What is Top Soil

My DH built me a retaining wall/raised bed on the side of the house to tame a slope over there. Now I have to fill it in. I didn't want to order a truck load of dirt because I will just get more of the red clay I fight so hard against all over my yard. However, in getting soil, now I need to know, what I the difference between potting soil and top soil other than the price? I know they both look black and have a similar consistency.

You should be able to buy a load of top soil from a local landscaper.
Top soil should be from the surface of the soil, not red clay subsoil. Soil forms in layers, top soil is the uppermost layer. Ideally it would be from a woodsy area, or a cow pasture. Potting soil is manufactured soil. It might contain perlite, vermiculite, peat, humus, mushroom compost, etc. It is usually for use in containers, not for building beds.

I knew that I wouldn't want to use potting soil to fill a bed if for no other reason than the price alone. I also know they add nutrients for the plants.
I was wondering though because, around here, the black topsoil is hard to come by. Home depot is selling it for 98 cents for a 40 lb. bag and I think for what I need, it wouldn't cost me all that much. I just thought that it would be 'dead' soil or something. Like it would have no nutrients or something and be worthless. I was thinking of using that and then adding a few bags of this stuff they have that is a manure/compost mix to add some good stuff into what I thought would be dead soil.

I would put some kind of rubble, or gravel on the bottom for drainage.
Then fill with what ever you can get as "top soil". Then add a few sacks of compost on the top. You don't need super good soil for the whole thing, but you do need to make sure that it is going to drain. The plants are going to grow in the top six to eight inches, so that's the only place you need to be concerned about nutrients. If it is big enough for shrubs, you can put some bone meal or other amendments in the bottom of the planting hole.

Thanks Gloria!

From the top, you can start sheet composting, or just mulch and plant what ever you want in the bed. Id wait until its a bit cooler though unless its in the shade.

GA Peach,
I live in Anderson, not far from the GA line, so thought I'd pop in here for a sec.

I just had a truckload of topsoil delivered to my house - 17 tons, altho you'd never know it to look at it. But I have to tell you, this topsoil isn't the black, beautiful earth I thought I'd get. Nope, it's still pretty red & clayish, just not as bad as the stuff I have in my own yard. I'm mixing it with organic garden soil from the store for my plants.

The thing is, I want to plant some stuff that won't do well in clay. As well, I read that plants, especially trees need oxygen for their roots to grow and the roots will only grow as far into the soil as oxygen is available. We have horrible hard clay soil here. I noticed when it rains, it turns to watery clay, smooths over only to harden so stiffly that I can't imagine any air getting through there. I want to put a tree and shrubs in there. It is the area where our property line is and the fence ends at the rear of the house. I need to put some stuff in to create like an alley between it and the house on the way to the rear yard for privacy and as a wind break. I think I'll just do the topsoil thing and mix in a little of the existing clay for water retention and call it a day. I have another bed in the rear where I mixed pine bark mulch and top soil into the clay and it has stayed soft as butter ever since. My plants back there are singing my praises!

Something messed up and the end got cut off.
Anyway, I just wanted to make sure before I went to all the trouble that 'topsoil' isn't just some crappy dead soil that was going to make everything a flop.

Keep mixing the mulch in and you should do fine.

GA Peach - read my post again. I wasn't impressed with the topsoil at all, and I can't be that far from you; and I have horrendous clay soil also.

There are trees that do well in clay, so just make sure you check that part out.

I did read it. I thought you were saying you weren't too happy with it cause it was still basically red clay except just not as bad as what you had. I see where you got the red clay and are having to mix in store bought to get it right.
The stuff I was talking about, I did buy a bag to check it out. It is definitely black and the consistency of potting soil. Very different stuff. Is it no good though? I am just trying to stay away from more clay and figured if I got the black stuff, as long as it is fairly okay, then I could mix in some of my clay, manure/compost and have a pretty good end result.

I think you have it right ga_peach. Just keep adding mulch, and that should solve the problems of the clay. Essentially you want to be on top of the clay. Clay is really subsoil.

Oh, yeah - that'll work. ;) Maybe I was the one confused? Wouldn't be the first time. lol

Out west here, "topsoil" is usually the soil they scrape off the surface when they prepare a property for new development. We have a lot of areas with naturally occuring adobe clay soil, so that's what you get. We filled the raised beds with a mixture of native topsoil and lots of compost mixed together.

Here is an article about building raised beds on clay soil.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/26/



This message was edited Aug 27, 2007 11:37 AM

I don't know how bad GA Peach's clay is, but I can tell you how bad mine is.

