The only qualification for any "topsoil" - bagged or bulk; for sale or free - to be legitimate is that it comes from the undisturbed surface of the ground. The top layer of the soil profile = topsoil. Composition could be just about anything. Mostly clay, mostly sand, gravelly, with large rocks or roots, devoid of any organic matter, filled with pernicious weed seeds or remnants......or moderately decent soil. 'Quality' does not necessarily enter the equation.....it can be a toss up!!

No reason it can't be offered for free. Property developers have learned that they can pad their bottom line by selling off the soil scraped off when clearing or grading for a new build but regular homeowners can often generate unneeded accumulations of soil from home improvement or landscaping projects as well as smaller, single home builders. And at that scale, it is easier to just get rid of it than to try and market it for profit.

Whether or not the stuff they are giving away is actual topsoil (according to that definition) or something else like fill dirt or subsoil is the question. And one that can't be answered easily :-) I always suggest visually examining soil products before shelling out $$ for them. But free is free. It depends a lot on what you intend to do with this soil as well.

At first glance I would guess " the waste management service " is getting rid of composted garden waste. However since they're so tight lipped you have to ask why. My guess. They're getting rid of sewage waste. Again; just a guess!

The nearest town to where I live offers “free compost” once a year. It is a combination of the green organic waste picked up by our waste management company as well as garden waste, which is also collected by them. I would never take this compost because who knows what other people throw out in their yard waste. Even though it is supposedly composted, I would be afraid of getting Japanese Knotweed in it, or other such invasive bits, which would be a nightmare

"My guess. They're getting rid of sewage waste "

And a not very reasonable guess at that. There are very strict restrictions on what can be done with sewage waste and recycling for free labeled as "topsoil" is not one of them!! That waste management company would be shut down immediately and heavily fined if that were the case.

Compost is very different from topsoil. And that's why you need to be able to see the stuff. Here, no one gives away compost for free. And because municipal composting operations are also regulated, there is very little concern about pathogens, weeds or weed seeds as the hot composting process eliminates them. Some are even certified as organic. And J. knotweed is everywhere here :-)

Sounds like a chance for you to be a trailblazer. Use it then let us know how it worked out.

If you can't be convincingly assured by the source there are no contaminants - either biological or chemical - present in this material do not bring it onto your property.

Microsoft Word - B&B #18 - compost problems.doc (wsu.edu)

gardengal, thanks for giving such an in depth explanation! I need it primarily for planting fruit trees. I guess I could also use it in pre-existing raised beds where I grow vegetables, but the main purpose would be for planting fruit trees. That's one reason I'd like to know the composition of the soil. Very heavy clay soil here - very poor drainage, very poor aeration. So if the topsoil they are giving away is heavy in clay, it's not going to help me much, would just compound the problem! I guess I could pick a bit up and do the "jar test" to try to get a better idea of the composition? If I understand you correctly, commercial topsoil could be just as bad as free, it's a toss up - so it seems like if one is going to gamble on getting topsoil from another source at all, it might as well be free. Or else get something whose quality I can assess more easily beforehand.

I talked to a local guy who works with landscapers and he seemed to think that what I should do is excavate a 3x3 area, 6" deep for each tree; fill it up the excavated area with new soil; place the tree on top; then build a mound around it to the size of the excavated area.

Thinking it over, I'm not sure that's really much easier than simply making a raised bed! In fact for me it might be easier to make a raised bed. No need to dig at all then. and since I also need to account for gophers and voles - a huge issue here - I could drop the frame right over a sheet of hardware cloth to protect the surface roots of the tree.

