I recently moved into a new house and found that my garden was mostly stones. I've removed the stones, and now I'm trying to figure out whether I should backfill with topsoil or compost before laying down grass seed. Compost seems like a more budget-friendly option for the volume I need, but I'm unsure about the differences between the two. Is compost okay for just growing grass?
3 Answers
Compost could work, but keep an eye on how thick you put it down and how well it's decomposed. It can be bulkier than topsoil and sometimes has bits of trash or sticks mixed in. If you can, grab a bag of compost first to check its quality. If it seems lumpy or poor, definitely go with topsoil instead.
It really depends on how much material you need to fill in. If you’ll be using a larger amount, I’d recommend using topsoil as the base and then adding a couple of inches of compost on top. Compost is great, but it breaks down and settles more than topsoil, so you might end up needing more later on.
Definitely go with topsoil! Compost often sinks and loses nutrients over time. Buy topsoil in bulk if you can—it’s usually cheaper than buying bags and cuts down on plastic waste.
Good point! I’ll search for bulk options.