Filling trenches with soil for shrubs?

[Bahamut11]

I've dug two trenches in my back yard and am looking to fill them with good soil to grow two rows of shrubs. I'd rather not reuse the awful clay I've dug out. I live in Charlotte, NC, if that helps.

I want to make filling the trenches as easy as possible. Can I just buy bulk compost or topsoil and fill the entire trench that way? I'm not sure which of the two (compost or topsoil) would be better. Thanks in advance!

 

[treeguy]

Topsoil with 10 to 20% compost would be best, mixed well, for the long term. You can buy "Pine Bark Soil Conditioner" (an explicit nomenclature) of several brands. It is "old" and partially composted. If you buy one bag of Bone Char and distribute that equally in the trenches and mix the three well, your trench will have years and years of growth. Kelp Meal is also helpful. If you have micro element shortages in your area's soils, Jersey Green Sand or Menneffe Humate will take care of that (not much is required). All this stuff can be had from a "Feed & Supply" or "Farmer's Elevator" store or sometimes from a very good landscape supply store, although farmer's supply stores are much better. They are all over the place, but people fail to look for them. The people who work in a farmer's supply will know what the area's soil shortcomings are. Commercial garden centers are horse of a different color.