In a previous message on a different thread you suggested planting the trees in the ground and gave a particular method - that's actually what I'd like to do since it's easiest, but I don't think I have the courage to try, after seeing how poorly everything put directly in the ground in the past here has performed!

klem, haha! I love it. I'm not sure if I'd be a trailblazer or a guinea pig. Guess it depends on the results. ;-)

Where I live, there are 3 types of dirt offered. Leafgro is compost provided by the county and sold wholesale to local nurseries. It's compost made from whatever recycled lawn waste is picked up. It's almost entirely old leaves and grass, but has some small sticks and an occasional piece of plastic. I think it's screened, but screening isn't 100%. All the seeds are killed from heating. Fill dirt is an orange mixture of silt and clay. Mainly used for construction where you want something that compacts well and doesn't decay over time. Top soil is kind of in between. It has sticks and leaves and fill dirt. I think there are rules for what you can call things, but I doubt it's being policed, so you have to look at what you get before having it delivered.

manic_gardener - I'd suggest you do the jar test on your own soil. Were it me; I would mix mushroom compost into your soil and be done with it. You don't want to worry about what was in that secret soil for many years every time you eat the fruits of your labor.

Since the topsoil offered is 'free for pickup', drive out and get/try some.

My guess would be that this is some mix of composted garden waste and soil that the city gets from various properties and projects that they do on their own (like managing city parks). But this is a guess, only a guess.

My somewhat informed opinion is that the city won't tell you because that person didn't know, and the quality/precise mix varies just depending on time of year and source and other stuff. It's free and they can't be bothered giving you some kind of implied guarantee of what it is or what it's good for. It might even vary somewhat depending on which part of the pile or pen you get it from.

You come out, you get some, or if you don't like the mix that day/month, you don't. So drive out and get some if you like the look of it.

Anything more than this is basically speculation because will depend on the municipality.

Let's remember that the product that is being given away for free is labeled as "topsoil". Not compost or composted yard waste or a combination of products........just generic topsoil. And that would lead obviously to a situation where the offering organization (waste management, a privately owned company......not "the city") provides no information on provenance, quality or content. It is just topsoil afterall and so is what it is. Those qualifiers really do not factor into it.

It is very simple to tell the difference between topsoil and compost - even a non-gardener would be able to make that distinction. And since compost is a much more valuable commodity than topsoil, requiring time, effort and manpower to generate, it hardly seems logical that they would be giving it away for free.

As California is such a heavy agricultural state, compost likely comes at a premium, not free. And not contaminated with persistent pesticides, which are prohibited from residential use. And the waste management companies are not in the business of composting. They are only collectors and forwarders.

Look at the product and feel the product and then decide if it suits your purpose. But don't be confused by all these extraneous comments about compost or contaminated compost if what is being give away is indeed topsoil. It is apples and oranges and none of those comments apply!

A privately owned company in the garbage business would not have "topsoil" to give away free. A garbage company uses soil every day to cover huge piles of garbage which they must do every day the dump is open.

" A privately owned company in the garbage business would not have "topsoil" to give away free."

They certainly can!! And do. Waste management is not in the "garbage business" - they are in the collection business. Big difference!! Curbside collection as well as drop offs at their transfer centers, where the various collected or dropped off materials are transferred to semis for transport to either landfills, recycling centers or composting operations. None of these are onsite but located remotely, away from any residential areas.

So your position is the garbage companies don't cover over all the garbage collected every day. No wonder you would post"

" none of those comments apply! "

Let's remember that the product that is being given away for free is labeled as "topsoil". Not compost or composted yard waste or a combination of products........just generic topsoil

Irrelevant - the point is that it should not be assumed that any random bulk material being presented for garden use is automatically clean and safe. It should instead be thought that it always needs to be checked out before it is brought to a site and used on it. With the circumstances involving compost described in the linked to discussion merely serving to exemplify a larger situation.

" So your position is the garbage companies don't cover over all the garbage collected every day. No wonder you would post"

First, waste management is NOT a "garbage company". It is a collection company quite separate in location, ownership and management from the municipalities that run the landfills.

And no, landfills here are not covered over with soil on a daily basis but rather massive sculpted pits that are only covered periodically or when filled. I've toured them and know how they operate.

If you are not familiar with how these facilities work on this side of the country, perhaps best not to comment with incorrect statements. And your feeble attempts at sarcasm are not appreciated!.

