From the time that I've been in Utah and the explorations I've made....I've pretty much concluded - there is no real soil here for gardeners and everything has to be amended.
Utah only has 1 to 2 percent topsoil if you are lucky. Most new homes don't have ANY topsoil because the builders scrape it off and cart it away when they finish your home. You can search to buy some top-soil and what will actually be sold to you might be the dirt that used to be where your own basement is now because in Utah there are NO rules for what can legally be sold as top soil. You could buy ANYTHING which the sellers would label as 'topsoil' from sand/pebbles to salt and legally it would be allowed. I had to fill up my garden boxes last year and went 'topsoil' hunting. It is a joke and criminal as to what is being sold as topsoil. I did ask the managers of some of the yards - on how they ever got anyone to actually buy the junk they sold. I finally found a source that mixed different components for me and started with what I considered topsoil and then amended it with more compost.
The composition of your plot of land is either sand or clay, depending on where you live. There is no organic material present in either. The water and "soil" mixture is very alkaline. The good news is that it's mineral rich - too bad the plants can't get to it for the high ph level. Easy to fix....you need to amend it to have whatever you decide to plant have a chance to live.
The degree to which you need to amend and with what depends on what your purpose is:
Vegetable beds/planters: Lots of amending and unless you are a major production gardener (not a small time home gardener) and have no real good reason (have flood irrigation as your only source of water) - you should consider vegetable garden boxes. We will discuss this thoroughly throughout this blog. It is what interests most home gardeners.
Anything else other than vegetable beds will be discussed as time permits or you may write me and we can discuss.
I have been asked repeatedly where to acquire this soil and I finally can tell you. (I talked to Rex and finally got a physical address where you can go to).
There is no name – but it’s a huge lot off of Bangerter Rd at 4100 W 12600 S, Riverton
You can call 801.509.1204 and ask for Rex. I have talked to him and he’s ok with listing his number and he will mix different ratios for you.
Start with at least a 50/50 mix - better yet to get a 25/75 (dirt/manure-sawdust)
