Screened topsoil and something to fix the clay
Gaston County soil is red clay that sets like a brick in August and holds water in February. Both problems get solved with material, not effort.
Topsoil, conditioner and fill are three different things
Screened topsoil is dark, it has run through a screen so the rocks and roots are out, and it is what you want on top when you are seeding or leveling a lawn. It is not a soil amendment. Spread thin over hard clay it will grow grass, and the clay underneath will still be clay.
Soil conditioner is aged bark fines. Tilled into a bed six inches down it breaks the clay open so roots and water can move, and it keeps working as it breaks down. Fill dirt is unscreened and cheap, and it belongs at the bottom of a hole where nothing is going to grow.
- Topsoil for the top two or three inches
- Soil conditioner tilled in for beds and shrubs
- Fill dirt for volume under everything else
Working out the yards
The arithmetic is the same as mulch. Length times width times depth in feet, divided by 27. A 20 by 30 foot lawn patch topped two inches deep needs about four yards. A settled trench along a foundation can swallow a yard a lot faster than people expect, so measure the depth honestly.
Soil is heavy. A cubic yard of screened topsoil runs somewhere near 2,200 pounds damp, which is more than a half ton pickup should carry in one go. That is what the delivery truck is for.
Common jobs around here
Filling the low spot that holds water by the downspout, topping a thin fescue lawn before a fall seeding, building a raised bed, and rebuilding the grade so water leaves the house instead of sitting against the brick. Those four cover most of what leaves the yard.
If the low spot keeps coming back after you fill it, the problem is drainage and not dirt. We do that work too, and it is on the hardscapes and drainage page.
Not sure whether you want soil or conditioner?
Tell us what is going in the ground and we will tell you which one.
What Gaston County says
Every quote below is a real review, word for word, from our Google profile.
I called this morning looking for prices on some mulch and expected to have to wait a few days for delivery. I spoke with Melissa and she helped me figure out how much I needed and quoted a very reasonable price and told me I could get it delivered in half an hour! Mac was soon in my driveway with a truckload of mulch. He drove that truck right up to my flower bed and dumped it right where I needed it.
I'm born and raised here, so I've known about AJ's for probably the last 30 years or more, but have never worked with them until now. They are awesome to work with. When you call them, you don't get a recording. They answer the phones and provide great insight and advice for the project.
This long established business continues to provide quality products for a reasonable price. The second generation is also involved and he delivers quickly, efficiently and never fails to treat customers respectfully.
Always great, the lady on the phone is always pleasant and soooo friendly, she is patient answering questions and helpful, the delivery guy is always friendly, he even dump my gravel in diff spots to make it easier to spread.
AJ will forever be my place and will always be the first place i recommend. I have begged my husband for years to fill an area in my garden with river rock. He was able to do that yesterday with the help of AJ's!
Great family owned and operated business. Honest, insightful and helpful in every aspect.
Think you have a problem up there? We will look at it, free.
In a thin layer, yes. Quarter inch to half an inch at a time, raked in so the grass blades still show. Bury a lawn under two inches of soil in one pass and you smother it.
Topsoil is mineral soil that has been screened. Compost and soil conditioner are organic matter that has broken down. Topsoil gives you body, conditioner gives the clay somewhere to breathe.
Around 2,200 pounds when it is damp, and heavier after rain. It is the reason we would rather deliver it than watch a half ton truck leave the yard on its bump stops.
Bring the measurements of the area, or a photo of it, and we will tell you. If topsoil and soil conditioner is not what the job wants, we say so and point you at what does.
Monday to Friday 8 AM to 4 PM; Saturday 8 AM to 2 PM; Sunday Closed. Outside those hours use the form and we answer the next working day.
Since 1982.
Tell us the area, we will work out the yards
Call the yard, or send the measurements and the material you had in mind.
- Monday to Friday8 AM to 4 PM
- Saturday8 AM to 2 PM
- SundayClosed