Volume of top soil required

So I'm digging over my garden I was going to buy compost but been told it would be best to turn it over with some top soil, my problem is how much do i need?

Can anyone help with figures? flower bed is 2.5m by 1m.

 

Hi Charlie if you put 4" , 100mm of soil on top this would be 0.25 cubic metres . Calc below for all other variations . I don't know what the min volume is you can order for bulk delivery . I think that would be about 20 bags of soil which would be an expensive way . You may need a bulk delivery.
http://www.turfland.co.uk/soil-calculator

 

Thanks this is exactly what i needed.

 

Why do you need new top soil? Wouldn't it be cheaper just to enrich and improve the soil that's there using well rotted manure?

 

I was going to buy some compost (absolute gardening beginner) someone told me to buy top soil.

right maybe a silly question but wont well rotted manure smell? My border garden is level with my windows so not keen on smelly manure wafting in through my windows. That's if the weather improves enough to open them.

The option I go for either needs to be delivered or small enough quantities for me carry (locally) as I dont have a car.

 

Sounds like that will just mix good topsoil in with whatever you have already. If your soil is good enough you don't need any new topsoil and if it isn't I think it would be better to keep them separate, so the plants can enjoy the lovely topsoil without any of you old sub-soil being mixed in.

As C1 said, unless your soil is lousy then better to "Improve" it rather than buy in topsoil. And if you soil is lousy (e.g. clay that is only good for modelling / making bricks!!) you need to remove it and replace it with topsoil - and if it was me I would replace 9" depth - 6" at the absolute minimum.

Google will do the calculation for you, including mixing units. You just need to type the "query" in exactly this format (including spaces and the "=" on the end)

2.5 metres x 1 metre x 4 inches in cubic meters =

vary the units to suit the measurements you have

No. Fresh might smell Well rotted is like "compost". More especially if you dig / rotavate it in. You can even put it in the "bottom" as you dig - as you dig you make a "trench" and put the manure into it, then dig the next row "into" that trench covering the manure and creating the next trench for more manure. That's only relevant if you are properly digging the area over; just "incorporating" it by mixing it with the soil is fine, particularly if you are worried about the smell, or when it is delivered find its not as well rotted as you hoped.

You could use something else: mushroom compost, spent hops, or even the council's composted green-recycle-waste (might be free/cheap in your area?)

Calculating 4 inches depth for the area you need to "improve" and applying that amount should give you good results

 

If the soil is a bit rubbish, I'd improve it with manure and/or spent mushroom compost (the latter is probably cheaper).

If it is just solid clay, I'd still just improve it. Clay simply refers to the the particle size. When the particles are small enough, they bond so tight they make the familiar horrid clay. Mix in some bulk organic matter for the clay particles to bind to, and what you get is soil with good structure, good drainage, and good water and nutrient holding capacity.

Here's what can be achieved on clay.
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/improving-clay.21951/

Since that excellent article by PeterS, he has done a few more showing how its progressed (unfortunately I can find them at the moment, but I know they're there).

 

Thanks for the compliment Clueless. There are some more of my garden pictures in this thread http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/just-a-view-in-my-garden.3200/ including these pictures of the front garden discussed in the improving clay thread.






Charlie - If I had the same situation today - I would do exactly the same again - except that I would do 2 or 3 times the quantities. My garden is on clay, which has its problems but it also has good points such as its full of nutrition.

You can't really change your soil with fresh topsoil - a garden is just too big. If its clay it will always be clay - you can't change that. But you can improve the soil and you can grow the plants that like your conditions.