Soils

Note: We highly encourage you to come take a look at our soils to meet your satisfaction before ordering.

Select Fill

This soil is great for filling holes or back filling retaining walls. It contains small rocks and caliche and should not be used for growing grass, or plants.

Topsoil

The regular clay based topsoil is unscreened. It may contain small rocks and clumps. This soil can be used for building up foundations, berms, and leveling. It is great for erosion control. We recommend you add an amendment to this soil to make it more satisfactory for planting trees, grass or shrubs.

Sandy Loam

Sandy loam is composed of sand, silt, and small traces of clay. It is usually the top layer of river banks. This particular loam comes from the local Guadalupe River and is unscreened. It may contain small rocks and river shells. This is a fantastic soil to use for grass prep and berms. Because of its silty nature, it may erode with strong rain.

Enriched Topsoil

This topsoil is a combination of 60% regular topsoil with 40% vegetable compost. This enriched topsoil can be used for the planting of grass, trees, and shrubs. Topsoil is unscreened and may contain small rocks and clumps.

Garden Mix

Garden mix is our own mixture of compost, clay-based topsoil, and sand. This soil is ideal for vegetable gardens and any kind of plantings. Different distributors have their own blends of garden mix and may use other amendments that may not be found in ours. We have found that the blend we use, is the most effective for our rocky and dry soil. We do not recommend this soil for seed starting.

Compost

We purchase our compost from Atlas Composting. The compost is comprised of yard waste and food waste. This means waste from your kitchen such as vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and other organic material are combined with lawn scraps and made into compost. Because Atlas partners with a recycling program in the city, there may be traces of very small glass(not harmful to your garden or you)in the compost. Please read the FAQ bellow for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions about garden mix & Compost

Please reach us at alicia@ezlandscapingsolutions.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Does compost have enough nutrients to sustain bedding plants during the growing season?

While compost has plenty of nutrients to enrich soil, it is not enough to support the entire growing season. Our temperatures here in the Hill County can get to 108 degrees. The more you water, the more the nutrients in the soil dilute. Adding a fertilizer of your choice is our recommendation during peak growing season.

Is compost safe to plant in?

While compost is organic matter, it produces heat as it breaks down. Compost should always be amended and not used to be planted into directly without any other soil. Test results of compost nutrients are available upon request.

Is garden mix weed free?

Soils can never be guaranteed to be weed free. Many factors play in to weed growth such as the wind blowing in seed and seed already on the ground surface. All topsoil comes with weed seeds. It is natural and unavoidable. Heating the soil to kill the weed seed would also kill the microorganisms that are essential in soil.

Does compost smell?

All decomposing organic matter smells. Once it is mixed with soil, and it hydrates, the compost smell dissipates and converts to an earthy smell.

Is every batch of garden mix the same?

We use the same mixing ratios to blend our garden mix but not every batch will look the same. Many factors come in to play when you buy garden mix from different providers. Soil layers may differ in color and texture based on the layers of the earth. Here in the Hill Country, topsoil can vary in color from a reddish orange to coffee brown. All organic matter is natural and can have a different appearance from one batch to the next. Different distributors use different mixing ratios so please this keep this mind when shopping. Our garden mix is something we use in our own garden and has been tested and proven to grow strong plants.

What if I used garden mix and my plants are not growing?

Our garden mix has been tested and has all the essential nutrients needed to grow healthy plants. Test results are available upon request. There are many reasons why a plant may not grow. Too little water is the most probable. However, heat tolerance, location, improper handling, root disturbance, and sun exposure. We recommend the following link to research more about growing plants in the Texas Hill Country. https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu

Can I make my own blends with Compost?

Absolutely! We highly recommend you do your own research for optimal results. Compost with washed sand can make a great topdressing to promote lawn growth. Compost with Decomposed Granite makes a great Cactus Mix.

Why is my garden mix so compacted and hard?

Texas is beautiful but it has a hot and dry climate. Allowing your soil to completely dry out will cause the soil to become hard and compacted. Moisture is key to a healthy soil as it allows oxygen and microorganisms to remain at the roots of plants and trees.