it's all sand!

I'm at my daughters in Conn and I was going to stick some daffodills in the ground, but when I dig, its all sand. Advice please. Also any difference in depth of planting? She's in Guilford, I would imagine zone 6 or 7?

I have clay, so hopefully somebody with experience growing in sandy soil will respond. But since nobody has replied yet, I thought I would chip in with my thoughts...

I think planting depth would be the same. I plant a little more shallowly in clay soil because it seems daffs just don't want to come up through 6 inches of clay, so mine are more like 3 or 4 inches below the surface (seems to work fine in our zone). The problem with sandy soil might be that the soil doesn't retain moisture well. Adding some compost to the hole will help with that, and I would also suggest using one of those water-absorbing polymer products, like "Soil Moist." The polymer crystals absorb a ton of water and release it slowly, and they also seem to help keep soil from getting too soggy, so I don't think using them would present a risk of rotting the bulbs.

If you're adding amendments to the soil, it's probably easier to dig planting holes big enough for a bunch of bulbs if you're "naturalizing" them into an area or to amend a garden bed for them.

Happy planting, and good luck!

I have sandy soil. My house was built on an old river bed. I'm gardening in sand and rocks!

Plant everything deeper than you normally would. When the soil dries out, its going to fall over. All of my lillies and tulips look lovely lounging around in the lawn. Mulch and fertilizer are required!

My suggestion would be to work in good top soil, manure and peat. The good and bad part of sand-it drains really well. Did you try digging a hole and filling it with water? That will tell if you if you need to add something to slow down drainage, if it works how it is or if holds water too long.

Hi - I', four blocks from the ocean in Florida. Bulbs love it here. The soil drains sharply. I do have to add organic matter - compost, coffee grounds - to encourage water to soak into the soil and for fertility. It's really easy to weed here though!

I second that barksy. Weeding is nearly effortless. I guess that means I should do it more often. NAH!

I was getting distressed about having sand (at least 5 ft down, maybe more!), but I am encouraged by the "ease of weeding" reports! I have tried to garden in the clay/cement before :-)

Good point Barksy...I add a little peat or top soil to the sand here in Orlando, as well as a granular polymer water additive. Not too much polymer, you don't want wet bulbs, just enough to keep the sand from parching. The sand will stay more compacted when it stays slightly damp, and keep your plants from tipping like Renwings stated. Try using a soil or peat with no vermiculite. Drainage won't be a problem for you with sand!
MerryMary