Ordering Soil
and Compost

Soil and compost can be ordered from our vendors and delivered on site. For smaller orders, get 1 cubic yard bags from Less Mess; for larger bulk orders, get a truck-load in from EarthCo. The benefit of Less Mess is that there is, literally, less mess! EarthCo will dump a pile of soil on the ground at a convenient location.

If you are unsure about what product or amount is needed, contact: Karen.Dobrucki@tdsb.on.ca

Reducing Volume

To improve drainage and reduce the amount of soil you need, fill about 60% of the bottom with sticks, logs, rocks, cardboard and plant waste.

A row of stock tanks different shapes and sizes.

Enriching Soil for Better Growing

With time, soil in your container can become dry, compacted and low in nutrients, making it difficult to grow healthy plants. Removing some of your old soil and replacing it with amendments will help keep your garden growing.

Here are some tips to enrich your soil from previous growing seasons:

For better water retention: Add perlite, rice hulls or horticultural sand.

For better aeration and drainage: Add vermiculite, compost, coconut coir, leaf mold, worm castings or bark fines.

For more nutrients to grow food and flowers: Add worm castings, bone meal or manure.

These products can be ordered through Rona (vendor #383), Home Depot (west-side, vendor #18646; east-side vendor #230) or Sheridan Nurseries (west-side, vendor #19624; central, vendor #1202; east-side, vendor #4212).

Type of Product

Soil

the "Premium Garden Blend" (from Less Mess or EarthCo) is a lighter mix that works best in raised beds and stock tanks
Small bags from Rona or Home Depot should be "container soil", and not a heavy soil like "triple mix"

Compost:

if you need to add nutrients to your soil, order "Screened Mushroom Compost" (from Less Mess - you are not likely to need more than 1 cubic yard of compost)
smaller bags can be ordered from Rona or Home Depot

5 cubic yards of soil beside 10 cubic yards of soil.

Amount

To calculate the amount of product you need you can use the formula:

Number of Cubic Yards = Length (in feet) x Width (in feet) x Depth (in feet) ÷ 27

For less than 1 cubic yard, source your bags of container soil from Rona (vendor #383) or Home Depot (east-end vendor #230, west-end vendor #18646)
for 1 to 3 cubic yards, use Less Mess (vendor #15154)
for more than 3 yards (to save some money) order bulk from EarthCo (vendor #21501)

Location

Be ‘Learning Center’ specific - include which LC area the school is in LC1, 2, 3 or 4
Be specific about where the product is going and what it will be used for (e.g., courtyard, planting beds, main play yard, etc.)
Specify the drop-off location*

*Note: some products are weather/season permitting and it is recommended to select drop-off locations on paved surfaces or at the edge of a hard surface to avoid trucks getting stuck in wet ground.

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