Search Results for: topsoil

Texas Black Screened Topsoil

fill dirt

Texas Black Screened (TBS) is a topsoil composed primarily of a dark colored clay and some loam. The soil is passed through a screen to remove debris. This is a locally recycled product and should not be used for planting. TBS is primarily used as a fill dirt or to level low spots.

Available in bulk at select locations in Dallas/Fort Worth. 

*Minimum order of 4 yards required for delivery. In-store and curbside pickup available. If delivery is selected, a fee applies. If more than one product is purchased for delivery (or amount exceeds truck capacity), multiple trucks may be required. If you’d like to confirm delivery price, add products to cart and enter delivery address on checkout page.

Enriched Topsoil

Enriched Topsoil is used for planting new grass or backfilling holes in your yard. This product is mixed with other specialty planting mixes before using in flowerbeds or for trees and shrubs. As with all planting, selecting the right plants for the climate and sun exposure, scheduled fertilization and watering are the keys to success.

*Topsoil products vary by market. Contact us if you don’t see what you need in your area.

*Minimum order of 4 yards required for delivery. In-store and curbside pickup available. If delivery is selected, a fee applies. If more than one product is purchased for delivery (or amount exceeds truck capacity), multiple trucks may be required. If you’d like to confirm delivery price, add products to cart and enter delivery address on checkout page.

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HOW TO USE ROCK, GRAVEL & STONE TO PREVENT FLOODING

Build a dry creek bed to help with flooding

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HOW TO USE ROCK, GRAVEL & STONE TO PREVENT FLOODING

Learn More About French Drains, Dry Creek Beds and Retaining Walls

Whether due to erosion or dramatic weather patterns, standing water and flooding are challenges often faced by homeowners. The good news is, we have some solutions! Some of these projects can be done over the weekend but others may require a professional.

How to use a French drain to help with standing water

Install a French drain.

A French drain is an effective way to reduce standing water on your property. French drains are comprised of filter fabric, slotted pipes and gravel.

To create a French drain:

  • Dig a trench in the area where water tends to collect. Depending on your project, the trench should be about 18 inches deep and 9 to 12 inches wide. The drain must slope downward by at least 1%.
  • When your channel is prepared, line with permeable landscaping fabric with several inches of excess along the sides (this will be used later).
  • Afterwards, cover your fabric with a few inches of gravel to aid drainage.
    The next step is to insert the slotted pipe, cover with washed gravel and use excess landscaping fabric to wrap over the gravel.
  • Finally, add several inches of topsoil to level the area.
Build a dry creek bed to help with flooding
Add a dry creek bed.

A low-maintenance form of hardscaping, a dry creek bed is a shallow channel that is lined with landscape fabric and filled with varying sizes of stone and gravel. Also called an arroyo, it is designed to channel water away from low-lying areas in your yard and help prevent flooding. 

To create a dry creek bed:

  • First, mark out the area where you want the channel to go.
  • Then, dig a shallow trench and fill it with river rock, stone and gravel.
  • When you are finished, add plants and other landscaping features for a beautiful finishing touch and to make the creek bed look more natural.
Retaining walls can help with proper drainage in your yard.
BUILD A RETAINING WALL.

A retaining wall can help decrease erosion and keep soil in place during heavy rain or flooding. It can divert water from your home, eliminating damage caused by freeze and thaw cycles that may occur during winter months. Moreover, retaining walls can add visual interest and provide more functional space in your yard. 

Before beginning your retaining wall project, talk to local garden and landscape experts. An expert DIY project, larger retaining walls need to hold their shape while supporting the pressure of the land behind it. With every additional foot of height, the pressure of the soil increases substantially. A shorter wall is an easier DIY project.

If a retaining wall isn’t built properly, it can break down. The keys to a well-built wall include 1) structure 2) materials and 3) drainage.

To help you decide on the best course of action, consider: 

  • Location 
  • Size
  • Material you’d like to use such as wood, bricks, natural stones or concrete blocks
  • Drainage needs
  • Consultant needs

There are many ways to improve the landscape drainage and flood prevention. Which one you select will depend on yard conditions, local and neighborhood building codes and regulations, location of utility lines and more. 

If you are not certain, we recommend hiring a reputable landscape architect. 

Remember, always call 811 before you dig. https://call811.com.

 

 

Magic Mix

Magic Mix

One of the most popular soil mixtures in Tennessee, Magic Mix is a blend of topsoil and leaf-based compost, which is high in nitrogen. We top off the nutrient-rich blend with sand to provide great drainage while ensuring that plant roots get plenty of water. From flowers and vegetables to shrubbery, you can use Magic Mix garden soil for most needs.

