It sucks when you have leftover dirt from your yard project and don’t know what to do with it. Of course, you could leave it in piles all over your property, but where’s the fun in that?
Rather than simply tossing out the extra dirt from your landscaping project, why not put it to good use around your home? All you need to do is figure out how best to incorporate this excess dirt into some of your other household chores.
Follow this article, and let's see what to do with all that extra dirt from the landscaping.
1. Fill the Low Spots
When the ground is dug up in a landscaping project, it’s not uncommon for sinkholes to develop. This is because the holes left by a digging crew are not filled in completely. The collapsed soil was underneath the surface dirt and was removed during landscaping. As the topsoil in a flowerbed settles, it can become too heavy for the bottom soil to support, causing it to collapse into itself.
The result is a hole in the ground that needs to be filled. A quick fix can be made by dumping dirt into the hole until it’s level with the surrounding soil. This will allow grass or plants to grow from their original seedbeds and fill in around themselves over time.
It may not be the prettiest job, but it will save you the price of buying more dirt or hiring someone else to do it for you.
2. Raised Flowerbeds
While soil is being used to fill the flowerbed, you can use the remaining soil and rocks that have been displaced to create elevated or “raised” flowerbeds. Raised flowerbeds are much easier to care for and maintain. This is also a good solution for gardeners who want to create a flowerbed that is more accessible for people with mobility issues. For those who prefer the look of stone pavers, you can use landscape bricks to create the same effect.
The key thing about creating an elevated flowerbed is knowing how much height you would like it to be. If your garden has been brick-paved with special brick pavers, it is a simple matter of adjusting the height of each brick paver by building up the soil beneath it.
3. Create Berms
Building a berm is a good way to use up some leftover dirt from your landscaping project. It’s also a fun project, and you can do it yourself instead of hiring a landscaper to do it for you. There are lots of reasons why you'd want to build a berm, not the least of which is that it provides an attractive design feature in your landscape. Berms can be used to hide unsightly things like garbage cans, recycling bins, or dumpsters. They can also be used as a barrier between your property and your neighbor's yard if you're looking for some privacy. A berm can even provide a place for children to play or kids to ride their bikes on.
This will not harm or otherwise affect the utility station's operation, but it makes it less visible so that other people can't easily see and interact with it.
4. Add Around Trees
Adding extra dirt around trees gives them a nutrient boost. Plus, added dirt retains moisture to prevent the tree from drying out. As a bonus, you can also create a layer of dirt around your saplings and then cover them with mulch. The dirt will hold the mulch in place to keep it from being blown away or washed away in bad weather.
The process for applying extra dirt to trees is similar to applying it around other plants. To add this soil, first create a ring of dirt around the base of the tree that's three to five inches high. Work in mulch around the base of the tree and fill in holes with dirt.
5. Create a Compost
Leftover dirt is one of the best ingredients to add to it. Compost requires “greens” and dirt, with the latter being used to balance out the former. When used in small amounts with other organic materials like fruit and vegetable peels, leftover dirt can be a rich source of nutrients for grass and plants, which in turn will strengthen your lawn's health.
Wrapping Up
These are just a few of the numerous ways that you can use extra dirt that you have on hand. Think creatively regarding what to do with extra dirt from the landscaping. By getting creative with where you put your dirt, you can solve some of your landscaping problems while still accomplishing other items on your to-do list. They may be useful for something other than filling in that hole from your last landscaping project!
Did we miss any other ways to use your leftover dirt? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!