How to Plant a Garden in the Sand

Dig a 6-inch hole in your lawn and collect soil from the bottom to conduct a soil pH test. According to the University of Florida's website, coastal regions that consist of sandy soils generally have alkaline soils while inland areas have acidic sandy soil. Follow the directions on your soil pH test. Plants must be grown in areas that match their soil pH range to absorb the soil's nutrients.

Spread 2 inches of sphagnum moss over areas that are too acidic. Not only will the sphagnum moss raise the pH range, but it will also increase the draining abilities of the soil. Add sulfur to sand that is too alkaline to support the type of plants you want to grow.

Plant ground cover or ornamental grass for the lawn or along the side of hillsides to reduce erosion. You can plant ground cover like sheep fescue, side-oats grama, sand drop-seed and barren strawberry. Ornamental grasses that thrive in sand are Indian rice grass, big blue stem and June grass.

Place trees in the lawn to act as wind breaks. Many sandy regions have an excessive amount of wind, because there are not a lot of trees prevent the wind from blowing the yard. Plant trees like London plane, red cedar, Austrian pine, white oak, crabapples and white spruce.

Create holes that are twice the size of your sand-hardy ornamental plant's root ball and at the same depth as they are planted in the container. Pack soil around your ornamental plant's base. Use sand-hardy ornamental plants such as evening primroses, yellow sunflowers and desert buckwheat.