Available in bulk in Nashville and Knoxville only.

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About Raised Garden Beds

Raised Garden Beds

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About Raised Garden Beds

Reap Your Rewards!

Raised Garden Beds

There is some disagreement over raised beds. Good or bad? Tended properly, they can be great! A garden built up instead of down can solve a lot of common issues ranging from wet root zones to weeds. Even better – they are ideal for new gardeners!

Unlike a planter, raised garden beds to not have a bottom. With all the added nutritious soil on top of the ground, plant roots can grow further into the ground without dealing with weeds, resulting in healthier plants.

          ·      Easier on your back and knees

          ·       Warmer soil earlier in the season

·       Better water retention for those struggling with sandy soil

·       Better drainage for those dealing with clay soil

·       Less soil erosion

·       Less compaction

·       Improved soil quality

·       Healthier plants

Raised Garden BedsAre you on board yet? Good! First, you need to decide if you will buy your bed or if you prefer to make it yourself. Wood or galvanized steel?  Either way, consider the size. We recommend four feet wide by eight feet long and one to two feet deep. Once you have decided on whether to build your garden bed walls yourself or buy a kit, the rest is easy!

If you haven’t already, it’s time to decide what you want to grow. Some plants require more sun, more soil or a specific type of soil. Once you know what you’d like to grow and approximately how much sunshine you need, find a flat spot. If necessary, do a little digging to ensure the walls are even and stable.

Raised Garden Beds

Next, decide if you’d like to put something at the bottom of your raised bed. If your raised bed is 6 inches or less in depth, then you don’t need a barrier. This is because the roots of the plants growing in your raised beds require space to develop and grow. A bottom may prevent this from happening.

However, if you’d like a better deterrent for weeds and more control over your soil content, consider adding a bottom. There are a lot of options that work: cardboard, newspaper, landscaping fabric and burlap may be the most popular.

Now it’s time to fill your garden bed. In fact, this is the best part about raised garden beds! You can control what type of soil is used. Soil is rich, full of nutrients and biologically active. It is a living, breathing, dynamic ecosystem of its own. Therefore, our goal here is not to simply fill our raised beds with soil, but to create an optimum living organic raised bed soil where plants can thrive.

We recommend that you purchase a super high-quality blend, such as our Tree & Shrub Mix. For the best results, incorporate some native soil from your area. If your bed is very deep, you may want to consider buying topsoil so help fill out the container.If you are making your own soil, we recommend 50% topsoil, 30% organic compost and 20% sand.To determine the amount needed, you can use our coverage calculator.

Now it’s time to garden! Check our beds regularly to ensure they are receiving enough water. It is also important to fertilize regularly! If you have any questions, contact your nearest Living Earth®.

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Which Soil is Best for Plant Growth?

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Which Soil is Best for Plant Growth?

             
               POTTING SOIL, GARDEN SOIL AND TOPSOIL

When it comes to gardening, soil is key. But which soil is right for your
project: potting soil, garden soil or topsoil? Here’s an overview that will help.

Plant Growth Soil; Potting Soil

Potting soil 

Potting soil is for use in containers only. Interestingly, the blend doesn’t contain soil. Instead, it’s often a mixture of peat moss and other organic materials like composted sawdust. For potted plans, the mixture itself is more important than the fertility offered by traditional soil. 

Potting soil is usually lightweight as organic matter is less dense than soil minerals. It should have high water-holding capacity but drain excess water rapidly. Potted plants must be fertilized regularly. Any nutrients from the decaying organic matter is quickly depleted.

Garden soil
Garden soil is usually a blend of topsoil and other materials and nutrients
like compost and fertilizer designed specifically for garden beds. Garden
soil comes in different mixtures, designed for specific types of plants.
Organic garden soil tends to be more expensive than topsoil.

Topsoil
Found naturally, topsoil is the most valuable layer of soil as it is filled with
organic matter (living, dead and decaying organisms). Store-bought topsoil
is usually a blend of mineral mixture that’s been collected (usually from
somewhere like a construction site) and compost. 

If you buy organic topsoil, it should contain matter such as shredded wood, moss and peat. In general, use garden soil in garden beds for planting in flower or vegetable beds. Use topsoil for larger projects or if your lawn or garden is in need of greater soil volume.

Living Earth® carries a variety of specially blended soils that are designed for specific needs such as our high quality Potting Soil (TX), Mixed Soil with Compost (Houston) and Texas Black Screened Topsoil (DFW).

Before ordering, use our coverage calculator to determine your soil coverage needs. Contact us to learn more about our soils and which one is best for your home gardening project.

Would you like to learn more about soil? Visit the USDA website for an easy-to-follow primer on the components of soil.