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 six inches of soil for new planting beds, twelve inches for raised vegetable beds, and a half inch or less per pass when topdressing lawn. One cubic yard covers about 100 square feet at three 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 six inches of soil for new planting beds, twelve inches for raised vegetable beds, and a half inch or less per pass when topdressing lawn. One cubic yard covers about 100 square feet at three 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.
Measure length and width in feet, then decide your depth in inches and let the calculator convert it. For filling low spots, probe the deepest point and the shallowest point and use the average depth rather than the worst one. Remember that fresh soil settles roughly fifteen percent, so order a little extra if you are grading to a finished elevation.
Complete Your Outdoor Soil Project
Finish new beds with two to three inches of hardwood mulch to protect the fresh soil from O'Fallon's hard spring rains. Grass seed and starter fertilizer pair naturally with topsoil for lawn repair projects.
What is the difference between topsoil and garden soil, and which do I need?
Screened topsoil is mineral soil for filling, grading, and leveling low spots, which is a constant job in O'Fallon where new construction backfill settles for years. Garden soil is topsoil already blended with compost and is what you want for planting beds and vegetable gardens. For lawn repair use topsoil, for anything you are planting into use the blend.
Answer
My yard settles every year around the foundation. How much soil should I bring in?
Settling near foundations is extremely common in O'Fallon subdivisions as construction backfill consolidates. Fill the low area so the grade drops at least six inches over the first ten feet away from the house. A typical settled strip along one side of a home takes two to four cubic yards. Use screened topsoil, tamp it lightly in layers, and keep soil at least six inches below the siding.
Answer
When can I start working soil in the spring here?
Usually early to mid April, but go by feel rather than the calendar. Squeeze a handful of your silt loam, and if it forms a muddy ball that will not crumble when poked, it is too wet. Working saturated silt loam destroys structure and creates concrete like clods that last all season. Most O'Fallon soil is ready a few days after a rain once the surface lightens in color.
Answer
How deep should soil be for raised vegetable beds in O'Fallon?
Twelve inches of good soil gives tomatoes, peppers, and squash room to root through our long summers. If your bed sits on top of compacted subsoil, loosen the base first so water can escape, otherwise the bed becomes a bathtub during a wet St. Charles County spring. A four by eight bed at twelve inches deep needs right around one and a quarter cubic yards.
Answer
Do I really need compost if my soil is already silt loam?
Yes. Silt loam holds nutrients well but is typically low in organic matter and compacts under foot traffic and rain. Adding one to two inches of compost and working it into the top six inches improves drainage, aeration, and biological activity. In O'Fallon that single step often does more for plant performance than fertilizer.
Answer
Can I use topsoil to level the bumps in my fescue lawn?
Yes, but keep each application thin. Spread no more than half an inch of screened topsoil at a time so the grass blades still show through, then repeat in a few weeks if needed. Do this in early September when O'Fallon's cool season fescue is entering its strongest growth period, and it will fill in fast before the October 20 frost.
Answer
How many cubic yards fit in a pickup truck if I want to haul it myself?
A half ton pickup safely handles about half a yard of moist soil, since a cubic yard weighs roughly 2,000 to 2,400 pounds depending on moisture. For anything over a yard, delivery is cheaper and easier on your suspension. Most O'Fallon soil projects run three yards or more, which is well past what a homeowner truck should carry.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
Do not just dump new soil on top of compacted ground and plant into it. In O'Fallon that creates a distinct layer boundary, and water will perch at that line instead of moving down into the subsoil. Break up the existing surface four to six inches deep with a fork or tiller first, then blend the bottom of your new soil into it. Roots will follow the transition instead of circling in a shallow tray.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
Time your biggest soil work for fall. September and October in O'Fallon bring cooler air, reliably moist ground, and roughly six weeks before the average October 20 first frost. Soil is easier to move than in the baked heat of August, new grass seed germinates fast, and perennials planted then spend the winter rooting. Spring competes with rain delays and a much narrower window between mud and heat.
Mulch Mound Pro Tip
Watch your grade around the house every time you add soil. O'Fallon's silt loam holds water and the wrong slope sends it straight into a basement or crawl space. Aim for a fall of six inches over the first ten feet away from the foundation, keep the final soil surface at least six inches below siding or brick veneer, and make sure downspout extensions discharge past the new fill rather than under it.
The Unique Landscape of O'Fallon
Most O'Fallon homes built in the last thirty years sit on ground where the native topsoil was scraped off during construction and never fully replaced, leaving thin fill over compacted subsoil clay. Bringing in quality topsoil, garden soil, or compost is often the only realistic way to give roots somewhere to go. The native silt loam in St. Charles County is naturally fertile but low in organic matter and prone to packing tight, so blended soil with compost in it corrects both problems at once. With 43 inches of rain a year, you also need soil that drains rather than holding water against crowns and roots. And because the growing window here runs from roughly April 12 to October 20, plants only get about six months to establish, which makes good soil the difference between a bed that fills in and one that limps along. Whether you are leveling settled ground near the foundation, building raised beds, or repairing a lawn, the soil you start with sets the ceiling on everything else.
