Topsoil is a core ingredient for many gardening, planting and landscaping projects. It is the naturally formed upper layer of soil, and is often richer in organic matter and nutrients compared to other naturally formed layers. 

Topsoil is also available to buy from trusted landscaping suppliers. But with different types of topsoil available, which are suitable for your project? 

In this in-depth guide, we’ll take you through the types of topsoil and how you can use them to your advantage. 

Types of topsoil 

Topsoil is typically divided into three different grades: 

• Premium grade

You can expect to pay a little more for this grade, and for good reason. High in fertility, this topsoil is usually loamy and has fantastic structure. This makes it useful to establish new flower beds and for growing fruit and veg. 

• General-purpose grade

This all-round high-quality topsoil is ideal for new beds and borders, for laying turf and as a top dressing, when a finer type is selected. 

• Economy grade

The most inexpensive type of soil, it’s generally unscreened and used for applications that require a large volume of ground to be filled.

Simply ask your chosen supplier for advice on the best topsoil for your needs. 

What is screened topsoil? 

Screened topsoil is topsoil that has been filtered or ‘screened’ through mesh in order to ensure the particles are a specific and consistent size. Screening also removes larger bits of dirt, stones and other debris from the soil.

By ensuring the topsoil contains a uniform particle size and consistent soil structure through screening, more efficient water flow and nutrient distribution can be facilitated. This makes screened topsoil an excellent choice for gardening and landscaping projects. 

Should I use topsoil or compost? 

Perhaps you’re wondering what goes first, compost or topsoil? Or maybe you’re unsure about whether topsoil or compost should be used for certain applications. 

Both topsoil and compost are used for gardens and beds, and both are used for providing nutrients and organic matter. As a general rule, topsoil refers to the naturally-formed top layer of soil, containing a mix of organic matter, nutrients and minerals. 

On the other hand, compost is man-made and is formed from the breakdown of organic matter, making it incredibly rich in nutrients and an excellent fertiliser. This makes it more suited for potted plants that require intensive bursts of nutrients. 

Mixing both compost and topsoil together can achieve a good result, as can adding a layer of compost over topsoil. Both techniques can work to give roots a stable yet nutrient-rich place to establish plants in raised beds, for example. 

Choosing the right type of topsoil for your project

To get the best results from your project, you need to choose the right type of topsoil. 

• What is the best topsoil for outdoor containers?

Most topsoil is generally not advised for containers or pots, and you’re better off selecting a potting mix. Premium topsoil can sometimes be included in a compost mix for potted plants, thanks to its excellent fertility. 

• Which topsoil is best for growing plants?

Either general-purpose or premium topsoil mixed with a little compost is great for raised beds and plants that grow outside of containers. Screened topsoil and loamy topsoil are particularly good for plant growth, so look out for these qualities. 

• What is the best topsoil for an outdoor garden?

A loam textured soil is best for an outdoor garden. Economy topsoil is ideal for projects where a larger volume of soil is required, or when you are levelling turf – essentially any occasion when volume matters more than quality. Higher grades of topsoil can then be laid over the top to give the soil a boost of nutrients, if you wish. 

Always double-check by doing your own research before purchasing to make sure you’re buying the right topsoil for the right application. 

How much topsoil do I need?

The amount of topsoil you require will depend entirely on the scope, size and application involved in your project. It is always wiser to over-order slightly so you don’t run out. 

For a rough estimate of how much topsoil your project needs, check out our handy aggregate calculator. Simply choose the material type (in this case, topsoil) and enter the dimensions of the space it needs to fill. Click calculate, and our calculator will generate an estimate to help you purchase more accurately. 

How to buy topsoil

Topsoil should be purchased from a trustworthy high-quality supplier who can provide topsoil in a quantity of your choice. 

For flexibility, it’s also wise to choose a company who can supply in both loose-tipped and bulk bagged soil depending on your project needs. 

And for ultimate convenience, you’ll want to select a supplier who can deliver the topsoil directly to your door so that your project can get started right away. 

Here at Chargrace Soils, our topsoil is hand-chosen for quality to ensure it adheres to BS-3882. Wherever you are in Kent, we’ll supply topsoil and other landscaping materials in any quantity, using our bespoke vehicles to deliver straight to your site. With bulk bags or loose options available, you can sit back and enjoy a simple service from Chargrace Soils. Get in touch today – or buy online!

