Vegetable gardening with no top soil - Ask Extension
I just moved into a 1999 home in a Joppa MD development and want to continue vegetable gardening. The problem is the developer took all the top soil. ...
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Vegetable gardening with no top soil #924159
Asked February 02, 2026, 8:06 PM EST
I just moved into a 1999 home in a Joppa MD development and want to continue vegetable gardening. The problem is the developer took all the top soil. The little bit of gardening I did before it got cold revealed no top soil below a very shallow grass layer. When I remove the grass I have orange dirt and lots of rocks. I know I have to bring in good soil but I’m afraid a raised bed would have to be too high to have enough good soil. The alternative would be to bring in a back hoe and dig down, then fill that in with the good soil, but then it might collect too much water since the water will all drain into the good soil, and what would I do with the bad soil? I want to grow tomatoes which are already tall. What do you suggest?
Harford County Maryland
Expert Response
Unfortunately, developers removing topsoil from construction sites is very common, and most home landscapes likely have this problem. Barring contamination issues, you don't want to remove and replace soil (if you dug down, for example), as that creates water percolation problems as the moisture moves from one soil type/texture into another, which can stress or harm roots.
Instead, mix any amendments into the existing soil thoroughly; tilling (with a machine or by hand) compost or purchased good-quality topsoil into the soil about six inches should suffice for the majority of vegetables. Any veggies requiring greater root depth in looser soil can be grown in a raised bed built atop amended soil, and the bed won't have to be very high in order to give the roots what they need. (Though higher might be easier to weed and maintain.)
We recommend a laboratory soil test as a useful tool to measure soil organic matter content (it will be reported as a percentage, and that level doesn't have to be very high in order to be sufficient), nutrient content, and acidity level (pH). The linked page has more information. Soil testing that includes a screening for lead content is also valuable for areas used to grow vegetables. Organic content can be boosted with compost or topsoil applied as an amendment (or, later, as a top-dressing). Mulch (straw, wood chips, pine needles, leaf litter, etc.) used between plants in the veggie garden will also break down into compost over time and continue improving the soil.
Miri
Instead, mix any amendments into the existing soil thoroughly; tilling (with a machine or by hand) compost or purchased good-quality topsoil into the soil about six inches should suffice for the majority of vegetables. Any veggies requiring greater root depth in looser soil can be grown in a raised bed built atop amended soil, and the bed won't have to be very high in order to give the roots what they need. (Though higher might be easier to weed and maintain.)
We recommend a laboratory soil test as a useful tool to measure soil organic matter content (it will be reported as a percentage, and that level doesn't have to be very high in order to be sufficient), nutrient content, and acidity level (pH). The linked page has more information. Soil testing that includes a screening for lead content is also valuable for areas used to grow vegetables. Organic content can be boosted with compost or topsoil applied as an amendment (or, later, as a top-dressing). Mulch (straw, wood chips, pine needles, leaf litter, etc.) used between plants in the veggie garden will also break down into compost over time and continue improving the soil.
Miri