The first (and only) time I tried digging a hole for a transplant, I was only able to get just below the grass. I nearly broke my shovel standing on it, jumping on it, jamming it into the ground, etc.. It was all I could do to even scrape the clay. I finally went to buy a pick axe, but the guy at Ace told me to use gypsum; to pour it in the hole, fill it with water and let it sit overnight, which I did. Each time I did that I was able to dig another 2"-3" deeper. It took me a couple of days doing that to dig a hole for my moonflower transplant, which I then filled with potting soil & the clay.

I won't be digging anymore holes, I can tell you that for sure! LOLOL I'm going to do everything raised beds and I've been collecting all the materials, and have started composting as well. I have a bunch of plants going in this fall, so I'm getting everything ready now. :)

We wet the ground to soften it and mixed a lot of gypsum in along with the compost.
My Dh took a grub hoe to the ground to break it up enough to mix in the gypsum. These days, we use PVFS's Soil Builder Mix cover crop on new beds and let the roots do the digging.

Newbie, you hit the nail on the head. Had to run the sprinkler for a day to just be able to til the top 3 or so inches of soil. And that was with a huge tiller. I have broken shovels, all kinds of tools, just to get down to about a couple inches below the grass. I go through garden gloves (the heavy duty kind) in about a week or so depending on how much work I am doing. We have got some problems with the yard and we are now going to call in a earth mover, bulldozer, whatever it is (can't think of the name) to move soil for us and even then, it has to have been raining beforehand. I talked to the guy and he says he can't even get the machine below a certain level if it is dry. And the project isn't even that big, it is just the soil is so hard. I saw some guys a street over rent one of those machines trying to clear the area to put in a big landscaped section. I guess they wanted to dig up the ground and break it up to put in a flower bed. Anyway, it was dry out when they did it and they got nowhere all day. After several hours, I think they hadn't managed to get much more than the grass off, a couple inches down and almost tore up the machine. How is that for hard. And then when it rains, do not even attempt to walk on it. It is the slimiest mess ever. And even then I think it is only the top few inches that get wet but you will go flying, feet in the air, laying on your back in the mud. Oh, it is such a joy! Why can't I have the soft black/brown dirt back I remember having in OH and PA as a child. That stuff was so easy. And let's not even mention how badly this stuff will stain your home when the hubby and kids drag it in.

I have lots of red clay here, but when I started my compost this year, I did mix a lot of it with myother composting stuff. I dug into my compost yesterday and it iis beautiful. So everyone is right, just keep adding to it.

GA Peach - "Why can't I have the soft black/brown dirt back I remember having in OH and PA as a child. That stuff was so easy. And let's not even mention how badly this stuff will stain your home when the hubby and kids drag it in."

No kidding!!! I have a white alternate down comforter and 2 small dogs that sleep with me every night - and they're house dogs that only go out to potty. It turns orangish within a couple of weeks, so I have to wash it quite frequently. I have dark floors and no kids, tho, so that part's not too bad.

I grew up in upstate NY and always wandered thru the woods with that beautiful black soil that smelled wonderful - didn't know there was anything else!! I've had a pile of leaves sitting since last fall and moved some of them yesterday - the smell at the bottom reminded me of those woods.

Interestingly, my brother lives only a few miles from me and has loose, dark soil. I think it's because he cleared a lot in the woods to build, so the clay's been sitting under trees for all this time. He was quite surprised & happy 'cus he's a big veggie gardener.

You know, I have have to say thanks to all of you. Not just here but all of Daves. I just started gardening last year and found Daves shortly thereafter. I get all these ideas and I come here to research, check things out, get more ideas and instructions. I look to these posts for plant selections and so forth. My neighbors now, as I get more done, think I am a genius. Now I do have a memory like you wouldn't believe, but that only helps me to quote all my Daves knowledge back at them. Yall are great and you make me look like such a genius. I am learning so much.

When we had to dig on clay soil in archeological sites, we would flood the site, or catch it after a rain, then put down "viscuine", which is heavy black plastic. You can use clear plastic also. The plastic will condition the soil. Then you can slice into it with a sharp shovel. If you take the plastic off, of course it will turn back into "gumbo" sticky, or if dried out, it will just crack off in pieces and you have to use a pick.

Best, to build a raised bed and feed it lots of mulch.

Top soil is good for finishing landscaping and leveling out lawns , etc.


Top soil is pretty useless being almost devoid of nutrition and will need much amending with plant matter to make a healthy medium for growing.

Potting MIX is ideal because it has NO soil (aka dirt) only wonderful humous-y barks, mosses, leaf compost ,etc. They all vary somewhat in composition from brand to brand.

So you can ammend your present soil with these plant materials yourself .

You can ADD grass clippings, leaves you chopped with the lawn mower , composted bagged manure or fresh bunny poo , etc also.

JSYK .......... Something you will find being sold in a bag that is called Potting SOIL is just that SOIL , not the best choice , waste of money.
You probably have enough soil in your yard already ... lol