How to 'fix' a sand volleyball court

15 years ago

I have new friends who's kids are now all gone to college. They have a huge (40'x60') sand volleyball court that they want to get rid of, but don't have decent access to get trucks in to dig/haul the sand out and replacement soil back in. I suggested just turning the whole thing into a butterfly garden. My question to all of you: Is it possible to convert pure sand into productive soil by just adding organic amendments? My plan was to bring in 12-18 inches of leaves and any horse manure I can get my hands on and just let it compost in place over the winter. In the spring I could either plant directly, or till and then plant. Or do you think I should till yet this fall? The sand is 6-8" deep and mixed with gravel. It hasn't been played on in years, so it's compacted by the rain and snow. Still easy to dig. I don't know what kind of soil is below it, but I figure anything will benefit from organic additions. Since I'm planning to plant only drought tolerant natives, I'd be happy with pretty lean soil.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Martha

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Comments (4)

curtludwig
15 years ago
Sounds like a good plan to me, have them bury all their food waste and they'll be on their way.

I'd say to start small though 40x60 is 2400 square feet, 12" of leaves over that is 88 cubic yards (40x60=2400*1(for depth of leaves)=2400/27(cubic feet in a yard)=88), think 12 single axle dumptrucks... Leaves compost down to squat too...
I'd start with a maybe 8'x8' section 64 square feet is pretty manageable. Considering what you're staring with I'd say layer on anything you can get. I wouldn't bother to dig, sand is pretty amazing and will sort of percolate up through whatever OM you put down.
Kimmsr
15 years ago
The soil I garden in is essentially Lake Michigan beach sand and I have made that into a very productive soil just by adding lots of organic matter. We have lots of trees here in Michigan that produce lots of organic matter every year that most everyone expends lots of time, energy, and money (you pay extra to have your leaves and other yard waste hauled away) to "get rid of them" in the fall so next spring they can go to the garden center and buy Peat Moss to replace the organic matter they threw away the previous fall, and Ma Nature provides us with this bounty each and every fall making those leaves a renewable resource.
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curtludwig
15 years ago
I'm considering harvesting a neighbor lady's grass clippings. She's been dumping in the same spot for YEARS. She doesn't use any chemicals on her lawn so I suspect whats down on the bottom of her clipping pile will be outstanding compost. She says I can have all I can haul...
dchall_san_antonio
15 years ago
I use sand exclusively to resurface my yard from washouts and construction damage. Everything grows perfectly well and after years of organic care, the sand appears to be black when you look at it. However, it is still sand. If I scoop out a little bit and drop it into a jar of water, the blackness floats and the pure white sand drops to the bottom of the jar.

I planted a small, potted banana in new sand last year and it has gone, well, "bananas." It is taller than the house and has eight new pups almost as tall trying to take over the yard.