A rolling phalanx of three snowplows and three sand-spreading trucks escorted me for nearly 20 miles as I made my way along a freeway on a snowy afternoon.

I never feel comfortable driving through snow and it takes a great deal of concentration on my part to safely navigate snowbound roads.

The application of sand did improve my steering and traction, but even so, seeing all of that sand pouring out of those trucks was a real distraction, because for those 20 miles, I couldn't stop dwelling on the many ways I've made good gardening use out of sand.

I scatter sand to improve traction, too. Foot traction, that is, on icy steps and walkways.

I prefer using sand to other natural, anti-skid materials --such as sawdust or wood ashes -- and to ice-melting chemicals such as salt. Sand doesn't pit or stain walkways or poison plants.

Gardening with sand

I also used sand on our lawn, as recently as September, to cover and camouflage freshly sown grass seeds.

Seed-eating birds, you see, discovered some seeds that hadn't been completely covered with soil.

To confuse the birds, I spread a thin layer of sand -- approximately the same color as the seeds -- over the seeded area with a drop spreader. There, the thin layer of weed-seed-free sand kept the grass seeds moist and helped them sprout.

Additionally, I use sand to repot house plants that require dry soil conditions.

When I repot cactus plants, for example, I thin store-bought potting soil with sand by mixing together one part sand with two parts of potting soil. The mixture causes excess water to drain freely and the soil to retain less moisture.

When it comes to using sand as a soil amendment, though, I don't use just any sand, since the best sand to use for indoor and outdoor gardening applications is "sharp sand," also known as "builders sand."

I used to think that all sand came from beaches or deserts but sand can also be created by fast-flowing rivers and slow-moving glaciers as they scour boulders beneath them.

Funny, isn't it? Glaciers are mostly ice, yet they produce sand in their wake, and sand is a near-perfect anti-skid medium.

This week in the garden

Make every effort to prune broken tree limbs with sharp tools as soon as possible.

Trees stand a much better chance of resisting pests if wounds are cleanly cut, as opposed to being left ragged.

Lou Boulmetis is a certified master gardener who lives in Littlestown, Pa. Call him at 1-800-727-4287.

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