Getting the best out of your soil is a fine balance between optimum nutrients, organic matter and drainage ability. 

If your garden soil could do with a little lift, this article will take you through some easy ways to improve your soil quality. 

How to improve garden soil 

Whether you’re growing vegetables or nurturing a colourful flower bed, its success relies on healthy soil. So let’s explore how you can give yours a boost. 

Test your soil

Everyone’s soil is different and what works for one garden might not work for another. 

That’s why testing your soil frequently is strongly advised, as this gives you a clear picture on the current state of your soil and therefore, with a little research, what it might need for a boost. 

Soil testing kits can be purchased online and give readings on a number of nutrients, along with its organic matter content. From this, you can determine what it’s lacking or what could change. 

Make adjustments

From your soil test results, and personal research, you can begin to make adjustments to the soil itself. This could mean introducing sand to heavier soils with a high clay content to improve aeration and introduce nutrients. It might mean adding lime to increase the pH of a particularly acidic soil. 

This is very much a case-by-case basis, so make sure to do your research based on the test readings or seek an expert opinion. 

Introduce compost

The wonderful thing about compost is that it improves virtually any soil type. It introduces valuable nutrients into the soil, as well as improving the soil’s ability to retain these nutrients. Compost also improves soil drainage and enhances aeration around roots, making it all-round good news for your garden’s health. 

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The important thing is to get high-quality compost. Here at Chargrace Soils, we provide 10mm PAS100 Compost, designed to improve soil and prevent weed growth. It also adheres to stringent PAS100 specifications, so you can be guaranteed of its quality. 

Crop rotation

If you’re growing vegetables in your garden, it’s advisable to do crop rotation. This means changing the location of certain crops throughout the years. This way, the nutrients in the soil don’t become too depleted, and instead, can be replenished by the different crops introduced to that area. Crop rotation also helps in the fight against pests and pathogens. It’s recommended that you rotate crops every 3 to 4 years. 

Plant cover crops 

Cover crops are planted when a growing season is over to ensure that the soil doesn’t decline in quality until next season. Their purpose is to improve the soil nutrients, protect the soil from erosion and rain, and to lessen the likelihood of weed growth and soil compaction. 

How to improve soil drainage 

Healthy soil equals decent drainage, which is why improving soil drainage is so important to the success of a garden. So here are a few things you can do to help. 

Avoid compaction

Soil that is too compacted can hinder the flow of water, oxygen and nutrients around plant roots. Avoid walking on soil to prevent compaction, especially when it’s wet or very clay-heavy. Instead, build walkways, pathways or stepping stones to bypass this. 

Install deterrents

One way to prevent people or machines from going over the soil is to install deterrents. This could mean putting your flowers on a raised bed or platform, or installing a fence around them. 

Include organic matter

As previously discussed in this article, organic matter from compost is excellent for the improvement of soil quality – and it also can enhance soil drainage. That’s because it works to make the soil structure better, assisting with drainage in the soil. 

Searching for high-quality compost and soil for your garden? Chargrace Soils is a leading supplier of affordable landscaping materials for Kent, including Sevenoaks and Bromley. To find out how you can place an order, just get in touch today.

Making the most of our soil is a top priority for any discerning gardener. Biologically, chemically and physically, soil is a more complex medium than many people think – and if you know how to work it to your advantage, and to your specific gardening needs, you can get excellent results. 

To help you in the quest for the most healthy, suitable soil, we’ll take you through some of the most commonly asked questions about soil health. Of course, answers will vary a little depending on the soil type in question, so bear this in mind. 

How do I know if my soil is healthy? 

Firstly, take a look at it. A healthy soil should ideally be a dark brown colour. You can also check your plants to see if they are healthy. Browning or yellowing leaves could be a sign of nutrient deficiencies in the soil, and if weeds are taking over, that could be another clear indicator as weeds are far more tolerant of poor soil conditions than other plants. 

Another way of assessing soil health is to grab a handful of it and roll it between your fingers. Healthy soil should ideally break apart into differently-sized crumbs which should hopefully hold their integrity under a little pressure. Too hard, and it may take a lot of pressure to break it up. Soil that is tough to work and breaks up into big clumps can also be a sign of hard soil. To test soil compaction a little better, take a wire and push it into the soil – if the wire bends near the surface, then your soil could be too compacted, and its health may suffer as a result.

