• Sandy clay soil can be cultivated with the addition of soil amendments like humus and loam.growing plant in soil image by joanna wnuk from Fotolia.com
  
  Vegetables can thrive in a variety of soils. If you live somewhere with naturally sandy clay soil, such as coastal areas, you can still have a successful vegetable garden. The key is to plant vegetables that can withstand the environment or to provide certain amendments to make the area more organic.
  
  

Increase the Organic Matter

• Adding organic matter to clay soil breaks it up and improves its drainage abilities.Digging in the garden image by dquinnan from Fotolia.com
  
  Increasing the organic matter in your planting site makes the soil easier to work and improves its drainage, particularly clay and sandy soils. Sandy soil can drain too quickly and deplete nutrients, while clay can provide very poor drainage and stunt root growth because of its unyielding surface. If you add things such as humus, loam and peat moss, it will help the planting site retain more of the nutrients that cultivars need to grow successfully.
  
  

Create a Base

• Create a base in the planting area with heavy elements so the soil particles bind, separating clay and sand.To fully amend sandy clay soil, create a solid base about 12 inches down in the planting site. Do this by promoting binding in the soil with other layers such as compost, small wood chips, bone meal and manure. Fill the planting area at least 12 inches deep with these type of layers to enrich and bind the ground soil, then stir it with a pitchfork or shovel.
  
  

Choosing Vegetables

• Radishes, garlic and tomatoes all grow well in sandy clay soil.vegetables image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  For more sandy soils, plant vegetables that are root vegetables such as carrots and parsnips, but you may have trouble with vegetables like cabbage or broccoli. For soil that is more clay-like, you will have trouble with root vegetables but cabbage and broccoli grows well. Plants that can thrive in both include cacti, radishes, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, new potatoes and certain bean varieties.