Creating new dirt in a sandy area any insights?

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mininissandog Tallahassee, FL(Zone 8b) Apr 07, 2007

I live in FL so I have sandy soil. What should I do to amend the soil and stay on budget (lowest cost possible)?

So far I have .... my timbers in place (12 x 16 ft garden area)
2 big bags of canadian peat (the dried compacted kind)
4 bags composted manure (know I'm going to need more of this)

I probably need a bag of lime (overall my soil was a little acidic so w/ the addition of peat it'll probably be really acidic before I'm done.)

I also have an endless supply of leaves from this past year I can till in if it would be a good idea.

What else do I need?

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wgnkiwi Burlingame, CA(Zone 9a) Apr 08, 2007

You might try posting this in the Soil and Composting forum. The folks over there are a goldmine of information.

I have sandy/clay soil so can't help, but I've been amending with store bought compost and redwood amendment. Not low cost by any stretch of the imagination but it's the only option I have at the moment.

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) Apr 08, 2007

The leaves, if composted or ground will be good.

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kmom246 Murfreesboro, TN(Zone 7a) Apr 22, 2007

I am living in the High Desert - literally pure sand at least 5 ft deep. I gave up trying to amend anything and garden in raised beds now. The wind would just blow everything away. I mix about 1/3rd sand plus store bought compost from different companies together. I haven't made enough green stuff to compost very effectively yet and I have to water the compost as much as the plants! But I'm working towards it. This is only my second season gardening in the desert, but I have noticed that my raised beds are already becoming quite nice to work in.

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tony9779 Ocala, FL(Zone 9a) Apr 24, 2007

HI,

I would be very careful with that compacted peat, Unless it is very well mixed in with "moister" compost it can tend to made you sand even drier. I tried that once and found out the 'hard' way. I have found that plantings of peas in winter, then beans in spring will also vastly improve the site, and enable the area to support tomatos and peppers without added any purchased soils or mixes.

Here in Ocala I have a 80' x 20' veggie garden that I try to use legumes as much as I can for soil conditioning. Just harvest the goodies, and till the rest in (or compost)

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