Need Some Pointers on A Vegetable Garden

[RLinNH]

At my old house, I built my wife a raised garden bed. I went up about 11", and I went 16' x 16'. Fast forward to our new to us house. It appears that the old owners had some sort of garden at some point. I have a fenced in area, cheap metal fence posts with metal wire stringers. The soil inside the fenced in area looks like beach sand. Literally, beach sand.

This Saturday I plan on taking down the fencing and scraping the top soil off. Maybe scrape down about 4"-6". My conundrum is what to use as soil. In the raised bed I purchased all the soil from Lowe's. The bagged stuff. Is there anything I can buy from a local dirt merchant? Or is vegetable garden soil more than that? I want to scrape off all the old stuff, replace with good soil, then install some new fencing. Any tips?

 

[Daren Todd]

You can get bulk compost from local nusery's, garden centers and such. Also your local landfill may have some as well.

When I had some raised garden beds I filled them with compost from a local nursery. Just stunk having to shovel the stuff out of the bed of the truck. I then found out that they got it from the local dump. Local dump chips and shreds all the yard waste, then sells the compost.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

If it's sand right now, don't remove anything just add manure till it in good and you'll grow like mad!

 

[skeets]

Check around what they may have had was a pool there. WHen I took the pool down there was several truck loads of same used to level the whole thing up, cause I had it raised to level it out with RR ties. Anyway see if your local garden center has mushroom mulch and mix a load in, taters will grow mater will grow and just about anything you want, and this stuff has no smell to it, except a fine earthy smell

 

[Stmar]

I am with NIW, keep the sand and add organic material to it.

 

[RCW]

I am with NIW, keep the sand and add organic material to it.

+3. I wouldn't use fresh manure because of weeds, but the old composted stuff and some peat might do wonders.

 

[Creature Meadow]

You have a number of options.

I actually added sand to my raised beds to help improve water penetration and prevent run off.

My local dump also sales shredded mulch but I stay away from it because I don't have any idea what's in it. Dump truck loads of debris are dumped and staked by track hoes then once a month that using a huge shredder to process it.

If possible find a local chicken farmer that will give or sale you composted manure and mix in in with your current soil/sand.

If the above is not possible find a local nursery and they will sale you premixed soil that they use in the pots.

After you decide which route to go have soiled tested so you will know what it needs such as lime.

Good luck.

Jay

 

[Bulldog777]

Dig down below the sand, find out what kind of soil is beneath. You could get a soil sample if you wanted to. You might could mix the sand and sub soil. Add some compost around your plants. This might be the cheapest and easiest alternative.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[bucktail]

I'll third NIW and Stmar. I'll add that the manure or mulch or whatever you put down should be rotted before you add it though. Sandy soil is typically acidic and rotting vegetation will make it more acidic until it is done rotting. You probably don't want your radishes and carrots growing in a freshie anyway.

 

[PHPaul]

Agree with all of the above. COMPOST! Raw manure if that's all you can get, but compost is best.

In extreme circumstances, you might want to add a little clay to the mix to help water retention, but ONLY if you can break it up and mix it in well.

 

[hope to float]

Also bear in mind that some plants, like carrots, prefer a free draining sandy soil.
The beauty of growing in sand is that you know exactly what you are feeding plants. The only nutrients available to the plants are the ones that you put in.