, bc clay will grow good vegetables, but just help it out a little if you can.