LOL!! It is not irrelevant at all! Topsoil is highly unlikely to be contaminated in the same manner or with the same products as any kind of compost might be. And who in the world goes through the effort and expense of having a bag or even a bulk load of topsoil tested for contaminates??

I don't believe a garbage company would call compost top soil. And I don't believe they would mix their compost with soil and then give it away as top soil.

Everyone knows that they also collect garden waste and do some pickups of large items. I once had a neighbor who had a job pushing topsoil over the top of the garbage piles. Every day all week long. The garbage is covered everyday to reduce the odor problem, the health problems, and the rats.

" attempts at sarcasm " " none of those comments apply! "

^^^ Reading comprehension seems to be lacking with several of these comments........just saying!

I agree. You should spend more time thinking out your position and the opinions of others; rather than attacking anothers opinion. There are very few places in America where garbage isn't covered with topsoil everyday. And I don't believe that Washington state is one of them.

I suggest that OP find a source of mushroom compost. The last time I bought some was last spring. The price was $35 per yard. Delivery was also $35. If you're considering getting this free stuff then you need a way to haul it. A pickup costs me $42 here when I go for horse manure. That price has probably gone up some.

I say this assuming you don't have home made compost and you want something that'd be safe to eat what you grow. Mushroom compost was used to grow the mushrooms sold in the supermarkets. If you eat mushrooms you should trust this compost.

John, the discussion is not even about compost!! It is about topsoil. You do know the difference?

" There are very few places in America where garbage isn't covered with topsoil everyday. And I don't believe that Washington state is one of them. "

And there we go speaking beyond our knowledge base! Just how many areas in the US have you personally investigated landfills? And I doubt you have even visited WA state, let alone have any firsthand knowledge of how we handle garbage.

Instead of constantly making these wild assumptions that are so easily disproven, you should simply stick to what you really know or can prove. You tend to be out of touch with any reality other than your own

OK!! I'll defer to your knowledge. The garbage of 700,000 people in Seattle is dumped in a landfill and some time when they close the landfill it gets covered with a little soil. Must be a huge rat problem.

l accept that as your final opinion.

Most gardeners would mix the mushroom compost with the soil they have. Here's what I said in a post up the page:

" manic_gardener - I'd suggest you do the jar test on your own soil. Were it me; I would mix mushroom compost into your soil and be done with it. You don't want to worry about what was in that secret soil for many years every time you eat the fruits of your labor. "

I'm going to withdraw from this argument and apologize to the OPl manic_gardener_socal_10a.

It seems that on this board anytime compost or manure comes up it evolves into a long argument that isn't fair to the OP. I was a part of that; I admit. I'm sorry

I think it is very interesting how much I assumed about compost (even though the topic was top soil)…and who is responsible for the quality of the soil (and compost). And what roles Waste Management plays in the scenario. I was shocked (I live in Ontario, Canada) at how strict the Provincial controls are (and Federal controls) and how it affects Waste Management. I started to look into what happens in California, but got confused because I have no clue what happens in certain States and whether they operate independently or have to abide by a U.S. government decree and work from there. I guess they do

Purchasing Top Soil [fact sheet] | Extension (unh.edu)

I stand by my 'guess' that a topsoil being given away by the local 'waste management service' might be straight topsoil (and we already know that can mean almost anything), but might also be partially (probably inconsistently) amended with yard waste or other stuff. Yes, I know that compost is generally more valuable, but there can be any number of issues or problems - seasonal, temporary, quality issues with batches, legal restrictions on what can be sold as/called compost, or simply the cost/organizational hassle of dealing with any of that, whatever - that prevent it being 'compost.' (Have too much and it's slightly smelly? Mix with some soil that's missing any organic fraction, smell is diluted, and it now looks like [and probalby is for most purposes] better soil.)

Anyway, all this disucssion doesn't really matter. Go and check it out, ask some questions there, if you like it, take some.