Do you have a question about your first garden? Or your second or third or fourth garden? In the meantime, find more beginner gardening lessons here:. Search for:. Which kind of store-bought topsoil is best? Above: Before you bring home blended topsoil from the store, check the stockpiled soil for unwanted materials like large stones, broken glass, paint chips, and plastic.
In addition, there should be less than 10 percent gravel content. Above: Topsoil to die for; lucky spring onions. Photograph by Britt Willoughby Dyer. Q: How do you add topsoil? Above: One good reason you may need to buy topsoil: to replace soil lost to erosion. Q: Do you need to add anything else to store-bought topsoil? Q: Is it necessary to buy topsoil at all? Above: Amending your existing topsoil with compost is a more sustainable and better option than hauling in store-bought topsoil.
Next Post Gardening Pittosporum September 6, Join the conversation. Related Stories. Read all recent posts. It is widely available to buy in bags or in bulk from specialist suppliers, garden centres and DIY superstores. It can be used for making new beds, borders, raised beds or as a base for lawns, where the natural soil is poor or non-existent.
You may need to buy in topsoil if the existing soil is poor, damaged or if the space to be gardened has no natural soil, such as a courtyard or patio garden. Many gardens have poor soil, such as those found behind new-build homes , where the natural topsoil has been stripped away during the construction process. Topsoil can be used to cover the ground, to create new beds, borders or to provide a base for turf laying or sowing grass seed.
In paved gardens where there is no access to soil, topsoil can be used in raised beds for growing many plants, including vegetables. Topsoil is generally available to buy in three different grades: premium, general-purpose grade and economy grade. To avoid later problems, it is best to check the topsoil before buying it. Look out for high stone content, thick fibrous roots, weeds and contaminants such as glass and brick.
Inspection will enable any concerns you may have to be discussed before purchasing it. Ask the supplier where it is coming from and whether it all has the same origin building sites are often used as a source and the quality can be variable. If the supplier has had soil analysis undertaken, request a copy.
If they claim it is good and state facts and figures request these details in writing. The following criteria taken from BS Specification for Topsoil can be used as a guide against any analysis report a supplier offers you;. Note that imported topsoil can sometimes introduce invasive plants, such as Japanese knotweed and couch grass to the garden. Inspect the soil for signs of weed roots or shoots. Weed roots are often white and fleshy, sometimes with a brown covering, unlike the brown, dry, fibrous roots of trees and shrubs.
Join the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9. Take action Why take action? Support us Donate Careers Commercial opportunities Leave a legacy. Join the RHS today and support our charitable work Join now. So when is topsoil not ideal? This is particularly the case if you put lots of plants into one pot, as you do when planting up bedding plants in summer.
You can mix compost with topsoil to create your own potting compost , as many of the nurseries do, which gives you the advantages of soil — namely that it dries out more slowly and holds its structure better — together with the benefits of compost — organic matter and more nutrients, a compost made with loam or soil is often called a John Innes Compost. Don't forget if you need to buy quality topsoil your already in the right place, and you can find out more about compost at our compost website.
Call our Sales Team on Delivery Contact Us. There is plenty of advice out there about compost, and what sort to use, but what about topsoil? When is that appropriate?
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