Evaluating Top Soil Cost-How to Get Your Money's Worth

When planting a garden, one prominent item in your budget should be top soil cost. With each bag running you $20 or more, its important to protect yourself from low-quality material marketed as high-quality dirt. There are a number of things to consider when selecting a brand of top soil to ensure that you are getting the best bang for your buck.

The simplest way of evaluating top soil is to look at and feel the product. Good top soil will crumble through your fingers without too much clumping. It will also be a rich dark brown color. Get your face down there-good top soil will smell sweet and earthy.

Top soil cost should be proportionate to quality. If you are buying a large amount of dirt, you may want to get it professionally tested to make sure you aren't getting ripped off. Sometimes, top soil companies are not necessarily scamming consumers, but their product is from an area that does not coincide with the soil in your garden. Although it is not a bad product, it may not be right for you. A test will tell give you an idea of quality and usability. Top soil tests will look at four things: pH, salt content, organic matter and texture.

You want the pH level to be between 5 and 8, with better quality being at a neutral 7 on the pH scale. Of course, research according to what you will be planting-some plant life is more sensitive to pH than others. Top soil cost should reflect pH first and foremost. Salt is also an important factor-too much salt will make it difficult for your plants to get the water they need. If you can see salt crystals in the soil, there is probably too much to be acceptable. Quality top soil should also have at least a 1% organic matter make-up. This especially should be consistent with your local soil; lower values are ok in some situations. The last test is for texture, i.e., the sand, silt, and clay content in the soil. An ideal product is less than 30% clay and less than 70% sand.

A garden professional can further help you evaluate the top soil brands. When you find a company the sell a quality product, be sure to return to this brand for your top soil needs, as it will have to be replaced at least every few years, more if you live where there is a lot of erosion. Top soil cost should be a primary concern for every new gardener.