sultry_jasmine_nights

I am on 4 acres in NE FL. Part of it is wooded and has pine and hardwoods that have composted leaf litter and over the years has made nice dark rich dirt.
The acre around the house was horrible sand and one corner of the front yard has a natural spring underground and poor drainage. That area has lots of red clay.
So the best area for planting here is the area with the sand because it gets the most sun and no tree roots.
So I started making flower/planting beds that are amended. First we started two large compost bins by building them with pallets we got free on Craigslist.
Then started composting leaves, grass, chicken manure, and whatever else I could find or get. I also use coffee grounds from Starbucks which they will give you free by the bagful if you ask. Sometimes you can find horse stables or individuals on CL that will give you free or cheap manure for your composting. It usually is cheaper than buying the Black Cow at H. Depot or Lowes etc. Of course it needs to 'cool off' in the compost for awhile before you can use it. Nanners love manure!!

Then we starting raising rabbits. We build two vermicompost bins under their hutches with plans I found on the internet. This gives us a lot of nice worm compost which is great for plants.

After a few years, the new planting beds now have nice rich soil full of earthworms. Before, there were no worms anywhere in that sandy soil. We also made a huge edible garden area and amended the soil in it too. It can be done but takes a little time but well worth it!!