Eddie, Enough, already! In SC. the pure sand soil type varies from place to place, yard to yard. Yet, through the years it has sustained the population, fed the Yankee Army as it pillaged and burned and contributed much in the way of research to the horticultural world. Random thoughts on the subject. 1. You seem frantic about pH. As you gain more experience and study other yards and farms noted will be the fact that plants can adapt to a wide range of situations, especially if you select some of the quality types which have been developed by Clemson, UGA, et al, specifically for the south. The best vegetable garden I have seen in the south was on Spring Island, SC. which is a very private plantation. The owner of the garden, while out riding his horse in the depths of the Island discovered the old saw mill and huge mounds of pine sawdust/bark composted over the centuries. He built raised beds and filled them with nothing but this very acid pine compost soil. The results are unbelievable. Brassicas that look like those pictures of crops grown in Alaska. 2. Suggest you not use or compost fresh animal manures in the south. It is loaded with Bahia Grass seed. Once introduced into a garden it will forever be a weeding nightmare. Ditto hairy vetch. Your best cover crop in the veggie garden is the constant use of straw and the Ruth Stout method. Look it up. 3. Nutrients added to sandy soil quickly leach into the underworld. Your job is to figure out how to slow this process down. Forget about tilling. 4. I'm going to cut to the chase here. Place all you reports, studies, questions in the back of a dark drawer for this year. Plant your winter veggie garden using several handfuls of bagged mushroom compost in each planting hole or spread in the bottom of rows plus a handful of dried molasses which will discourage various root insects. Water in as you plant. Now, spread pine needles as a mulch over all. Yes, I know they are acid. Don't worry about it. Press on. On top of the pine straw spread the dark, rich pine bark mulch mixed with any compost on hand. Over this a light scattering of straw. This should be all you need do to grow veggies, repeated annually, building the soil. Amend sandy soils at the surface. Spend your efforts on developing compost, of which 25% pine bark compost should be incorporated. Great stuff! Use it.

Thanks everyone! That's a lot of information, and all good. I have (after a LOT of searching on the internet) found a nursery in a neighboring town that carries the E.B. Stone products. So I think I'll take a little trip next week up to Modesto and get some of that. They have it in a 3-Lb. box and also in a 10-Lb. bag. I did consider the sharing-with-the-neighbor idea, because our neighbor has a large lawn, in front and back, (we have none) - but he also has back trouble, and he's so nice that I know he would try to help with that 50-Lb. bag and probably hurt himself. Good idea, though. In fact, all these ideas are good. We are moving to Sacramento sometime this year, and I'm clipping some of these answers for future reference (who knows what young and helpful neighbors may await us?). Thanks again!

I shoulda mentioned, dchall, i was referring to the 'meals' that i have read that alfalfa was best. what would you recommend fertilizing with? i have been shredding leaves into the lawn, my composting is pretty much tied up in taking care of my landscape plants and veg. garden currently..... and alfalfa (based on using the recommended amount per sq. ft. is quite comparable to using commercial synthetic and organic lawn fertilizers: where a bag of alfalfa pellets runs me about 12 bucks for a 50 lb bag....kelp meal on the other hand, IS expensive, i've seen it on the net for about 35 to 40 bucks for a 50 lb bag, that price doesn't include shipping.

Yes. The pellets are easier to find and cheaper to purchase in my experience and they work well. If you water them right after they are put down the pellets disintegrate and become easier for the plants to digest. If you don't water them they become good rabbit food--which is what the pellets are used for by people who have rabbits.