I learned the hard way how fast very sandy beds will eat up organic matter. The more often the beds dry out the faster the bed will return to its sandy state. Finding cypress mulch was the single most effective thing I found in preventing the quick return to sandy soil. I keep my beds heavily mulched year round and only remove the mulch between planting’s to add amendments and turn the beds. I tried a multitude of mulches like grass clippings, straw, paper, and leaves and none of them were very effective at keeping the soil moist and cool enough.
Regular additions of cottonseed meal to attract soil building wriggles is probably the next most important. The first sign that the soil needs more organic matter and cottonseed meal is a decress in the earthworm population. Worms don’t particularly like dry sandy conditions but RKN certainly do. The cottonseed meal does three things at once to improve soil by providing fertilizer, adding organic matter and attracting wranglers.
Adding peat is another essential thing in quickly reducing the sandiness of a bed. It really improves moisture retention.
Another key ingredient is bark fines. In a sandy bed it is very helpful to add some organic matter that won’t breakdown too rapidly and bark fines do that. They are also fairly cheap and readily available from nurseries and big box home improvement stores.
Bill
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