Help With Veggie Garden in Sandy Soil

[ztrjim]

I Live on the coast in South Carolina and our soil is very sandy. I planted my first garden this year via two 4'x8' beds. I did plant a bunch of stuff. The only thing I had success with was I got baby carrots, cucumbers, some tomatoes, squash and strawberries. Everything else really did nothing. But I will say that for the first few weeks I did not water enough so partly my vault.

Tips for helping plants grow in sandy soil or what type of plants thrive please!?!?

 

[bcjmmac]

Add Organic matter, organic matter and then more organic matter. Can you get sea weed from the coast? Compost &, or, rotted manure? All this is of course to build up the water retaining abilities of your soil, improve the soil bacterial culture, & increase fertility. You can also grow cover crops and turn them under to build up the soil. Once you've done that you should be able to grow anything that thrives in the heat you have down there. You'll also have to do this on an ongoing basis as the heat tends to break down the organic matter quickly.,

 

[SandburRanch]

I Live on the coast in South Carolina and our soil is very sandy. I planted my first garden this year via two 4'x8' beds. I did plant a bunch of stuff. The only thing I had success with was I got baby carrots, cucumbers, some tomatoes, squash and strawberries. Everything else really did nothing. But I will say that for the first few weeks I did not water enough so partly my vault.

Tips for helping plants grow in sandy soil or what type of plants thrive please!?!?

Sandy soil can be an asset as opposed to clay but as mentioned organic additions are constant and as you discovered water monitoring is often more frequent.

Many counties have an extension service, are usually friendly and can be most helpful for your conditions in the area.

If you'll obtain a test kit and take the result to them they'll know you are serious about raising a few fruits and veggies. The soil structure test is an " on your own " thing but the extension service will appreciate that too. Both tests are very basic and simple to use, read and the EXT service can make recommendations from them.