"JimR" wrote in message
...

"SteveB" wrote in message
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We've just returned after being gone for six days. Apparently the wind
blew while we were gone. There are new sand dunes in the back yard. The
door threshold was half an inch thick with driven sand. It musta blown
like a big dog.

I live in Southern Utah, near St. George. We are surrounded by sandstone
and dunes. Beautiful stuff, just sandy.

We want to cultivate a garden this spring, and to plant trees and plants.
What do we need to do special to help our new plants in this sandy
environment? I want to make a shadecloth barrier for the garden to
lessen the direct sun, and perhaps to help break some of the sand from
settling in on hard won cultivated soil.

Tips appreciated.

Steve
You'll probably get lots of advice about adding compost, mulch, etc., but
in the long run I'd suggest you're best off to live with the environment
you have and first concentrate on plants that are native to your area.
Your big box stores will carry a lot of plant that are marginal at best
for your specific climate, but a good local nursery, or your local
extension service, can give you information. There's also a booklet, Utah
at Home: Landscaping with Native Plants, from the Utah native plant
society, that should have good info. There's also a list of suggested
plants from the University of Utah at
http://www.hort.usu.edu/PlantGuide/index.htm.

Thanks for the tip and site. I learned years ago when I lived in Louisiana
that the best place for plants (vegetables) was the local feed stores, as
they got the species that the University CoOp and state had developed for
that region. I had the best luck with those varieties, although there were
a couple of exceptions.

I know that when we get ready to plant and do some work that I will go to
the local Star Nursery and talk to the people there. Thus far, they have
helped us a lot with irrigation equipment, and suggestions on fertilizers,
and all. They seem like a knowledgeable bunch.

We live in a very transitional area due to elevation, and I know there will
be some good stories and some flops. Good news is that there are lots of
things that grow good here, even with the sandy soils. The pioneers did it
here with just the things they had to work with. Hand tools. Animal
manure. Nothing special.

It's been a long time since I had a garden. That was in Lafayette,
Louisiana. I'm looking forward to the coming season.

Steve