Short answer
Topsoil provides volume and structure. Compost is a concentrated organic amendment, not a standalone growing medium. Garden soil is topsoil already blended with compost, ready to plant into.
Topsoil
Use topsoil when you need to fill, level or build up grade. It is the base material for new lawns and the bulk of any raised bed.
On its own, screened topsoil is fine for turf but thin on nutrition for heavy feeders.
Compost
Compost is finished organic matter. It feeds soil biology and improves both drainage and water retention, but planting straight into it usually causes waterlogging and nutrient burn.
Blend it in at roughly one part compost to two parts topsoil, or topdress a quarter to half inch on lawns.
Garden soil
Garden soil is the pre-mixed answer: topsoil plus compost, ready for beds and vegetable gardens without further amending.
It costs more per yard than plain topsoil, which is why most large jobs buy the two components separately and blend on site.
Which to order
Match the material to the job rather than buying one product for everything.
- New lawn: topsoil, 4–6 inches
- Vegetable bed: garden soil, or 2:1 topsoil and compost
- Existing bed refresh: compost, 1–2 inches worked in
- Filling a low spot: topsoil
Frequently asked
- Can I plant directly into compost?
- No. Blend it with topsoil at about one part compost to two parts soil.
- How much compost for a vegetable garden?
- Work 2–3 inches into the top 6–8 inches of existing soil, or build beds at a 2:1 topsoil-to-compost ratio.