Trying to make it better

[John Mogensen]

I live in zone 8a in west tx USA and my family and I have tried to grow a veggie garden unsuccessfully many times but this year I gave it a shot being how you say an adult now

We have pure sand in our back yard so I thought to amend it with a lot of compost I just wanted some advice if I should do something more or what else I should do for the ground and the garden when it is growing in our horrible hot summers of 110 f pretty much all Sumer

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Sandy soil can definitely be amended - so not to worry!

Sandy soil and dry heat tends to dry out soil exceptionally fast. I imagine your plants being thirsty more than not. What is your current setup like? Do you grow in the ground or do you grow in pots? Do you have any shade cloth? What plants are you most interested in growing?

Don't worry, we've all killed our fair share of plants
I recommend you check this post out. Whilst it's mostly aimed at container gardens, it might help shine some light on some things you might've encountered;

Soil temperatures | [WiP] Tips & Tricks guide to container gardening

One thing people don't always think of is soil temperatures and how it can affect your plants. The temperature of your potting mix can be much higher than the ambient temperature. It can easily be 10 or more degrees higher. High soil...

www.selfsufficientculture.com

 

[John Mogensen]

I am trying to grow in ground I don’t have a garden right now it’s basically from scratch I had three dogs that would poop and pee but not I. That area that’s why I want to put the garden there the area is 22ft x 18ft

I want to grow tomato’s peppers sweet potatoes strawberries squash cucumbers zucchini herbs I’ve already tilled the ground I don’t have any shade cloth from the ground up literally

 

[Mandy Onderwater]

Oh @Grandmother Goose of thee sandy soil, do thee possibly have some knowledge?
Haha, she's growing in sandy soil too and knows your struggles, I recommend checking out her posts. I'll put an example below:

Quandongs - Australia's amazing native desert fruit tree.

What is a quandong? That is the most common response I get whenever the topic comes up, unless I'm talking to someone local to my area where they not only grow naturally, but there's also small quandong farms out here in the far west semi-arid...

www.selfsufficientculture.com

And this is an older thread, but I think there is some interesting information here too;

Moisture retention

In our hot dry summer, the struggle to keep plants hydrated can be very real. Between the dry air and the 115f midday heat, even the hardiest of plants wilts. Last summer, even with a 30% shade cloth I had to water 2-3× a day from June to September... except on monsoon days, which were not often...

www.selfsufficientculture.com