When my grandchildren outgrew the sandbox, I reused it for gardening.
The bottom part holds several large containers which I plant and if I go away or it gets very warm---
I water and leave water in the sand box around them.
The lid of the sand box is now the cover for the compost pile. (A City of Calgary bylaw requires
a cover on all compost piles).

Love this idea Deb. I do the same way with the forest compost, it has a lot of sand mixed in and does very well for this purpose.

When my perennials start waking up in the spring, I break off chunks, pot them up and label, and store in the sandbox for 'give-aways' to anyone who happens to want them. We have new neighbors on either side of us this year, both young folks, and I anticipate giving both of them some starts this spring. Good feeling to share the wealth.

Good idea! Maybe I'll put in a sandbox for potted plants someday.

I also find it useful for those times you need a bit of sand - to mix with seed before planting, to mark where you planted something, to discourage slugs. If it gets skimpy, I just add a bag of builders sand which is nice and fluffy.

We have bags of sand for flooding during the winter. One the flooding threat is gone we use the sand for adding to potting mixes, raised beds, etc. The stuff the bags are made of won't last more than a year or two.

LindaTX8 said:Good idea! Maybe I'll put in a sandbox for potted plants someday.

Keep an eye out for stray cats that want to use the sandbox too.

Great idea. I have never bought builder's sand for the garden. Does one have to be careful about what's in it such as toxic materials? Are there different kinds of builder's sand to consider? I have read that playsand is not appropriate for the garden. Don't remember why!

Waiting to hear the answer to the above question.

I think it's just sand that has gone through a finer sieve, it doesn't have the small rocks that playground sand has. Generally is used for making mortar, so has to be finer. I've never thought about any toxicity it might have, just assumed it comes from the gravel pit. ??

LindaTX8 said:Good idea! Maybe I'll put in a sandbox for potted plants someday.

But wouldn't that be a paradise for fire ants?

I love the idea of a sandbox holding pen.

Yeah, Marilyn, have a problem with the $*%&#$ using my mulched beds as litter boxes. The only upside of sand boxes in that respect is the leavings would be easier to see!

I would have thought fire ants were not as far north as Washington State, but I would have beese incorrect. Wow, they are intrepid little suckers.

lovemyhouse said:
I would have thought fire ants were not as far north as Washington State, but I would have beese incorrect. Wow, they are intrepid little suckers.

And I was responding to Linda, who is outside San Antonio -- I *know* fire ants are there.

Ay-yup, that they are.

No fire ants here that I know of.

About 7 or so years ago I used spinosad bait for a couple of years, just minimally. That helped with fireants. And the state releasing phorid flies may have helped also. So fireants aren't that bad of a problem here now.