Whether you dream of digging your hands into the dirt yourself or you are hiring a landscaping contractor to turn your dreams into reality, one surefire way to ensure that whatever you plant has the best chance for proper growth and survival is to start with quality topsoil. This type of soil is not just any dirt, but rather has high concentrations of organic matter and important nutrients.
As the name implies, this soil is used as the top layer before planting anything from grass and sod to flowers, vegetables, shrubs or trees, with the roots of what you grow obtaining most of their nutrients from this layer. The concentrations and types of nutrients, PH levels, sand, silt, clay and organic matter may vary from one soil mixture to another. Additionally, the soil can be purchased screened, meaning sticks, stones and such are removed, or you can purchase unscreened topsoil. The nutrient concentration in the soil and whether you need unscreened or screened topsoil and will depend on the project it is being used for.
What types of project may require some topsoil this spring? Here are a few to consider:
- Building or preparing flower beds – If you are building new planting beds, or need to revitalize existing beds, you will need a top layer of quality soil over any existing dirt to provide the nutrients needed for your flowers, plants and shrubs to grow.
- Planting a vegetable garden – Vegetable gardens require substantial nutrients within the soil to produce healthy, copious crops and the type of soil used as the top layer of your garden should be carefully chosen based on what you plan to grow and the PH levels and nutrient balance needed. Quality soil will reduce the amount of added nutrients you need to infuse into the soil.
- Container gardens – Even if you’re not growing your flowers, vegetables and plants directly in the ground, but rather in containers, you will need to fill those containers with high quality soil. If you’re just filling a few containers, you can purchase bags of soil at your local garden or home improvement center, but if you are filling multiple containers or are doing so in conjunction with other landscaping projects, bulk topsoil may be a more economical option.
- Laying sod or seed – The topmost layer of soil under sod or grass is critical to its healthy growth, since roots are relatively shallow. Therefore, it is important to lay the proper depth of this quality soil to ensure adequate nutrition and development of your lawn.
- Commercial projects, such as athletic fields, golf courses and more – Topsoil is not only used on residential lawns and gardens, but it is used in a wide variety of commercial applications, including athletic fields, golf courses, park land and more.
For more information about the types of bulk topsoil we deliver in NJ, contact ATAK Trucking at 917-912-2900.