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Oct 13, 2016 6:15 PM CST
Name: Rick Corey
Everett WA 98204 (Zone 8a)
Sunset Zone 5. Koppen Csb. Eco 2f
Frugal Gardener Garden Procrastinator I helped beta test the first seed swap Plant and/or Seed Trader Seed Starter Region: Pacific Northwest
Photo Contest Winner: 2014 Avid Green Pages Reviewer Garden Ideas: Master Level Garden Sages I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database.
I guess this would be too late for you, but one way to visualize how far some bags will go is to lay those bags out flat on top of your bed. If the bags touch all the way around, you are about to add a layer as deep as one bag is thick. (3-4"?)

I would also mix any "alleged topsoil" with organic matter and anything else available to improve its drainage (like shredded pine bark fines or grit. Perlite if it is cheap enough.

One "dirt yard" sold me top soil that seemed much more clayey when the truck dropped it, than it did in the part of the heap that they showed ME! So now I'll be suspicious and cynical for a few years.

For gardening, especially if you have a raised bed, something lighter than "topsoil" might be desirable. I think of topsoil as something suitable for starting a lawn.

And your Lowes may be different, but some places consider "topsoil" to be any heavy thing they can get away with selling, while their "potting soil" might actually be better for garden soil. Good luck finding something light enough for really using in pots, unless your HD is MUCH better than my HD!

Other people have said they can use things called "potting soil" from big box stores AS potting soil, so either they have better stores than I do, or they manage to use much heavier, water-retaining mixes in their pots than I've been able to. Maybe both!

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