Growing in sand, zone 4?

Hoosier_Daddy · March 24, 2015

At our weekend lake home the soil isn't soil. It is pretty much fine sand and some mixed in rock and gravel hauled in as fill. It drains really well but as far as nutrients, there isn't much. A few years ago I tried an experiment growing tomatoes by adding compost, not enough top soil and some mineral amendments to the sand. Plants grew but not so good.

This year I was thinking about trying again and figured for each tomato plant I'll dig out the sand/gravel and pour in a large bag of topsoil, compost and probably a fertilizer only because in Northern Michigan I do not expect bagged topsoil to have much nutrients going for it.

1. What fertilizer, if any, would you recommend?
2. What other soil amendments would you recommend?

paulgrow · March 24, 2015

I had an uncle who lived in southern Indiana and was a farmer. He grew watermelons and cantaloupes. His soil was just like beach sand. The melons did great. He also grew a vegetable garden for his own use again in pure sand, it did fantastic. His secret 12-12-12 fertilizer applied a couple of rimes a season. Hard to believe but i saw it with my own eyes.

Stvrob · March 24, 2015

My soil is fine sand. Add lots of organic matter and it does well.

March 24, 2015	#1
Hoosier_Daddy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: SE Michigan Posts: 11	Growing in sand, zone 4? At our weekend lake home the soil isn't soil. It is pretty much fine sand and some mixed in rock and gravel hauled in as fill. It drains really well but as far as nutrients, there isn't much. A few years ago I tried an experiment growing tomatoes by adding compost, not enough top soil and some mineral amendments to the sand. Plants grew but not so good. This year I was thinking about trying again and figured for each tomato plant I'll dig out the sand/gravel and pour in a large bag of topsoil, compost and probably a fertilizer only because in Northern Michigan I do not expect bagged topsoil to have much nutrients going for it. 1. What fertilizer, if any, would you recommend? 2. What other soil amendments would you recommend?

March 24, 2015	#2
paulgrow Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Allen Park, MI Posts: 178	I had an uncle who lived in southern Indiana and was a farmer. He grew watermelons and cantaloupes. His soil was just like beach sand. The melons did great. He also grew a vegetable garden for his own use again in pure sand, it did fantastic. His secret 12-12-12 fertilizer applied a couple of rimes a season. Hard to believe but i saw it with my own eyes. __________________ A world without tomatoes is like a string quartet without violins. ~Author Unknown~

March 24, 2015	#3
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	My soil is fine sand. Add lots of organic matter and it does well.