Organic Topsoil: When and Where to Use It
When should you consider adding organic topsoil to your home landscape or garden?
GreenCycle’s top-quality organic topsoil can help solve some of the landscaping issues typically occurring. For instance, if you’ve just done some construction on your property (like put up an addition or created a patio) and now you’ve got bare patches in the lawn, or want to do some better grading, our organic topsoil can be a big help in creating a more lush landscape.
Freshly spread grass seed and organic topsoil, part of a lawn reseeding project using GreenCycle's organic topsoil
Lawns really require at least six inches of good quality topsoil (with good drainage) to thrive. If you have lots of woody plants, you’ll want even more depth. If you’ve got areas of your lawn with dips, uneven spaces or even holes, filling those areas with topsoil and then reseeding them will make for a more even lawn. High-traffic areas often get compacted or uneven, so think about starting with them. After filling in with topsoil, you should rake the topsoil into the existing soil for best results.
If you’re reseeding over the new organic topsoil, cover the new grass seed with straw and water it thoroughly. Keep a close eye on hydration, and make sure to keep watering the new seed until it has fully germinated.
What makes organic topsoil so helpful to plant growth? Our topsoil is a blend of native farm loam, sand, and compost. This combination achieves a sandy loam classification. We add compost to restore depleted nutrients to the soil. The loam and sand allow for easier spreading, less clumping, and accurate water control. This is important because higher clay/silt soils are susceptible to excessive water retention and poor drainage. GreenCycle’s topsoil is full of rich nutritious compost, microorganisms, and minerals plants need for healthy development. So if you’re starting a home vegetable garden, you can have three yards or more delivered to fill that new raised bed. Starting off with a good base of organic topsoil for the garden gives your seedlings or young plants a great medium for sustained growth throughout the spring and summer. Even for existing garden beds, raised or not, consider adding a fresh layer of organic topsoil to give your garden the right nutrients for better growth. Mixing the new topsoil into the existing soil of your garden is the way to go here, to help plants grow best and develop strong root systems.
If you’re adding topsoil for a new garden bed, you should figure on needing a minimum of 12 inches of topsoil. For new lawns, nine inches are generally recommended. One cubic yard of GreenCycle’s organic topsoil, spread at a depth of 12 inches, will cover 27 square feet of garden space. That same cubic yard will cover 36 square feet of new lawn when spread at a depth of nine inches.
Call us at any of our locations for help in assessing how much organic topsoil to order for your needs. Or stop by and see us during our business hours.
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