One other sign of healthy soil is the presence of earthworms and other organisms. Simply by digging down around 6 inches, you can observe how much your soil is thriving by noting the organisms you can see. A healthy soil should be rich in varied organisms. 

How to improve soil health 

If you’ve noticed that your soil is not as healthy as you would like, identifying the issue is the first step to improving it. 

Adding mulch or compost can revive a struggling soil by introducing more nutrients and organic matter. You may also want to add nutrients through fertilisers if you identify that one or more is lacking. 

If you’re growing crops, make sure you rotate the planting location between different patches over time. Repeatedly growing crops in the same spot year-on-year can deplete the nutrients. 

To avoid soil compaction, you may want to create designated walkways or paths throughout your garden space to prevent people from walking over the growing areas, and thus compacting the soil, 

Which soil is most permeable? 

Generally speaking, sandy soils are the most permeable while soils that have a higher proportion of clay particles tend to reduce drainage and permeability. It’s important to check what levels of permeability you will require for your specific needs, as this may vary. Though, you should also be aware that soils which drain too quickly, such as very sandy soils, may also be detrimental as water and therefore nutrients will not be held in the soil long enough for plants to benefit. 

What are some signs of poor soil drainage? 

One way of testing if your soil drainage is poor is by digging up a plant and examining the roots. If the roots are dark, limp or mushy, then this could be a sign of poor drainage or aeration. Stunted growth can also shine a light on poor drainage. Growth of moss is another sign of poor drainage so make sure to remove the moss and then rectify the problem. 

Another tip is to pour a glass of water onto your soil, and if the water is absorbed into the soil within around 5 seconds or so, this is an indicator of good drainage. Water that sits on top of the soil for a little too long could indicate compaction or a lack of aeration. 

How to improve soil drainage 

Compost is a well-aerated medium with plenty of valuable air pockets to enhance drainage, so mixing in some compost with your soil can boost overall water movement in the soil. 

Moving earthworms into areas of your garden which experience poor drainage is another trick for boosting aeration, as earthworms can assist in reducing soil compaction by digging holes. The excretions, or ‘casts’, from the earthworms can also help the soil retain nutrients better, as well as increasing water retention. 

You can also gently aerate the soil using a small fork to break up compaction and aid drainage, or even install a drainage system into your garden with pipes. 

Searching for soil that will enrich your garden? Here at Chargrace Soils, we supply a wide range of soil types and mixes to suit any needs, ranging from sandy loam and topsoil all the way to low-fertility options for wildflower areas. Whatever you need, we can deliver to customers across the UK, including Kent, Bromley and Sevenoaks. 

Soil is the lifeblood of any garden, providing warmth, moisture, and nutrients for plants. But did you know that not all soil is the same? There are six main soil types in the UK, each with unique qualities and quirks. This guide will help you to identify, enhance, and plant harmoniously with the soil you have, ensuring healthy, successful, and productive plants for years to come.

The best way to get to grips with your soil is by getting a grip of your soil! Your hands are fantastic, tactile tools for identifying soil. Rubbing it between your fingers will give you a pretty good idea of what you’re working with.

Chalk

Chalky soil will feel dry, with large, dusty, particles. Its free-draining so isn’t prone to becoming waterlogged or compacted but will lose nutrients and moisture easily. Adding fertiliser and organic matter like mulch will replenish nutrients and retain water. Chalk soils are alkaline, which can stunt growth and cause leaves to yellow. Balance the pH by adding, nitrogen, sulphur, or sphagnum. Rosemary, Thyme, Lavender, and Lilac are all chalky soil lovers, but avoid lime-hating ericaceous plants.

Clay

Clay soil will feel heavy, moist, and slimy, and hold its shape when rolled into a ball. It warms up quickly during the spring and retains heat, but often becomes very dry and cracked during the peak of summer. In wet and cold weather, it is prone to becoming waterlogged and compacted. Avoid treading on clay soil wherever possible. Clay soil is very fertile, so won’t need much enrichment. Instead, focus on improving the structure by adding gypsum, coarse grit, or bark to aerate the soil and aid drainage. Roses flourish in clay soil, as do summer fruits and hardy perennials.

