What makes good topsoil

Those nutrients usually need to be replenished every so often for the healthiest growth, no matter which type of soil you have. This is especially true for the soil where you grow annual flowers and vegetables, which suck up a lot of nutrients to fuel their rapid growth.

If you're not sure if you need to add nutrients, a soil test is a quick way to check. To add nutrients and to replace organic matter as it breaks down, add inches of compost to your garden beds in the fall.

Then you'll be all set for spring and can just add a layer of mulch after cleaning up and planting your beds for the new growing season. Once you've decided to add topsoil to your garden, now what? Time to think about how you want to use it, where to get it, and how much you need. Topsoil is a good choice for filling up raised beds , repairing eroded spots, or filling in holes. When planting a new lawn or overseeding a patchy lawn , you can use a thin layer of topsoil to protect grass seeds as they sprout.

One thing you shouldn't use topsoil for is filling your containers. It won't drain as well as you need it to in a container, and it makes your pots very heavy. Topsoil is widely available through a variety of sources, including garden centers, nurseries, and home improvement stores. Usually, commercially available topsoil has been screened; this means any extra materials such as small rocks, roots, and debris have been removed.

If you need to fill a raised bed or install a berm , measure the area's square footage and depth to estimate how many cubic feet of topsoil you'll need. To install a new lawn, plan to spread a layer of inches of topsoil before sowing seed or laying sod, depending on the quality of your existing soil.

By Kelly Roberson Updated April 27, Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team.

If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. Save Pin FB More. Credit: Marty Baldwin. Comments 2 Add Comment. View Comments. The dirt beneath topsoil normally contains rocks and other ingredients that make it a lot more difficult to work with. Topsoil typically consists of three different types of soils.

Clay will be a big part of topsoil and can provide lots of great nutrients that will help gardeners and commercial landscapers grow the plants that they want. Sand is another key ingredient that is found in topsoil. Sand is typically regarded to be low in nutrients, but it allows for water to easily drain which is a good thing for plants. Last, silt is another soil type that makes up topsoil. Silt is usually very high in the nutrients that plants love.

Combining the right proportions of sand, clay, and silt make up the perfect topsoil. You want to find a good combination of those three ingredients. Ideally, it will be something along the lines of 15 percent clay, 25 percent silt, and 60 percent sand.

If one ingredient is disproportionate to the others, you could be in for an unpleasant surprise later on down the road. As we mentioned earlier, topsoil provides a soft consistency that is easy to work with for any type of gardening or landscaping project.

Perhaps the best quality of topsoil is that it is nutrient-rich. Plants flourish and thrive with high-quality topsoil. Many people think that if the soil in their garden or land is already rich in nutrients, topsoil simply is not necessary. Topsoil can help replenish nutrients in a garden or are of land and keep the area flourishing with plant life. The best topsoil will help plants grow and experience sustained good health for a long time.

The nutrients in topsoil are normally provided by organic matter like foliage, worms, insects, and microorganisms. All of these things contribute to a nutrient-rich and high-quality topsoil.

If we can help with any of your tree care needs give us a call at or or. My wife and I are wanting to start a garden this summer. The only problem is that both of us have no experience gardening! I know that I need to have good topsoil if we are going to have any success. Your article helped clear up some of the basics.

Thanks for the info! I appreciate your topsoil explanation. I am just sad that there is no perfect PH level for topsoil that is good for all sorts of plant life.

Then you can add whatever you need to different parts of your yard to make it more acidic or alkaline as needed. We are planning to re-landscape our yard and need to know more about top soil. It is good to know that good top soil should have a fine texture. We will try to ensure a healthy texture to maximize plant growth.