Topsoil vs Garden Soil vs Compost: What's the Difference?
Landscaping Materials Topsoil, garden soil and compost are often sold near each other, but they serve different purposes. Choosing the right material depends on whether you are grading a lawn, filling a garden bed, improving existing soil or growing plants in containers. Quick answer: topsoil is commonly used for grading and adding soil volume, garden soil is usually a blended product for planting beds, and compost is decomposed organic material used primarily to improve soil. Need to calculate soil volume? Estimate cubic yards or bags from your area and desired depth. Use the Topsoil Calculator How Much Topsoil Do I Need? Topsoil vs Garden Soil vs Compost Material What It Is Common Use Topsoil Mineral soil from or formulated to resemble an upper soil layer Grading, lawns, filling low areas Garden soil Commercial soil blend In-ground garden beds Compost Decomposed organic material Improving existing soil What Is Topsoil? The term topsoil generally refe...