Knowledgebase

Organic garden soil #927266

Asked April 01, 2026, 12:36 PM EDT

Can you recommend where to get organic garden soil in bulk? I'm back filling a 5' wide x 65' long birm against a 24 " front wall to plant fruit trees and native dogwood starts. I'm not sure how to compute how much I'll need.

Benton County Oregon

Expert Response

Thank you for contacting ask extension!
   Here is a link to the Corvallis Garden Resource guide which is published annually by the sustainability coalition of Corvallis: https://sustainablecorvallis.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026_Garden_Guide_web_FINAL.pdf
Page 7 includes a list of local nursery's and page 9 list bulk soil companies. Note that under bulk soil The Bark Place is now called Central Bark (it's website is now: https://www.centralbarksales.com/products
Here is a publication about how to use compost in your garden and landscape: It includes questions you should ask before purchasing bulk compost: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/em-9308-how-use-compost-gardens-landscapes?reference=catalog

Ok. now here comes the math: 
You gave: 5 ft wide × 65 ft long berm/backfill against a 24-inch (2 ft) wall.
The missing detail is the shape of the berm cross‑section:
Option A — It’s basically a flat-topped fill to the wall height (rectangular prism)
If the whole 5-ft width is filled to about 2 ft deep:

  • Volume = 5 ft × 65 ft × 2 ft = 650 cubic feet
  • 650 ft³ ÷ 27 = 24.1 cubic yards (yd³)
Option B — It slopes from 2 ft at the wall down to 0 at the outside edge (triangular wedge)
If it’s a triangular “berm” profile:

  • Cross-section area = ½ × 5 ft × 2 ft = 5 sq ft
  • Volume = 5 sq ft × 65 ft = 325 cubic feet
  • 325 ft³ ÷ 27 = 12.0 cubic yards
Truck equivalents (rough planning numbers):

  • A full-size pickup holds about 2.5 yd³
  • A dump truck often holds 10–14 yd³ [3]
So you’re likely in the neighborhood of:

  • ~12 yd³ (about 5 pickup loads) if it’s a wedge, or
  • ~24 yd³ (about 10 pickup loads, or ~2 dump-truck loads) if it’s a full 2-ft depth across. [3]
If you reply with whether it’s wedge-shaped or flat/level, I can confirm the best estimate.

A couple of planting notes for fruit trees & dogwoods in that berm

  • For fruit trees, OSU Extension cautions not to create a “bathtub” of very different soil in the planting hole. Use mostly native soil, with only modest compost mixed in, so roots don’t stay confined to the amended pocket. 
  • If your native soil is shallow/compacted and you’re effectively creating a raised planting area, OSU notes dwarf fruit trees generally do best with adequate total soil depth, and raised beds/berms can help—often needing about 2 ft of raised depth on top of existing soil (plus loosening/adding organic matter over time). 
  • Dogwoods prefer organic soil conditions and benefit from a 2–3 inch organic mulch layer (kept off the trunk). 
Hope this helps! 
Happy Gardening!

Deb K Replied April 02, 2026, 6:47 PM EDT

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