Rick, over the years we've improved our garden soil remarkably by (1) adding coarse sand one year (probably 8 years ago or so), and (2) mulching the garden every year with grass clippings from our lawn. I do make compost and that has certainly been a factor in improving the plant growth and health, but the sand and all those grass clippings (we have a pretty big yard) over the years have improved the drainage in the garden about a thousand percent. At one time we always had standing water in the garden when we'd get a heavy rain -- now there is none, even when the rest of our yard has huge puddles.