Peat

Peat soil is dark coloured and slightly spongy to touch. Although it contains plenty of organic matter, its acidity stifles nutrients, so regular fertilisation is needed. Peat soils heat up quickly in spring and retain moisture well, but can become waterlogged, so consider digging drainage channels or adding gravel. Heathers, Camellias, and ericaceous plants such as Azalea will flourish in acidic peat soil. Alternatively, you can add lime to reduce the acidity.

Sand

Sandy soil feels gritty and crumbles easily. It is often acidic, and its loose structure means it loses nutrients and moisture easily, so add plenty of wet organic matter like compost, sphagnum moss, or manure. Slow-release fertilisers are great for loose sandy soils. Opt for drought-tolerant or semi-exotic plants like Buddleja, Lavender, and succulents.

Silt

Silty soils feel light, soft, and almost soapy in your hands. Despite being free draining, they retain nutrients well, but can become easily compacted. Adding loose organic matter will improve aeration. Most vegetables are well suited to silty soil, as well as trees like Willow and Birch.

Loam

Loamy soil has a fine but moist texture that holds its shape when rolled into a ball. If you have loam soil, consider yourself blessed! It’s the easiest soil to work with, not too loose or too dense, usually nutrient-rich, and warms up quickly in spring. Loamy soil will support almost every type of plant with minimal intervention. A little additional compost in spring and the occasional feed during the peak of the growing season should be sufficient to keep your plants contented in a loamy border.

References 

Barton, R. (no date). Know Your Garden Soil: How to Make the Most of Your Soil Type. Available at: https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/know-your-garden-soil-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-soil-type/#:~:text=Great%20for%3A%20Shrubs%2C%20climbers%2C,which%20have%20adequate%20adequate%20drainage.

BBC. (2014). Soil Types. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module1/soil_types1.shtml 

Chen, A. (2021) 8 Common Soil Problems (And How to Fix Them). Available at: https://defiel.com/common-soil-problems/

Gardeners World. (2019). Find out your soil type. Available at: https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/find-out-your-soil-type/#:~:text=There%20are%20six%20main%20types,%2C%20peaty%2C%20sandy%20and%20silty

Gardeners World. (2019). Best plants for alkaline soils. Available at: https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/best-plants-for-alkaline-soils/

Gardeners World. (2019). 10 flowers for clay soil. Available at: https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/10-flowering-plants-for-clay-soil/

Gardeners World. (2019). Plants for light and stony soil. Available at: https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/plants-for-light-and-stony-soil/

Hayes, B. (no date). 6 Types of Soil and Which Plants Grow Best on Them. Available at: https://morningchores.com/types-of-soil/

Residential Plantings. (No date). Common Soil Problems and Solutions. Available at: https://residentialplantings.com/tips/common-soil-problems/

RHS. (no date). Soil types. Available at: https://www.rhs.org.uk/soil-composts-mulches/soil-types

One of the fundamental rules of successful gardening is that to have a healthy, thriving garden, a good place to start has decent soil to grow.

By ‘decent’, we mean soil that drains well but still retains some moisture; is nutritious enough to encourage healthy growth and remains friable – making planting, digging, levelling and raking easy; providing an ideal environment for root growth. It sounds like a tall order.

Loams are an ideal mixture of silt, clay and sand. We mean roughly up to a third clay, another third sand, and the rest silt by ideal. It’s not a precise science, and the results can depend on what is already there.

But by planting into loam, you get a fertile, well-drained and workable soil mix.

How can you tell if that’s what you’ve got in your garden? On a dry day, grab a handful of soil and squeeze it gently. Ideally, you don’t want the makings of a mud pie here.

In contrast, neither do you want the soil to flow between your fingers like you’re on the beach. If this happens, you’ve got too much sand, meaning moisture and nutrients will soak away before roots have had a chance to absorb them.

An ideal consistency would be a softball of soil that you can easily crumble away. The sand aids drainage while the clay retains moisture; the silt is like a bonding agent for the two.

The perfect combination will result in a pH-neutral soil, which means a pH level of 7, so neither excessively acidic (ericaceous) or alkaline, giving you more comprehensive options for what you can successfully grow.

Unfortunately, few gardens are like this from scratch, especially if you have a new build property.

To achieve an excellent loamy consistency, you need to be a dedicated gardener and gradually introduce organic matter over several years. But being a longer-term solution, it can be frustrating if eventually, you don’t achieve the desired results, despite doing everything right.

