I came on here looking for ideas mainly about practices with foundation gardening and ensuring I am not exposing my foundation to excess water, they were limited so I did contact a local pro and the building inspector who suggested the french drain idea which would handle any potential excess water, it is sand around here so very easy to install and not expensive. At this time there is no so called swale in the yard, the water does not presently flow down the driveway .. it hangs out by the block step area till it filters down through the soil. I don't want a ditch between the garage parking and house because it is going to be a high traffic area. The french drain does have to be wrapped to ensure sand does not clog the holes, but water penetrates, one can even put a clean out on it but I won't be. Maybe it is overkill but I am determined to maintain a dry basement, provide an avenue for excess water to drain(out of sight), a safe walking area and I would like it to look good ... I have what you call swales in other parts of the yard where there is grass and next to no foot traffic but in this location I don't think it is appropriate ... thanks everyone for your ideas..

ibuzzard - yes, constantly adding organic matter after harvest before the next crop. To speed things up bring in a lot of organic matter as manure + bedding to compost in piles set aside from the current gardening beds. Then after harvest rake those on to the beds if you let some lay fallow or put what is crumbling & dark brown on beds you plan to replant right away. It takes awhile to build enough compost to cover all the beds at all times, but with diligence you can do it. The small animal manures like chicken & rabbits are potent, but not the quantity you'd need. Get a hold of some horse manures and you'll be able to speed up the process. Ten years of using chicken, duck & rabbit manures from our backyard animals (Plus liberal amounts of used coffee grounds + shredded leaves mown over on the lawn in fall. Plus our kitchen waste compost bin contents.)... didn't up the soil organic matter content as much as when we started adding horse manure as well composting first in piles or spreading in fall on fallow beds. Volume made a huge difference though I was quite skeptical in the beginning, afraid of weeds & then learned about the herbicide residue in some hay fed to livestock. I made sure we used manure from horses fed alfalfa hay instead. Now after at least 3 years of horse manures we no longer need 6-12 inches of it added in the fall to break down. The soil is light, fluffy and diggable with hands rather than pickaxe like before.

g'day megs8, for the gardens keep it simple and go for raised beds we have pic's etc.,. on our site on how we do that. for the lawn well that is another issue, 2 ways to look at it though might be more sustianable to do some research on what grows best in sandy conditions it may not be like a regular lawn but it will be easily maintained. other than that you would need to indorporate a good dose of organic matter into the soil first then top off with a reasonable layer of top soil, and keep adding finely chopped mulch each growing season. or simply have more gardens. len Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

sand is not a drainage issue.. its the pefect draining soil ... so its a water issue ... its nto the same thing if you think about it ... if you are in such heat and drought.. that the plant requires to be watered twice a day.. then water it twice a day.. whats the big deal .. just do it ... and add a good layer of mulch.. to keep the soil cooler.. retain moisture.. and reduce heat buildup ... your plant looks very vibrant and vigorous.. me thinks you doth protest too much ... some years.. due to heat and drought.. rose FLOWERS just dont last more than a day or two.. especially on a recently planted shrub ... and there isnt much you can do about it.. but complain. and water .. its the farmers lament ... its too wet.. its too dry.... too much rain.. damn drought .....etc .... bugs.. famine,, plagues. lol .. if you want to go all biblical on it.. [ boy the bible and Shakespeare in one post.. man im banging it out today .. lol ../ ken ps: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffcm&q=doth+protest+too+much&ia=web