Quality topsoil for lawns, gardens, and landscape projects. Nutrient rich and ready to support strong root development and healthy plant establishment.
My experience with Mulch Mound was great and super easy. I ordered two yards of screened topsoil and was able to get it delivered within 2 days. They came in my requested time frame (afternoon) and dropped it off where I asked on my driveway. The topsoil was exactly what was a...
Quality topsoil for lawns, gardens, and landscape projects. Nutrient rich and ready to support strong root development and healthy plant establishment.
My experience with Mulch Mound was great and super easy. I ordered two yards of screened topsoil and was able to get it delivered within 2 days. They came in my requested time frame (afternoon) and dropped it off where I asked on my driveway. The topsoil was exactly what was a...
How Much Material Do I Need?
New garden beds in Lebanon over glacial till typically need 8 to 10 inches of added soil to give plant roots a healthy growing zone before hitting the native material below. For lawn topdressing or leveling frost-heave damage, a 1 to 2-inch application is usually sufficient to smooth grades without burying existing turf.
Use our free soil calculator
What is a yard?
A yard is approximately 27 cubic feet. As a general guideline, one yard of material can cover an area of about 100-160 square feet at a 2-3 inch depth.
My experience with Mulch Mound was great and super easy. I ordered two yards of screened topsoil and was able to get it delivered within 2 days. Th...
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My experience with Mulch Mound was great and super easy. I ordered two yards of screened topsoil and was able to get it delivered within 2 days. They came in my requested time frame (afternoon) and dropped it off where I asked on my driveway. The topsoil was exactly what was advertised, clean with no rocks or other debris. The price was reasonable. I plan to use them again in a couple weeks to order compost for my garden beds.
Measure each area you plan to fill or amend in feet, including length, width, and the desired depth of new soil. Lebanon properties often have irregular grades left over from glacial activity, so measure at the deepest spots rather than averaging, to make sure you have enough material to achieve a consistent finished surface. Convert your cubic foot total to cubic yards by dividing by 27, and add 10 to 15 percent extra for settling and the inevitable waste that comes with working around rocks and roots.
Complete Your Outdoor Soil Project
After grading and filling with bulk soil, top your new beds with a layer of hardwood mulch to protect the investment through Lebanon's 40-inch annual rainfall and prevent erosion on freshly disturbed ground during spring storms. Crushed stone borders help define bed edges and keep soil in place during the heavy Upper Valley rain events that can wash fine topsoil off exposed areas quickly.
Can I just till Lebanon's native glacial till into my garden beds instead of buying topsoil?
Tilling glacial till alone rarely produces good results for planting beds in Lebanon. The soil is too low in organic matter, too prone to compaction after rain, and too variable in texture and stone content across even a small yard. Bringing in quality screened topsoil or garden mix and blending it into the top 8 to 10 inches of native till gives you a much more consistent and productive growing medium without having to haul all the native material away.
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How much topsoil do I need to level out a bumpy lawn on my Lebanon property?
For lawn leveling in Lebanon, a topdressing of half an inch to 1 inch of screened topsoil is usually enough to fill small low spots without smothering existing grass. For larger depressions common on older Lebanon properties where frost heaving has shifted grades over many winters, you may need 2 to 4 inches in targeted areas. Our calculator can help you estimate total cubic yards once you have mapped out the areas that need the most attention.
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When is the best time to add topsoil to a Lebanon lawn or garden bed?
For lawn work, late August through mid-September is ideal in Lebanon because the soil is still warm, grass seed germinates quickly, and new plants have time to establish before the October 1 first frost arrives. For garden beds, early to mid-May after the last frost date of April 15 is the sweet spot for soil work. Avoid working any soil when it is saturated from spring snowmelt, which can destroy the structure of even good-quality screened topsoil and leave it compacted and cloddy.
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Will the topsoil I add wash away given that Lebanon gets 40 inches of rain per year?
