Kokomo sits on the gently rolling glacial plain of north-central Indiana, where centuries of ice-age activity deposited the dense silty clay loam soil that defines gardening in this part of Howard County. The Wildcat Creek corridor winds through town and creates low-lying yards that face real seasonal drainage challenges, making proper mulching and graded beds a practical necessity rather than an aesthetic luxury. Historic neighborhoods surrounding the Seiberling Mansion are shaded by towering canopy trees whose root systems demand generously sized mulch rings and nutrient-rich amended soil to stay vigorous through Zone 6a winters. Homeowners from Tipton to the north and Peru to the south share the same tight planting window, with the last spring frost falling around April 15 and the first fall frost arriving by mid-October. Whether you are refreshing a front-yard bed in Kokomo or building out a new landscape in Logansport or Wabash, the heavy native soil here rewards every cubic yard of quality material you bring in.