[Kathogur]

I didnt think I had sandy soil but I have been diggin down to add compost and then cover in time.  About ten inches down I hit a layer of sand, no wonder the earth was always dry no matter how much I water.  I have now started to put a layer of newspaper or thin old carpet before compost.  I hope you can tell me I am doing right.

[Growster...]

I'd forget the carpet, Kath.

Keep the other stuff!

[Lardman]

There are a few of us who grow in sandpits  You need organic matter and LOTS of it, however much you think you want; you'll need more, much more.

There are benefits, light warm soil in the spring get you off to a fast start and it's easy to work, but it's a struggle in the hot weather and any nutrients you add will quickly run away. Adjust what you grow and how you grow it to suit conditions, I don't bother much with thirsty crops like beans any more but asparagus is easy 

[oakridge]

My land is an acid, sandy South facing slope with a brambles and bracken infestation, apart from that it is lovely.  I read a book by Dr. Shewell-Cooper in the 70s and have used minimal cultivation ever since.  My Grandad told me that double digging was invented by head gardeners to keep the workers busy and I don't do it.  I make about 20 cubic metres of compost each year.  My main cultivation tools are a Chillington and Canterbury hoe and a three prong cultivator.  Before planting a put a continuous run of bucker fulls of compost.  I am successful with onions, garlic, shallots and leeks as well as potatoes and brassicas.  I do not do well with legumes and directly sown seeds.  There is no mains water supply but there is a surface water spring which fills four 350 litre butts during the Winter.  I also have 19 young top fruit trees - thereby hangs a tail - which are doing very well.

See below for photos.

[JayG]

Make sure you turn the compost into the soil where it can do its job of helping to improve water retention - in my experience if you just chuck it on top it tends to dry out leaving you with an even lighter and drier growing medium than you had before. 

It took me a few years to realise that very light soils lose their nutrients quickly, especially from the top 6-9 inches where most of your summer veg will be looking for sustenance. You need to feed more often than you would think necessary on more fertile soils, which means dry feeds 2-3 times during the growing season, and sometimes liquid feeds too if you think crops aren't growing as strongly as they should be.

[Kathogur]

Some really good advice thanks guys.  The carpet was a long shot, I am still going to pack some newspapers at the bottom. thanks again.

[oakridge]

In the last 2/3 years I have discovered Gro-Sure Planting Magic a handful of which is added to each planting hole.  If they are brassicas a handful of lime also goes in.  I do work the compost I apply into the surface with the Canterbury hoe and the worms are very good at working it in.  You will see from my photos that I have a good supply of grass clippings, wood chippings and cardboard which help suppress weeds and retain water.  There is a picture in the collection of growing leeks which I have started pulling in the last couple of days and the soil is positively wet under all that grass mulch.

Newspaper I put between the rows to suppress weeds - an idea I got from Kinlochloich Gardens.

On the subject of carpet I do have some but it is only used on the compost heap to suppress weeds and is constantly being moved.