The website was intuitive and easy to navigate. The material was delivered the date and time it was scheduled, it was dropped off in the area i had specified on top of my tarp with no issues.
I ordered soil, the Gardening Blend that I received had too many plastic and m...
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How Much Material Do I Need?
Plan on 4 to 6 inches of topsoil for new lawn areas, 10 to 12 inches for raised vegetable beds, and about half an inch per pass when topdressing established turf. One cubic yard covers roughly 160 square feet at 2 inches deep.
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.
The website was intuitive and easy to navigate. The material was delivered the date and time it was scheduled, it was dropped off in the area i had specified on top of my tarp with no issues.
I ordered soil, the Gardening Blend that I received had too many plastic and m...
How Much Material Do I Need?
Plan on 4 to 6 inches of topsoil for new lawn areas, 10 to 12 inches for raised vegetable beds, and about half an inch per pass when topdressing established turf. One cubic yard covers roughly 160 square feet at 2 inches deep.
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.
The website was intuitive and easy to navigate. The material was delivered the date and time it was scheduled, it was dropped off in the area i had...
Read full review
The website was intuitive and easy to navigate. The material was delivered the date and time it was scheduled, it was dropped off in the area i had specified on top of my tarp with no issues.
I ordered soil, the Gardening Blend that I received had too many plastic and metal pieces for my liking thus lowering the score from a perfect 5/5 to a 4/5
Really appreciate the care and follow thru that this company had with our order. A hiccup came up but they were quick to respond and address all co...
Read full review
Really appreciate the care and follow thru that this company had with our order. A hiccup came up but they were quick to respond and address all concerns, which made our garden day a success! Thank you for your prompt care.
Sketch your area and break irregular Monroe yards into simple rectangles, then measure the depth of fill you actually need at several points. Low spots in floodplain lots often need more depth on one end than the other, so measure both and average. Order about 10 percent extra, since soil settles significantly after the first good rain.
Complete Your Outdoor Soil Project
Finish new beds with 3 inches of hardwood mulch to protect fresh soil from Monroe's heavy rainfall, and add a few yards of pea gravel or drainage stone if you are building a French drain to move water off a flat lot.
Why does water stand in my Monroe yard for days after a rain?
That is the combination of silt loam and low elevation. Monroe sits around 72 feet up in the Ouachita floodplain, so there is not much natural fall to carry water away, and silt loam drains slowly once compacted. The fix is usually adding screened topsoil to raise and crown the low areas so water moves to a swale or a drain rather than pooling in place.
Answer
What soil should I use for raised vegetable beds here?
Use a garden mix that blends screened topsoil with compost. Monroe's zone 8b season lets you grow spring and fall crops, and a raised bed 10 to 12 inches deep gets your tomatoes and peppers up out of saturated native silt loam. Straight native soil in a raised bed will compact and drain poorly after a few heavy rains.
Answer
When should I add soil to level my lawn in Monroe?
Late spring is best, once soil warms and Bermuda or centipede grass is actively growing, typically late April into May. Topdress no more than half an inch at a time so you do not smother the grass. Avoid the dormant window between our November 10 first frost and the March 15 last frost, since the turf will not grow back through the fill.
Answer
Is Monroe silt loam good soil to begin with?
It is genuinely fertile and holds nutrients well, which is why the Delta grows what it grows. The weakness is structure. Fine silt particles pack tight under rainfall and foot traffic, which restricts air and root movement. Blending in compost rich soil and organic matter addresses the structural problem while keeping the natural fertility.
Answer
How deep should new topsoil go for a fresh lawn?
Aim for 4 to 6 inches of screened topsoil over a loosened base for new sod or seed in Monroe. Anything thinner and roots hit compacted native silt loam and stall out. Rototill or rip the existing ground first so you do not create a hard interface layer that water perches on top of.
Answer
Do I need to worry about the pH of Monroe soil?
Local silt loam typically runs slightly acidic to near neutral, which suits azaleas, camellias, and most Ouachita Parish ornamentals just fine. Vegetables and turf usually prefer a touch closer to neutral. Get a soil test through the LSU AgCenter parish office before you lime, since guessing can push pH the wrong way for the acid loving shrubs Monroe homeowners tend to plant.
Answer
Can I use fill dirt instead of topsoil to save money?
Fill dirt is fine for bulk volume under a slab, behind a retaining wall, or in a deep low spot, but it is not a growing medium. In Monroe the usual approach is fill dirt to bring the grade up most of the way, then 4 to 6 inches of screened topsoil on top for anything you intend to plant.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
Never spread soil on saturated Monroe ground. Working silt loam while it is wet destroys its structure, smearing the fine particles into a dense layer that can take years to recover. Squeeze a handful first. If it ribbons and stays molded, wait. If it crumbles apart, you are good to go. After a two inch rain event, most Monroe yards need at least two or three dry days.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
Blend, do not stack. If you dump 6 inches of new topsoil directly onto compacted native silt loam, you create an interface where water perches and roots refuse to cross. Till or rake the top 2 to 3 inches of existing ground first, then work your new soil into that transition zone. This single step makes a dramatic difference in drainage on flat Ouachita Parish lots.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
Build grade before you plant, not after. Monroe's 58 inches of annual rain will find every low spot in your yard, and moving soil around established shrubs is far harder than shaping bare ground. Establish a fall of at least 2 percent away from your foundation, roughly a quarter inch per foot, and route water toward a swale or street drain before you set a single plant.
The Unique Landscape of Monroe
Native Monroe soil is silt loam, which is fertile but fine textured and quick to compact under our 58 inches of yearly rain. At only 72 feet above sea level in the Ouachita River basin, drainage is the limiting factor in most local yards rather than fertility. Bringing in screened topsoil and garden mix lets you build raised beds and crowned turf areas that shed water instead of holding it. In zone 8b, with a growing window from roughly March 15 to November 10, that extra drainage translates directly into longer, healthier root growth. Blended soil also adds the organic matter that Monroe silt loam tends to burn through during our long, hot summers. Whether you are leveling a low spot on a Bayou DeSiard lot or filling new vegetable beds, the right soil blend does more for a Monroe landscape than any amendment you can sprinkle on top.
