Oh please give me some advice

I am in FL too (south FL) and you're right--the dirt stinks! I having been doing some planting this year and so far everything is going good. I did not remove any dirt, just added some dark topsoil ($1 a bag at the nursery) and a sprinking of fertilizer and have been watering faithfully. In my little veg/herb garden I did throw in some compost. I also mulched around everything. The only thing with pots is you have to watch how much/little you water. It's very easy to let things dry out or totally over water in pots. Is there something in particular you're trying to grow? Here's what I recently planted: areca palms, elephant ears, bouganvilla and a little tangerine tree. I am not such a good gardener (and am fairly new to FL) but my friend is a landscaper so I just do what she tells me!

I don't know what part of Florida you live in but I lived in Miami. There are Universities that provide free information on your question and related questions in agriculture/gardening. Also talk to a local nursery and find out what grows in that dirt without having to spend a lot of money. I planted crotons, hibiscus and palm trees plus grass and it grew nicely. Also use a lot of plants in containers to pretty up the place. In addition you can contact the Agriculture Dept. for free booklet in gardening in your area. Good luck.

For a quick fix, try asking any farmers in your area for cow/horse/chicken/goat manure..lots of it. Work it into the soil and let it age (sit) for a month b4 planting anything in it. For long term, start adding all your kitchen (not meat or eggs) and yard waste to the garden. Dig it under each time you do. Eventually you'll have rich soil, may take several years to aquire it. I never use chemicals on/in my garden or yard. Just lots of compost and leaves/grass clippings as mulch.

I live in country Australia & have a similar problem (my ground is nothing but limestone & clay, you can try & replace the soil but there's no guarantee it'll work. Definitely put some potting mix in a bigger than needed pot, then plant you plant in there & bury the entire pot - they'll grow through the pot eventually & eventually only get to a certain size but at least they'll be healthy & wont die on you. My Dad put in a pond with barkchips all the way around it (now this was on a paved area), he buried the potted plants in the barkchips & over time the barkchips decompose & turn in to soil, then you top the barkchips up & eventually you have a great soil, the plants have grown through their pots & it works very well & it's not overly expensive either!

Kming52 has the right idea if you are looking for a cost effect garden. I dont know what top soil sells for by your home but near me its like $4 a bag for the cheap stuff. The cost of removing 12 inches of sand and replacing it with top soil would cost a fortune. I would suggest buying the flowers you want to plant transplanting them to a larger pot with top soil than planting the whole pot partailly or fully in the ground. I knwo alot of people dont lie to go with the typical plants for the soil or climate they are in but plants that are typical to those conditions usually wont last no mater how much effort you put into it. Check out www.flowergardeningtips.com

well why you are asking from us go to professional because they can tell you better

Maybe ask your local nursery what is easy to grow in your soil. Also look at what is doing well in your neighborhood.If your potted plants are doing ok just leave them there. It would probably take to much time and money to haul in garden soil. Do you like cactus? I found some on the beach here in Texas several years ago. I took them home and put them in pots since we dont have very sandy soil.

I suggest u plant it in land but in pot.I like gardening and i learnt botany by myself very well .

I'd like to suggest that the best thing you could do for your garden is to provide it with nutrient rich soil.Simply remove the sand you have currently about a foot deep.Then replace this with compost the first 6 inches then top soil the next layer . Living in Florida you must also consider the amount of moisture the plants will receive and how to accommidate them . If you can afford it consider a trickle ;also known as a drip irrigation system.Once you've place your flowers simply run the tubing thruout the planting area .Add about 2 to 3 inches of mulch over this to hide the tubing .This will also help with retaining moisture and keeping your garden cool. Happy Planting!!

I live in Florida also and we have this problem sometime too. What my husband has been doing is adding a good soil to the sand along with fertilizer and it works for the most part. We've had pretty good luck with the plants this year, last year seem to be worse, but thank goodness, I guess we figured it out. Good Luck with yours

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