When people use words like topsoil they are usually just trying to sell industrial fill that has very little in the way of nutrients. This looks like a mix of sand and/or clay used as fill. In fact from what I can tell the soil that is on the top left hand side of your picture looks much better to grow something over this stuff. If you are just looking for soil for your lawn then I would sift out the rocks as you will come to hate that soil every time you have to mow your lawn.

In my area, that would described and sold as "fill" - not intended for planting but used to level, 'fill' or grade areas where a soil in large volume is needed. This would then be covered by a decent layer of planting grade soil mix to establish lawn areas or planting beds. A garden soil mix usually has a fair percentage of organic matter included and is generally free from rocks and is sometimes referred to as a 3-way or 5-way mix. It is also a lot more expensive than fill or 'topsoil' but then you do not use it in the same manner or to the same volume as you would one of these lesser quality products.

That's 'fill dirt' ... too many rocks to make a good lawn unless you don't mind replacing windows every time you mow.

Why do you think you need to buy topsoil?

I am building up my land, I put in about 1200 yards of fill dirt/stone and now I need to top it for grass. I keep looking but I can't find free top soil unless it is in very small quantities.

Like I posted earlier you could use that soil but you would just have to sift it to remove all those projectile rocks. You will need to supply it with some sort of fertilizer also, as that soil looks fairly dead. Keep a eye on craigslist if you are looking for free dirt as you will find fill appear once in a while. Your only other option would be to start building your own soil through compost but that could take years.

I appreciate all of the feedback thank you

I'm not at all sure "free" topsoil is something you would want. It would very likely be more of the same sort of fill dirt you have now - rocky and with minimal organic matter included.

There is nothing special about topsoil and it is not necessarily anything great to plant in - it is just the top surface (4-6 inches) of an existing soil before construction or cultivation takes place. It can be filled with various size rocks, tree roots and other plant debris and can be a lot of clay or a lot of sand. And it susually has very little organic matter in it. If you are contemplating planting a lawn or preparing for other landscaping, then a good quality, fertile and well draining soil - like loam - is ideally what you want. Unfortunately, loam is not an easy item to locate so bulk soil providers mix up their own blends to duplicate these properties as much as possible. Generally this is in part screened topsoil but augmented with organic matter like compost and with added drainage enhancers. And it is not free!!

You can do something similar but it will take a lot of work and you will still need to add the organic matter, either with your own compost, which takes time (usually months ) to prepare or with purchased organic matter, like composted manures or purchased compost.

Soil is really the most important foundation for any garden, whatever you might be growing. It makes sense to spend the time and effort and $$ on getting it right before you plant as otherwise you will just be wasting money on plantings that will not thrive. I would get the notion of just using "free dirt" out of your head and figure out how to get the best soil you can manage by the most economical means. But if you want any sort of decent lawn and garden you are going to have to spend some money on it.

I posted the response to free topsoil due to an earlier post that was made. I am more than willing to spend the dough. The stuff in my original pic is 7.50 per yard and it's less than 2 miles away, hence why I grabbed a sample before buying the full 275 yards. I appreciate the knowledge as it will help me in my journey. Thx.

"Topsoil" is defined as the top 4 to 12 inches of soil from someplace and from the looks of the picture that is what you have, soil from someplace. Perhaps this article will be of some help. http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/the_shocking_truth_about_topsoil

If you want good soil look beyond what might be offered as "topsoil" for something closely resembling a soil mix that is about 45 percent sand, 25 percent silt, 25 percent clay and 5 percent organic matter, or loam.

On the other hand you can make good soil simply by adding adequate amounts of organic matter to the mineral soil you already have.

kimmq is kimmsr

Gotta wonder what happened to the topsoil that was there before the filling took place. I guess that's water under the bridge now. :-]

Saved what I could but the land was built up over the years and not much as far as good topsoil was there.

I would follow Kimmq's suggestion and "make" your own topsoil. The primary chemical difference in the top few inches of soil is the organic material - vegetation litter that decomposes to form compost and finally a humus.

However, even more important is the biological difference - which is vast. The top 12 inches of soil is completely different ecosystem - thousands of varieties of fungus, bacteria, protozoa, insects and animals that create a living medium for the plants growing on the surface.

You can't haul in a living ecosystem. You can create a hospitable soil medium and then let the ecosystem develop. Rather then look for good topsoil, why not just amend the dirt you have with needed organic matter? The fact that you want to plant grass works in your favor since grass expects the soil to be somewhat desolate and will grow and die quickly to build up it's own layer of decomposing debris.

It would take years to build his soil up but it is a option. Laying down a wood mulch and topping it off every year would slowly build up his soil but that is a long term solution. How long it would actually take would depend on where he lives. If he is somewhere with mild winters and it isn't bone dry it could take a couple years. If he lives in the desert it could take a lot longer for that wood to break down. If he is willing to spend the money he could bring in some decent soil and amend it with whatever it is missing and that would take no time at all.

i would suggest making very sure that importing that much fill to your yard wont interfere with the natural drainage of your land and neighboring properties.

I had full engineering done to properly alter the topography for the water flow which ultimately improves the drainage for all neighboring yards. I won't have the time to make my own soil. I am expecting to drop a large sum of cash to have some good stuff delivered. I live in Village just outside of Cleveland, Ohio.

I am typically one of the people who encourage posters to improve their soil rather than importing. But it's obvious in this case, based on the volume stated, that it's not feasible unless you're a dedicated composting fanatic with heavy machinery and plenty of time. And that's just the soil fertility aspect, aside from the need for fill volume itself.

275 yds spread, say, 6" thick would cover a third of an acre. Ed's not making a few raised beds, folks. Whole different ballgame.

Well said to crusade!

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

If you need 275 yards of fill, you don't need a bunch of strangers on the internet giving you moral advice about mulching - you need a professional soil consultant. The advice available here doesn't scale up that far.

Since you've apparently already had a civil engineer do the drawings and get the approvals and so on, does your civil engineer have a soils consultant they can refer you to?

I will ask, thank you for the response.

Very good advice. Although we do enjoy giving advice to strangers on the internet. Party pooper! ;-)

My advice is worth what you pay for it. ;-)

Actually in this case my advice is solidly based on the portion of my career that I spent reviewing landscape construction cost estimates. When real money is at stake you need real advice. Or, in other words, only gamble with what you can afford to lose.

I hereby double your salary for your excellent performance on this project.

Hooray! I'm going to take an awesome imaginary vacation with my imaginary bonus!