You need to amend the soil. Then you need to amend the soil again,then after that, amend the soil again and when you are all done you need to amend the soil once more.

Moved here about five years ago. I have very sandy soil. First year I amended my first couple of beds with something called "eggshell" compost since I could not find in bulk the compost of my choice which was mushroom compost. After that first year my beds looked like they had literally eaten up all the compost I added so I redid all the beds I had at that time with some "decomposed pine fines" that I found here locally. I think I got about 16 yards of that at which time I dug out all the perennails I had planted in my beds and heavily amended with these pine fines.

The next year I found out that my county provided free of charge very nicely chipped and composted tree and leaf mulch. My gardens were getting fuller and of greater number so I started top dressing with the compost instead of incorporating it into the soil. I can't even remember how many truckloads of compost we shoveled probably 10 or more.

The following year I bought another truckload of the composted pine fines and top dressed with that.

This year the nursery I work for got four or five truckloads of composted horse manure from a friend of theirs and I have been topdressing all my gardens with that. Next year I plan to use the horse manure again or in lieu of that I will buy another truckload of the composted pine fines.

I plan on topdressing my beds well into the future. My main problem has been the sand as well as acidity of my soil and the lack of nutrients found in this sandy soil. I've spent alot of money on organic fertilizer. Hopefully the horse manure will help me to that end.

You can make you own compost. I have no lack of leaves since I have tons of trees but I do have a profound lack of a green to add to the piles such as grass clippings, etc. since my grass is centipede and very sparse. I have also not been able to keep any compost pile moist enough to get the composting going to any good degree.

I have been most pleased with the composted pine fines. It breaks down very quickly and when it does it looks much like a good nursery mix of bagged soil (minus the perlite and vermiculite of course).

Keep the faith. That first year I struggled to get anything to thrive in the sand. Now my garden soil looks more like loam than it does sand. I think if I had the money I would first use the decomposed pine fines since they seemed to make the most difference.

As far as perennials, even that first year I had good luck with garden phlox. After all the amending I can grow just about anything now except things that like alot of water. Some plants like obedient plant or persicaria that are invasive in clay soil I still can't get to thrive in my "well-drained" beds ha.

If you have any specific questions please ask. Adele

Pauline,
HD sells soil conditioner. That is what it is called.
It is black gold.
Follow the instructions on the bag.
Also, composted cow manure. Moo nure.
Plant your individual plants with moo nure mixed with the soil conditioner.
Then mulch everything real good.
You will be very pleased with your results.
Soil conditioner is inexpensive, at HD anyway.
Moo nure, not expensive.
Mulch, about 3.00 a nice size bag.
Having your plants thrive like you can't believe,
priceless.
Now, growing grass in sand is a whole other pita.
LOL
Good Luck!

Or you could skip amending the soil, and go with plants that thrive in fast drying, sandy soils.

Succulents such as sedum, sempervivum, delosperma (ice plants), agave.
Herbs such as Lavender, Nepeta (catmint), Agastache (hummingbird mint).
Look for plants native to your area, the midwest, or the mediterranean.

I'd take sand any day over clay. It doesn't really matter what kind of soil you have you should always be amending it with compost. The biggest problems with sandy soil is that it can just eat all the nutrition you throw on it and then beg for more - it is very nutrient poor. If you want a big garden you might plan on buying it by the truck load - not as expensive as you'd think. But you need a herd of teenagers to help you wheelbarrow it from the driveway to the beds otherwise it tends to sit there for months and months.

I vote for going with plants that thrive in sandy soil. I went from midwestern clay to fairly sandy soil, even though I live in the mountains and most here have red clay.

So I stick with what naturally grows in this area as well as what the above poster mentioned... herbs, succulents, alpines. Many plants must have quickly draining soil, so it really depends on what you want to do. If it is just perennials, then you will be fighting nature if you put in plants that require higher moisture and nutrients than you have naturally in the soil, and you will be obligated to continually top dress, fertilize, mulch, etc.

If you are wanting veggies, etc. you might want to think about raised beds.

Just my two cents...

Jeanne

I agree with everyone who's written. Amend, amend, amend to try to improve moisture holding capability and soil structure. This will be my fourth gardening season in my sandy soil and I've finally seen my first earthworms here and there. It's so much more satisfying to go with what grows well in your soil than to try to fight it. I'd like to add Salvias to the plants already mentioned. They don't mind being dry for the most part. Also, poppies and cosmos do well. My favorite (right now)annual is Salvia coccinea 'Coral Nymph'. The hummingbirds love it. It reseeds freely. Happy gardening
Pam

Had a similar situation with a large sandy area (former foundation) in full sun. Very ugly and in the front yard. I ammended with composted cow manure and then started using my own composted grass clippings and leaves every year as mulch. It s work but worth it. Also picked perrenials that love sand- liatris, butterfly weed, yarrow, salvia, obedient flower, lantana, gaura, verbena, hardy hibiscus, sedum, ornamental grasses, coneflower.... To help them get established during drought and brutal heat, try using Aquaspikes the first year. It s taken time (five years this spring) and work but now it looks great and requires very little water or care. And always remember to have fun with it and that Nature is very forgiving.