Experimenting and changing the blend consistently if you’ve already planted your beds and borders can be challenging too.

We can tell you’re ahead of us at this stage. What’s the easy way to get a loamy mix in your garden?

You could try Chargrace Soils Planting Loam, which you can introduce to your garden. It is available in various quantities, either loose or bagged. You don’t necessarily need to do it all at the same time, obviously, if you are improving the soil in a new-build garden, you need to do the whole thing as a project, but with an established garden, you may wish to consider a plan to introduce loam in stages.

You can calculate how much you’ll need by using Google Maps ‘measure distance’ facility. Zoom into your garden and right-click where you want to measure from. Then click at each point around the plot you measure until you get back to the starting point. You will then have the linear and square meterage of your plot. Multiply the square meterage by the depth you need.

By introducing Chargrace Planting Loam to your garden, the roots of your plants will get the very best of everything they need; nutrients, gaps between the loamy particles to seek out moisture and sand to allow aeration and prevent stagnation can lead to disease.

Available with a range of delivery options, including tonne bags unloaded by Hiab and bulk tippers, call our sales team on 01342 893174 or email info@dev.solutionsfinder.co.uk to find out how we can assist with your garden project.

Spring is an excellent time of year to be thinking about renovating or improving your lawn, whether it’s beautifully laid out and mowed with perfect stripes or perhaps used as an impromptu football pitch or bicycle racetrack.

Either way, most lawns require some TLC sooner or later, and top dressing with Chargrace 10mm Rootzone will increase resistance to weeds and aid drainage. 

Laden with nutrients, Chargrace Rootzone is perfect for filling in small hollows and depressions. The sandy elements will improve drainage and allow the root structure of your lawn to become event better established.

Suitable for almost all types of turf and grass cultivars, continued use of Chargrace Rootzone will improve the health of your lawn year on year. 

For overseeding, which will thicken and establish the sward, spring and autumn are the best times; you may wish to treat or remove any weed before solid tining the grass or carrying out heavy scarification.

Depending on the size of your lawn, you can do the former manually with a square tined fork (make sure there are no electrical cables below the surface first!) and the latter with a decent spring rake, which will also help you save on your gym fees, as it will be quite the workout.

For the more extensive lawn, we would recommend a machine; these can quickly be hired from your local hire shop but do check that the tines are in good condition before use and try to plan the work for a decent spell of weather, which along with the lawn needs to be dry for this work to be carried out.

Once you have either aerated or scarified your lawn, you may wish to over seed, which will thicken the sward where it may have become thin or even bald. To work out how much seed you would need, you can look for your lawn on Google Maps, zoom in as close as you can without losing definition, pick a point from which you wish to start measuring (on the perimeter of the lawn) right click and choose ‘measure distance’.

 Depending on its use, you may wish to do some research into which seed mix would be best for your lawn. If there is heavy traffic from children and /or dogs, you may wish to go for a hardwearing mix of dwarf ryegrass and creeping red fescue. 

For shadier lawns, choose a smooth-stalked meadowgrass and a resilient blend of bluegrass. 

If your lawn gets light traffic and needs to look super lush, a mix of bents and fescues could be what you’re looking for. There are hundreds of blends available to suit your particular lawn.  

You may wish to order a bit extra seed for any minor repairs. If you do, keep it in your shed inside a biscuit tin – this will deter rodents; they can smell it from miles away.   

Put the grass seed in a bucket and spread thinly by hand, walking up and down in rows, first one way, then across ways, and keep going until all the grass seed is gone. If you have a spreader, that’s even better.

Once the grass seed is spread, have a cup of tea and sit down for ten minutes. It’s time now to start top dressing your lawn.

Once again, if you have a spreader, use it. Again, work up and down in rows, and then across ways, keep going until all the Chargrace Rootzone is gone.  

You will now need to level it out; you can use a drag mat, a lute (an angle iron frame on a handle) or even the back of a wide rake. Keep working the Chargrace Rootzone in until any depressions have been filled in, and you can manly see blades of grass across the lawn. 

You cannot overdo this stage; the more you rake or drag-mat the lawn, the better it will be.

Once you are satisfied that the lawn has now been completely top-dressed, water it thoroughly or hope for rain. You will soon see an improvement.