Turning sandy dry desert dirt to a lush grass park possible?

Hello,
The backyard at the home my family just moved into, in El Paso Texas is desert. A dry sandy shadeless waste land of weed dirt. An below that dirt is more sand and tons of rock…
My children are very young and spend the majority of their free time outdoors.
I love to garden, growing fresh fruits and vegetables and having the blessing to teach my children about the plants has been a very memorable experience of motherhood.
An simply with starting a new backyard for us all to enjoy, I’ve found myself in quite a quiere…
Where to even start???
What kind of grass till take to a ground such as this?
Will a few fruit trees even survive?
I greatly do appreciate your time and careful consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Christie Mae

1 Comment (Open | Close)

1 Comment To "Turning sandy dry desert dirt to a lush grass park possible?"

#1 Comment By Downtoearthdigs On 09/11/2018 @ 7:27 am

It can be overwhelming to start with a blank slate, but it can be done!
I would first start with a soil test and a visit to your County Extension Office.
They can provide a soil test quite inexpensively and give you advice on amending the soil; and choosing the correct turf and grass for your zone.

The will also provide a list of trees, shrubs and plants that are correct to your growing zone and region.

I would also suggest considering raised beds for your vegetable garden. This is a great way to garden and very easily control the soil content.

I have listed several links for you to help you get started, including how to locate your County Extension Office. Good luck!

https://elp.tamu.edu/horticulture/ ^[1]
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/ElPasoPlants/nativetrees.html ^[2]
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/amending-sandy-soil.htm ^[3]
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-8/zone-8-plants.htm ^[4]
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/raised-vegetable-gardens.htm ^[5]
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/extension-search ^[6]

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URL to article: https://questions.gardeningknowhow.com/turning-sandy-dry-desert-dirt-to-a-lush-grass-park-possible/

URLs in this post:

[1] https://elp.tamu.edu/horticulture/: https://elp.tamu.edu/horticulture/

[2] https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/ElPasoPlants/nativetrees.html: https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/ornamentals/ElPasoPlants/nativetrees.html

[3] https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/amending-sandy-soil.htm: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/amending-sandy-soil.htm

[4] https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-8/zone-8-plants.htm: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-8/zone-8-plants.htm

[5] https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/raised-vegetable-gardens.htm: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/raised-vegetable-gardens.htm

[6] https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/extension-search: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/extension-search

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