Can anyone tell me what to be prepared for when planting in sandy loam soil? (is this really soil? i posted a ? on this topic in lawn care as I am not certain what sandy loam is.) When I am researching plants for my gardens should I look for items that thrive in sandy soils or look for something else? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Christina

Sandy soils are not the best about holding water. To help them to do so, add lava sand. Adding sand to sand may not seem like a good thing to do, but I assure you it will help!

http://www.seedsource.com/catalog/category.asp?txtsearchParamTxt=&txtsearchParamCat=7&txtsearchParamType=ALL&txtsearchParamMan=ALL&txtsearchParamVen=ALL&txtFromSearch=fromSearch&btnSearch.x=10&btnSearch.y=7

has an online catalog of seed and charts which tell you what seeds can grow in various types of soil. These are orgacic seeds, and you can't beat that with a stick!

Thanks for your help Nadine. Now, I guess my worry is if I should buy plants for sand or for clay? This landscaping will have about two inches of the sandy loam on top of the gumbo we normally have. Reckon, I'll look for plants that do well in both situations.

Hugs,
Christina

How deep will the roots grow? Different plants have different root systems, but this is something to think about. Deeper rooting plants will need to be the kind for clay soil. Many plants can do all right in both. Check out the recommendations at http://www.seedsource.com
http://www.seedsource.com/catalog/detail.asp?product_id=1808for example, has a chart showing that these seeds can be planted in any type soil.