will making garden bed into sandbox hurt its future use? in rental

[yukookoo]

we are renting and we have 2 big garden beds in the yard. One i use to grow stuff in and the other is dd's dirt box where she plays, but she would really like some sand. I was thinking of getting a big metal bin and filling it with sand for her but im sure much of the sand will migrate into the garden bed/ dirt box she plays in

will having a  lot of sand in the bed hurt its future use? Is this a really bad idea in a rental?

not sure where else to put this, so i hope it fits here

[sunnysandiegan]

An uncovered sandbox will make a very attractive cat box for all the neighborhood felines. Keep it covered when not in use.

Our backyard was filled with sand from the previous owner because he wanted to lay bricks the cheap way (DIY with no mortar). It really was a pain to get the soil usable again. It was hard-packed and several inches thick, though. What you are describing doesn't sound nearly as comprehensive, so perhaps the impact will be minor. Personally, though, I'd do a covered sandbox elsewhere and not in the garden bed.

[SuburbanHippie]

We put sand in our garden on purpose to loosen up our hard clay.  It makes it really easy for strawberry plants to grow underground too.  We converted our sandbox into our garden without any issue.

[sunnysandiegan]

Excellent point. That raises the most important question, which I completely forgot when I posted before! What type of soil are you starting with?

We're already very close to the ocean and have sandy soil, so the added sand was a challenge we had to overcome. The PP started with a different set of circumstances and the added sand benefited her garden. It's all relative!

[SuburbanHippie]

I can see how a sandy soil would be difficult.  My ILs keep a lot of sand in their soil because it's hard clay.  Last year it rained a lot and because of all the sand almost everything was washed away.  There is definitely a delicate balance needed!