Sandy soils have a fine grained silica base. They retain very little in the way of water, fertilizers and nutrients. This means they are an extremely poor growing medium. Once they dry out they are difficult to moisten. Water just runs off. All is not lost though they can be revitalized with the addition of organic matter. Sandy soils are light and easy to dig, hoe and weed. They warm up rapidely in the spring and seeds germinate very fast. They do however allow water to drain through too quickly and this results in nutients being washed away. Give sandy soil body by digging in clay. Large quanties of humus, peat, leaf mould, compost or manures. This will improve the soil, but you will still need to water regularly. Even with all the added improvements to the soil it may still dry out rapidly. This type of soil will also need fertilizers on a regular basis. Sometimes sandy soil is high in acid, this can be corrected by adding lime. A well improved sandy soil is ideal for growing vegetables, bulbs and annuals. Also conifers prefer light sandy soil.