I would cover it with several inches of mulch and leave it alone. In fact I did that again yesterday in my own yard. The white beach sand I started with 2 years ago is now black sand because of all the organic matter living in it under the mulch.

Okay, thanks! That sounds do-able. ;)

Do you live somewhere where you can get cheap or free material for this? Ideas might include:

Horse bedding (straw/manure)
Shredded yard waste mulch (local city dropoff)
Coffee grounds (Starbucks etc.)

Probably some other ones depending on where you're at. Of course you'll need a truck for some this. :-)

Easy and cheap doesn't always come quickly so if you want good soil in which to plant soon it may be difficult. If your 'good sandy stuff' is nutritious then you may get a good crop just using mulch altho might have to water frequently. I've never gardened in your zone but expect even mulch won't hold moisture in sandy soil for long with high temperatures. You might find a grocery store that will give you veggie trimmings and a coffee shop for UCG with which you can sheet mulch. Ask friends to save their kitchen scraps also. If you are inclined you can chop these for faster decomposition.

Long term you might grow cover crops off season and do everything you can to encourage earthworms who are your best helpers in building soil. That means no toxic chemicals to harm them and additions of organic matter for them to eat.

Courtney .... One el-cheepo way to grow in raised bed with scarce soil supply ....make a planting hole or kind of 'planter' .... line it with cardboard or slabs of newspaper ... put coarse mulch or garden trimmings around the 'paper planting hole'[PPH] ... fill PPH with good soil [boughten or scrounged] and plant your veggie or whatever. This will work for one season .... by then, the spaces between you plants you will have layerd [lasagna] with freebies like paper, manure, mulch, etc. Next year, you will be able to enter your beautiful [almost free] soil in the 'composter's fair'! ... or at very least brag to your fellow soil/compost wonks.

What do you have for soil now?
How much organic matter is in that soil now?
How well does your soil drain?
How well does your soil retain moisture?
What is the tilth of that soil like?
What kind of life is in that soil?
You have that you Plant Hardiness Zone is 8b which is pretty much useless information when talking about your soil. The only value that information has is which plants will most likely survive a normal winter in your area. Something describing where you are, such as central Missouri or eastern Tennessee would be of much more help.

Hello!

So I'm on the Olympic Peninsula in the PNW. I live in a very lucky town that has a 'rain shadow' from the Olympic Mountains, so we get less rain than, say, Seattle.

I think I could get some of those things free, I could definately get coffee grounds. Should I mix those in the soil? or layer them somehow? I could probably also get some straw (if not free than cheap). I also have an unlimited lifetime supply of wood chips. (lol if those can help me?) And I could collect lawn clippings.

Those are the materials I could get, I guess I'm not totally sure how to use them? (I think I stated it before.. but I'm a soil dummy :) This is my second year gardening)

I think I will try cover cropping in the off season. I've heard that certain types of clover do well for that in this area.

To answer a few questions :)

What do you have for soil now?
*A big pile in my dad's yard. Been sitting there for a couple of years*

How much organic matter is in that soil now?
*Um.. I have no idea.. there's some grass and weeds growning on it. (?)*

How well does your soil drain? *Drains well, fairly sandy*

How well does your soil retain moisture? *I'd think okay.. I don't mind watering often though*

What is the tilth of that soil like? *lol I don't know what that means!*

What kind of life is in that soil? *grass and weeds*

Thanks so much for the help and ideas! This is really helping me out :) I'd just like to have good soil to produce lots of veggies, and possible show off to a soil nerd someday. ;)

One of the best, and easiest ways to improve soil is to simply add leaves. You can partially work them into the soil, but don't worry about completely burying them. I added a six inch blanket of leaves into my raised vegetable garden and was amazed at the difference the next year. If you don't have any leaves left, you can do it in the fall.

I'm in the Olympic Rainshadow too. If you haven't already, you may want to check in with the folks on the Pac.NW forum for more area-specific ideas. If you don't have a huge supply of homemade compost to add to your soil, try adding lots of seaweed and coffeegrounds (both of which are in pretty good supply around here) while also starting to make your own compost with whatever you can. In the fall, get as many leaves as you can, both to add to your compost and to mulch your soil with. This really helps the earthworms multipy and improve your soil. Building good gardensoil takes at least a few years but is as much of an adventure as the gardening and compost-ingredient hunting that accompany it. Have fun!

You need to delve into your soil and learn some more about it and these simple soil tests can help answer the questions above,
1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2. Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer your soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.
and they can aid you in determining what you need to do with your soil to make it into a good, healthy soil.
Also you should contact your county office of the Washington State University Cooperative Extension Service about having a good, reliable soil test done.

Here is a link that might be useful: WSU CES