Screened vs unscreened topsoil
Screened topsoil has been sifted to take out rocks, roots and clumps. The screen size decides how fine it is. Here is what to ask before you order.
Unscreened topsoil comes straight from the ground: rocks, roots, clods and all. It costs less and works for filling low spots and rough grading.
Screened topsoil has been run through a mesh screen that removes anything larger than the mesh. A 1/4 inch screen gives fine soil for seeding and top dressing a lawn; 1/2 inch is coarser and fine for beds. Ask which screen the yard uses. 1113 yards on this site list screened topsoil.
The University of Connecticut's home garden guide on buying topsoil says screened topsoil should be free of rock fragments larger than 3 inches, and that gravel smaller than that should be no more than 5 percent of the volume.
Topsoil is not garden soil
Topsoil is usually no more than about 5 percent organic matter. For vegetable beds and raised beds, look for a garden soil or raised bed mix, which blends topsoil with compost, and ask for the recipe (for example 70 percent topsoil, 30 percent compost).
Check it before it's dumped
Most complaints about delivered topsoil are the same: it was sold as screened and arrived full of rocks, clay lumps or trash. To avoid that:
- Look at the pile at the yard first, or ask for a photo of the pile you'll get.
- Ask whether the screener has a magnet, which pulls out nails and metal.
- Check the load before you sign the delivery ticket. If it isn't what you ordered, say so to the driver.
- If you're growing food, ask whether the yard has a soil test.