Topsoil vs. Garden Soil: What the Difference? (2024)

FAQs

Topsoil vs. Garden Soil: What the Difference? ›

Garden soil is just topsoil that has extra organic matter mixed in, like compost, peat, bark shredding, or fertilizer. It's intended to be used in the garden, where your plants benefit from the added fertility and nutrients. Some garden soils are even specifically tailored for vegetables or flowers.

Creating new garden beds: Topsoil is often used to create new planting areas or to expand existing ones. It provides a nutrient-rich base for plants to grow in. On its own, topsoil is not a great growing medium and I would recommend mixing in compost.

Garden soil may not provide the necessary nutrients in the right proportions for healthy grass growth. Consider using a specialized lawn soil or adding fertilizers to meet the grass's needs. Soil pH: Grass generally prefers a slightly acidic soil pH, while garden soil may have a different pH level.

The best soil for gardening is well-draining but moisture retentive. While loamy soil is ideal for most plants, it's important to keep in mind that different plants thrive in different types of soils. For example, succulents need sandy soil, and certain trees and shrubs thrive in clay soils.

Out of these, loamy soil is the best soil for vegetable gardens as it promotes the growth of almost all types of vegetables.

Your best choice is between topsoil or garden soil. Topsoil is best for the lawn, or for lower layers of garden beds. Garden soil is ideal for top layers of any garden.

The best topsoil for growing plants is loamy soil. It is a mixture of sand, clay and another type of soil particle known as silt. Silt occurs as a deposit in river beds. The size of the silt particles is between those of sand and clay.

Topdressing is the best way to rejuvenate your lawn without pulling up all your grass (which is a pain) and starting over. As your grass grows through the layer of topdressing, the organic material is incorporated into the soil beneath it, adding nutrients and improving soil quality.

'To prepare your soil before planting grass seed, simply till and loosen the soil to create the best growing conditions – you don't need to put down topsoil,' says Jeremy Yamaguchi, CEO of Lawn Love.

If you are planning gardening or a landscaping project, it is essential to understand the difference between topsoil and lawn soil. Topsoil is a general term for any soil used as a loose, upper layer of soil in a garden bed, whereas lawn soil is often made of specially blended nutrients optimized for grass growth.

What kind of dirt do I use to fill my yard? ›

The Best Fill Dirt For Leveling A Yard

Experts recommend topdressing the yard using friable soil, which is a mixture of top soil and sand.

The ideal mixture for plant growth is called a loam and has roughly 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay. Another important element of soil is its structure, or how the particles are held together - how they clump together into crumbs or clods. A loose structure provides lot of pore spaces for good drainage and root growth.

What is Garden Soil? Garden soil is topsoil that has been enriched to make it better suited for plant growth. Amendments may include compost or other organic matter, and some soils – like perennial potting mixes – have added ingredients to encourage growth of specific types of plants.

You may need to adjust the pH level or amend with some organic compost or mulch, but most topsoil is adequate for a first in-ground garden. If your layer of topsoil isn't deep enough, either a higher grade of topsoil or a layer of garden soil can be added.

Topsoils with a loamy texture are great for gardening because they are easy to till and promote airflow. You will typically see topsoil sold in larger quantities than gardening soil, and it is also more of an “all-purpose” soil as well.

Soil Requirements

Tomato plants will grow well in well-drained sites that receive full sun for most of the day. The soil pH should be slightly acidic (6.2 to 6.8). Excess nitrogen can result in plants with lush, vigorous foliage but little fruit production.

Adding topsoil alone does not ensure soil performance, especially if the “topsoil” is mostly inert and contains little to no organic matter or active soil microbes. Mulch is a material applied to the soil surface to discourage weeds, provide shade and reduce moisture loss through evaporation.

Factors That Affect Soil Volume in Raised Beds

If you're not sure how deep a raised garden bed should be, the rule of thumb is 8-12 inches for most vegetables. However, if you plan to grow root crops such as carrots or beets, 12-18 inches is recommended.

Inexpensive bagged topsoil is rarely any good. In my observation, it is usually composed of poorly composted wood chips, silt, and sand. This mix will not support good plant growth. In addition, having different layers of materials in your raised bed will make for a very poor rooting environment.