Most gardens need it, but do you know how best to use it? Here are the 4 best ways to use topsoil in your yard

Topsoil is a common term in gardening, and it is often for sale in garden stores and online, either in bags or in bulk for large projects. It is a naturally occurring product from the upper layer of soil, packed with nutrients and microorganisms. You already have topsoil in your garden, which can vary in quality, but your garden will likely benefit from adding topsoil. So exactly where and how should you use it?

It can be confusing, especially for new or inexperienced gardeners. When buying soil for your garden, you may look at bags in stores and be bamboozled by the different terms like topsoil, garden soil, potting soil, and compost. As each has a different composition and uses, it is a decision you want to get right.

Here, we focus on using topsoil in the garden. As we reveal the four best gardening projects you should use topsoil for, and what you shouldn’t. If you have ever found yourself stuck between topsoil vs garden soil, we want to cut through the confusion so you use the best material for your garden.

Topsoil vs garden soil – what’s the difference

These two are potentially the most confusing to choose between. Many gardeners will have found themselves wondering: what's the difference between garden soil and topsoil?

Topsoil, as mentioned above, is a natural material from the top two to eight inches of the soil. Meanwhile, garden soil is a blended product of topsoil plus other organic matter, such as compost, manure, peat moss, or fertilizer.

The two products can be mixed in many projects, but there are times when garden soil is preferred to topsoil, such as to improve garden soil and add nutrients at the end of a season or for the top layer when filling a raised garden bed.

What is topsoil used for?

Topsoil is incredibly useful in a garden and is best used in the following ways:

1. To create new beds and borders

There is no guarantee that the existing soil in your garden is of high quality. If you aspire to add new flower bed ideas to your garden, whether borders around the perimeter of your yard or an island bed, you want the best quality soil so the plants thrive.

Adding topsoil when creating new beds or borders can help boost the overall soil health, adding nutrients and microbes, along with helping with both water-holding and drainage.

A good two or three-inch layer of quality topsoil – a blended topsoil that can include compost is ideal – can be dug in and mixed with the existing soil, or laid over cardboard if you want to start a no-dig gardening bed. To further boost soil nutrients, add garden soil or compost to the topsoil mix.

2. To fill raised garden beds

Raised beds are great for growing lots of flowers and vegetables, especially in smaller spaces. You do need to fill raised beds with soil; it can mean lots of potentially expensive soil, depending on the size of your raised beds.

Topsoil offers a low-cost option for soil to put in a raised garden bed, especially to fill the lower levels. At least 50% of the soil in the raised bed can be high-quality topsoil; a good ratio is often 60% topsoil, 30% compost, and 10% garden soil.

Use quality screened topsoil in this scenario. Such a product has a finer texture as it has been passed through a mesh. You can opt for cheaper, unscreened topsoil for bulk jobs, but you may need to spend time removing rocks, sticks, or roots from it.

3. To lay turf

When you lay turf, it will take root quickly in healthy topsoil. The best way to improve your success rate is to clear the soil of weeds and stones and add 4-6 inches of quality topsoil to the site.

Level this topsoil, break up any clumps, and rake it to a fine tilth before gently treading the soil and then raking the bed level again. Then you can start to lay turf, always starting at an edge.

Once the turf is laid, mix some grass seed with a bit more topsoil and fill the joints between the turf.

4. To level a lawn

Topsoil is an ideal material to level a lawn, whether it is for small undulations or larger depressions.

For evening out small bumps and dips, you can top dress a lawn with a mix of 40% sand, 40% topsoil, and 20% compost. Add this mix to the affected area and level it with a rake before gently compacting it down. A few days later, add some fast-growing grass seed and another light layer of topsoil, then keep moist for good germination.

When using topsoil for larger sunken areas of a lawn, remove the top sections of turf with a spade, shovel, or turf lifter. Fill in the gap underneath with a mixture of topsoil and sand until it reaches the desired level. Either reuse the sod you removed, or replace it with new turf and sow seeds in the gaps as with laying turf above.

FAQs

Can topsoil be used for potting soil?

It is not advisable to use topsoil for container gardening. It can compact easily in containers, increasing the risk of root rot, and does not have the same nutrient levels as traditional potting mixes.

The best soil for container gardening is usually a pre-blended potting mix formulated to provide an ideal structure and balance of moisture and nutrients to benefit plants.

You can use topsoil to fill the bottom of a large planter, as with raised beds, but it needs to be topped up with a layer of quality potting mix for planting into.

Can topsoil be used for planting?

You can add topsoil to existing beds and borders in the spring before planting. In this case, opting for a topsoil with compost added is beneficial. Adding topsoil to beds can supplement the existing soil or add much-needed depth to shallow soils.

Can topsoil be used as fill dirt?

Fill dirt is the material used to fill holes or depressions in the ground or to raise the level of a land. This material is often a mix of rocks, sand, and subsoil. Topsoil is an expensive choice to use as fill dirt. It offers more nutrients and drains more slowly than the materials usually used as traditional fill dirt.

Late winter and early spring are ideal times to prepare garden beds and get your plants off to a great start for the new season. If you want to prepare garden soil for spring, mulching beds, adding fertilizer like compost or chicken manure, and tackling weeds are all highly recommended jobs to add to any spring gardening checklist.