The Comprehensive Top Soil Guide: Essential for Your Next Gardening Project

26 June 2023 by
Harley Thompson

Hello, dear garden enthusiasts! Today, we at Daisy's Garden Supplies, are going to dig deep (pun intended) into a subject that's at the root (and we mean that literally) of successful gardening. The right topsoil can significantly improve the growth and health of your plants. Daisy's Garden Supplies is an ideal choice for sourcing your topsoil. They provide screened and blended options that cater to different gardening needs. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the basics of topsoil, the merits of Daisy's topsoil, its uses, and the convenient delivery and pickup options available.

What is Top Soil?

Now, you might ask, "What is top soil?" Well, let us clear the ground for you. Topsoil refers to the uppermost layer of the Earth's surface and is essential for all horticultural activities. This layer is the bustling hub of the soil's biological life and it's here that most nutrients are concentrated. Comprising mineral particulates, organic materials, water, and air, topsoil plays a starring role in plant development.

What's fascinating about topsoil is that it is nature's little delivery system, supplying plants with vital nutrients and storing water that roots need to grow and flourish.

Let's delve a tad deeper, shall we? Topsoil typically extends from 50 to 200 mm in depth and is chock-full of the ground's nutrients and fertility. If you find that the soil in your garden isn't quite up to snuff and you're keen to get cracking with planting veg or laying turf, acquiring fresh topsoil will ensure your green charges get a flying start.

Primarily, topsoil comes into its own when used for lawn top-dressing. It helps create a smooth and level lawn, filling in any pesky holes in the turf. And, once you've seeded a new lawn, a covering of topsoil serves to protect those tender, emerging seedlings. Topsoil can also be used in garden beds and especially for native Australian plants which thrive off Daisy’s Topsoil outputs.

In essence, topsoil is a garden's best mate. It's the unsung hero of a healthy, blooming garden. So next time you're in the garden, consider how the humble topsoil beneath your feet could be the secret weapon for your upcoming project. 


Our Range of Top Soil Products:

Daisy's Screened Topsoil:

Our Screened topsoil, a budget-friendly option, is an excellent choice for projects requiring substantial amounts of soil. It's highly versatile, suitable for a wide range of uses, from large-scale landscaping endeavours to backfilling and building retaining walls. Moreover, it's a perfect match for native plants, given that no additional composts or manures are added. For those looking to maintain the natural integrity of their local ecosystem look no further than our screened topsoil as it is sourced from local construction projects and excavations and then is thoroughly screened and processed before heading back to store and your garden.  Screened top soil offers a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution.

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Topsoil
blended topsoil

Daisy's Blended Topsoil:

Our Blended topsoil, a mix of sandy loam and clay loam, strikes an excellent balance between high-quality soil and economical pricing. Ideal for any area that requires soil, it's a popular choice among landscapers and contractors for larger projects and is particularly effective when planting native plants. Please note, this product is only available at our South East Stores in Ringwood, Ashwood, Carrum, and Pakenham.
Our Blended Mix offers several distinct advantages. Firstly, both sandy and clay soils boast high nutrient content, ensuring a nutrient-rich environment for your plants. The mix also offers good drainage, courtesy of the sandy soil component, preventing waterlogging and root rot. Moreover, the clay soil's moisture-retention properties enhance drought tolerance.
This topsoil is user-friendly, with sandy soils being lighter and less prone to compaction, making them excellent for gardening and planting. With its balanced composition, it supports a broad variety of plants and improves overall soil structure, thanks to the included organic matter.
Blended topsoil also has the benefit of warming up quickly in the spring, offering your plants a growth head start. Its resilience against compaction ensures it withstands heavy traffic while maintaining structure, and the good drainage minimises the chance of overwatering. Lastly, this blend enhances water and nutrient retention more than sandy soil alone, without compromising on drainage

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For a detailed comparison check out our Ultimate Comparison, Blended vs Screened Topsoil article.

Uses of Top Soil 

Topsoil is versatile and used in various applications such as raising the level of the garden, improving the soil structure, and promoting healthier plant growth.

  1. Gardening and Landscaping: Topsoil is often used in creating new plant beds or refurbishing gardens. By spreading a layer of topsoil onto the existing soil and mixing it thoroughly, gardeners can enhance the fertility of their garden. Topsoil is also used to level out uneven surfaces on lawns, providing a smooth and even surface for grass growth.

2. Budget-Friendly Solution for Large Gardening Areas: For those working on large-scale gardening or landscaping projects, topsoil is an excellent budget-friendly solution. It's a cost-effective way to improve the quality of the soil over a large area without the need for additional composts or manures. This makes it particularly suitable for projects that require substantial amounts of soil, such as creating new garden beds, backfilling, and building retaining walls. Furthermore, it's an ideal choice for maintaining the natural integrity of local ecosystems, as it doesn't introduce any foreign substances or chemicals. Thus, topsoil offers a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and efficient solution for large gardening areas on a budget.

3.  Nurturing Native Plants: Top soil is ideal for growing native plants. It provides a nutrient-rich environment, good drainage, and moisture-retention, all of which are beneficial for native plants. The blend of sandy and clay loam in topsoil supports a broad variety of plants and improves overall soil structure. It warms up quickly in spring, giving plants a growth boost, and its resilience against compaction and good drainage make it an excellent choice for maintaining local ecosystems.

4. Composting: Topsoil is potential choice for complementing compost as an extra addition. It contains similar materials and nutrients to compost, making it an ideal environment for the composting process to take place. However, we would recommend you use our specific compost products mushroom and revive composts instead due to their high nutrient contents and unique composting benefits over topsoil.

5. Patching Uneven Lawns: Topsoil can be used to fix patches in lawns. By applying a generous amount of topsoil to the gaps, gardeners can create a conducive environment for grass growth, eventually covering the patches.

6. Improving Drainage: Topsoil can be used to improve the quality of soil drainage. It's particularly useful in areas that hold water, where a combination of sandy topsoil and compost can create good drainage in the root zone area of plants.

7. Reptile Bedding: A mix of topsoil and children's play sand can be used as a base for reptile houses and tortoise enclosures.


Delivery and Pickup of Top Soil near me:

Ease and convenience are vital when handling large amounts of topsoil. Daisy's Garden Supplies offers a straightforward process for ordering topsoil and scheduling a delivery.

If you prefer to pick up your topsoil you can easily collect your order from our stores located across greater Melbourne and Geelong .

For convenience you can calculate the volume of topsoil required for your project using our volume calculator!