Erosion is a real concern on slopes in Lebanon, especially during the heavy rain events that move through the Upper Valley in May and June. To keep new topsoil in place, spread it at the recommended depth and seed or plant as quickly as possible, since bare soil is the most vulnerable surface during a downpour. On steeper slopes, consider pairing topsoil with a layer of hardwood mulch or straw to stabilize the surface while new vegetation establishes over the first season.
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What is the difference between topsoil and garden mix for a Lebanon raised bed?
Screened topsoil is a good general-purpose base for filling raised beds in Lebanon, but garden mix that includes compost and other organic amendments will produce better results for vegetable and flower growing. Lebanon's short growing season puts a premium on soil fertility because plants have less time to recover from nutrient stress before the October 1 first frost ends the season. A blended garden mix gets plants off to a faster start, which matters a great deal when your frost-free window only runs about 150 days.
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How do I know if my Lebanon property has drainage problems that should be solved before adding topsoil?
The clearest sign is standing water that persists for more than 48 hours after a heavy rain, which is common on Lebanon properties where glacial till creates a slow-draining layer just beneath the surface. Before adding topsoil in those areas, grading or subsurface drainage solutions should be addressed first. Adding good soil over a drainage problem without fixing the underlying issue will simply create a new layer of waterlogged, root-suffocating material.
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How do I figure out how many cubic yards of soil I need for a new garden bed in Lebanon?
Measure the length and width of your bed in feet and multiply those two numbers together to get square footage. Then decide on your fill depth, typically 8 to 10 inches for a new in-ground bed where you are working over Lebanon's native glacial till. Multiply your square footage by your depth in feet, divide by 27 to convert to cubic yards, and add about 10 percent for settling. Our soil calculator on this page walks you through every step.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
Do not work your new soil when it is wet from spring snowmelt or recent rain. In Lebanon, the ground can look ready in early May but still be saturated below the surface after a long winter. Working saturated soil destroys its structure and creates a compacted layer that roots will struggle to penetrate all season long. Do a simple squeeze test: grab a handful and squeeze it tightly. If it crumbles apart when you open your hand, it is ready to work. If it holds a solid shape, wait a few more days.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
When filling raised beds in Lebanon, leave an inch of space between the soil surface and the top of the bed frame. This prevents soil from washing over the edge during the heavy spring and summer rain events common in the Upper Valley and gives you room to add a thin compost top-dressing each year without overflowing. Raised beds warm faster than in-ground beds in Lebanon's slow-to-warm Zone 5a spring, so maximizing that warmth with a well-filled, properly structured bed gives your plants a real head start.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
On sloped Lebanon properties, grade new topsoil so the surface drains away from your foundation and any structures at a minimum of 1 inch of drop per foot for the first 6 feet away from the building. Glacial till underneath does not absorb water quickly, and new topsoil placed on top of it can become saturated and redirect runoff toward your basement during Lebanon's wetter months. Taking a few minutes to check your grade before you rake and seed will save significant headaches once the spring rains arrive.
The Unique Landscape of Lebanon
Lebanon's native glacial till is a mixed composition of silt, sand, gravel, and stones left behind by retreating glaciers, and while it gives the Upper Valley its character, it is not the ideal foundation for lawns or productive gardens. It compacts readily underfoot and after rain, drains poorly in low spots, and warms so slowly in spring that planting before mid-May is often risky even after the April 15 last frost date passes. Adding quality bulk topsoil or garden soil lets Lebanon homeowners create growing conditions that bypass the limitations of native till rather than fighting those limitations season after season. Grade work, raised beds, and lawn repairs all depend on having the right volume of good soil available, and buying in bulk is the most cost-effective way to get it. With 40 inches of rainfall annually, any new soil layer needs to be installed with drainage in mind, because adding soil over compacted till without proper grading can create a perched water table that drowns roots. Lebanon homeowners who invest in quality bulk soil set their landscapes up for measurably better results across the compressed Zone 5a growing season.
