By the bag it'll be available soon everywhere, (walmart, co-op, tractor supply)it's pretty seasonal. I would avoid the Crayola sand for gardens, but you knew that:) A little sand might help garden soil, if you also have a lot of compost to add with it

Make sure it's pure silica. Lots of what's sold as sand in this part of the country is not pure silica and does not have a neutral pH. Course sand is usually preferable for horticultural needs. I get small bags at HD or Lowes. Just be careful what you're getting.

Just in case anyone reading this doesn't know, adding small amounts of sand to clay makes something similar to concrete.

Southland Brick and Block
3201 Franklin Limestone Road, Antioch
834-1207

Of course you do want "Silica sand". There is no "Pure silica" available for sale as sand for garden use, and you wouldn't want to pay the price if there was, but it would be crystal clear!

Rockguy,

Maybe you know something that the manufacturers/packagers of the multiples brands of sand I've used don't, or, maybe they know something that you don't. I'm going by what I've been told by some pretty knowledgeable people. The last package of sand I used plainly stated that it was 100% silica. Now, maybe it was really just 99.9%, or whatever, but discussing that (if that is, by chance, where you were going) would be idiotic. In any event, one does need to be sure the sand is a silica sand (or at least a pH neutral sand) rather than many of the other sands sold in this part of the country, usually as building materials, that are not pH neutral!

Rockguy,

I visited US Silica's website. You might want to look at some of their product data sheet. I will provide the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: US Silica's Material Data Sheet Index

I was by Lowe's yesterday, so I did a little "Sand shopping" while I was there.

They had EVERGREEN brand LEVELING SAND, which was a Tan color throughout. From reading the packaging, it appeared to be all sand (silica) with no other additives or fillers.

They also had SAKRETE MULTI PURPOSE SAND, which was a multi-colored (mostly brown) sand. I think that is a mixture of silica sand, plus other rock/mineral content that they grind and add to the silica. The reason I say that, is because the Sakrete web site also shows a NATURAL PLAY SAND that says..."Natural sand, not manufactured".
So, I assume that the Multi Purpose Sand is a "manufactured" sand.

Also, they had PREMIUM PLAY SAND; a whiter sand than the Evergreen brand. The packaging stated that it was "also useful as a garden soil amendment". The Premium Play Sand appeared to be silica sand, but stated that it "may contain an additive to prevent clumping". The packaging did not state what that additive was.

At this time, I am leaning toward purchasing a few bags of the Sakrete Multi Purpose Sand, to give it a try. Because of it's darker and more varied color, I would assume that it has a more varied mineral content, which might make it a more valuable soil amendment.

I wish that the lableing on the Sand bags was required to list the source of the sand material, and/or the % contents materials (silica/rock/additives/etc...). It seems that virtually any grainy material can be packaged and sold as "sand".

I may be totally over-analyzing this whole thing. But, I just want to know what I'm working with, instead of blindly adding anything to my soil or planters.

I think it's a very good idea that you are analyzing what you get. Better now than after your plants die from having their soil mixture's pH drastically raised. Also remember to get course grained sand rather than the fine stuff.