Laurel Valley Soils
High-quality compost products since 1979
Laurel Valley Soils is thrilled to share the exciting news that we are producing the planting soil medium for the Longwood Gardens Reimagined project. The soil will be installed in the new conservatory. It is humbling to be part of this iconic once in a lifetime project; a local treasure our community is proud to […]
Anywhere? Even an Asphalt Lot in the Middle of the City? Laurel Valley Soils produces compost and specialty amended soils for any conceivable type of green project. We have found that every project has its own uniqueness, whether it be the type plantings, the size of the project, installation demands or site conditions. The U […]
Our 2022 Report Card is Here! We strived for an A+. Did we get there?
Boy Scout founder and “Be Prepared” motto creator Robert Baden-Powell, when once asked “Prepared for what?” replied, “Why for any old thing”. Thank goodness Eagles Scout Troop #542 practiced this motto and had the foresight to help Upper Dublin High School be prepared for the stormwater produced by Hurricane Isaias by designing, sourcing and installing […]
Typically, we plan our vegetable gardens around companion planting guides similar to the one below which shows which food crops cohabitate well with each other. For example, we know that tomatoes don’t play nice with cucumbers, but are bff’s with basil and spinach. But did you know that tomatoes also love being grown with various […]
Record numbers of families are going back to their roots by growing their own food. The renewed interest in urban farming during the Covid-19 virus is likened to the victory gardens movement during food rationing in the 1940’s. In addition to providing locally grown nutritious food, gardening provides a number of other benefits. “When we […]
Close your eyes for a moment. Take a deep breath, and as you inhale, you smell the rich, earthy scent of soil in your garden. When you exhale, you imagine kneeling down to the ground, grabbing a handful of soil, and feeling the warm sun on your face. You’ve been here before, right? This memory […]
If you arrived home to find a ruptured pipe which had gushed 1246 gallons of water on to your floor (enough to fill 31 bathtubs), you would certainly be alarmed about the damage it caused. But what if that 1246 gallons of water gushed off the impervious surfaces on your property (the roof, driveway, patio, […]
Michele Wales, Farm Manager of Coverdale Farm Preserve, wasn’t halfway through our office door when the words “regenerative agriculture” filled the air. This is when we instantly realized that Coverdale Farm Preserve was something special. After all it’s not every day that a potential client starts excitedly talking about regenerating soil before we do! As […]
Can you imagine what your 1/2 acre lawn would look like with 80,000 people per year walking through it or stopping to lay out a blanket for a picnic and some sun? With that dense foot traffic, your soil would be compacted and cracked like the Liberty Bell! This is what many popular public landscapes, […]
International Compost Awareness Week: a Perfect Time to Support Your Soil & PHS: City Harvest, too! Compost provides soil with organic matter, nutrients and biology to grow healthy, nutritious food! Have some fun while checking how much biology is present in your garden soil by “planting” a pair of 100% cotton undies. Leave the waistband showing, […]
Wait—what? We hear about sustainability every day. What has changed? Soil scientists predict that within the next 50 years, if soil is not protected and regenerated, it will be impossible to feed the population, keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, and halt the loss of biodiversity. So just sustaining soil is no longer acceptable. […]
The latest social challenge for millennial farmers and soil enthusiasts… When was the last time you heard an adult say “I soiled my undies” and you couldn’t wait to see it? Never? Well we want to change that! About a month ago, we decided to participate in the latest “millennial” challenge, and are grateful we […]
May 5-13, 2018 is International Compost Awareness Week, and once again we are celebrating by supporting local food banks and food assistance programs. We hope you will join us! Through our #CompostForCupboards program, Laurel Valley Soils has partnered with PHS City Harvest and Fulfill as the beneficiaries for this year’s #ICAW2018 campaign. For more than a […]
Scott Jenkins is the General Manager of the newly-designed Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, home of the Atlanta Falcons. Scott had a vision to be #1, and was determined to make that happen when the facility opened in August of 2017. And Scott got his wish, although maybe not in the way you might expect, as […]
We know how time sensitive stabilization can be when approaching the end of a project. It is critically important to get your seed down and achieve germination before the November cut off. Once a site is stabilized, converting the silt catch basins into functioning bioretention basins is the last key deliverable for dedication. Having an […]
Want to Start Offering Topdressing? Already Offer Topdressing, but Want to Increase Sales? Check out our Topdressing Marketing Tool Kit! Topdressing Flyer Here is a flyer you can send to your customers via EDDM, add to a Val-Pak campaign, or slip into your door hangers after other services. We will add your company info (for FREE!) […]
Would you wish for improved moisture holding capacity in your soil, so your plants would have increased drought tolerance and stay vibrant all summer? Would you want to lighten up your heavy clay soils, improving percolation and reducing compaction, or would you want organic slow release nutrients that can steadily feed your plants all season […]
International Compost Awareness Week, May 7-14, 2017, is a time to celebrate the many benefits of compost, as well as those who use it to benefit others. This year, Laurel Valley Soils has chosen The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s City Harvest Program as their Compost for Cupboards beneficiary. Laurel Valley Soils has partnered with our local Garden […]
ICYMI, Here is An Encore Presentation of Your Favorite Laurel Valley Soils Team Members Presenting The 12 Days of Compost! And no video is complete without its Bloopers! Check out The 12 Days of Bloopers here!
Stormwater management BMP’s (Best Management Practices) are part of every new construction project. Installation of Bio-retention basins and rain gardens is a common method used for capturing storm water. The general design of a basin or rain garden can vary. Some basins incorporate stone drainage layers and filter fabric below the engineered soil filter layer […]
Historically land development projects were designed with the objective of maximizing the built space within both the building footprint and the parking area, with little consideration given to much else. As the built environment has grown over the history of our country we have seen urban flooding events grow in both regularity and destructiveness. Now that […]
Gravener: n. A Grave Gardener The award for the most unusually cool application using our Enriched Topsoil goes to The Woodlands for their Grave Gardeners Program. Yup—I said it—Grave Gardeners! Jessica Baumert is the Executive Director of the Woodlands, and the brainchild of this unique program. The Woodlands, a National Historic Landmark District, is a 54 acre […]
Whether you are a Golf Superintendent, Sports Field Manager, or Homeowner with a passion for a beautiful lawn, topdressing with Laurel Valley Soils STA-Certified Premium Compost may well be the solution to getting the turf you dream of. Cool season grasses, which are typically grown from Delaware northward, benefit tremendously from a dose of compost every […]
May 2016 Was the 10th Rainiest May Since 1900. But it didn’t stop our customers, because no matter how WET it was yesterday, we will deliver DRY topsoil and compost today! With 15,000 cu yd of covered topsoil storage and 30,000 sq ft of production capacity for blending custom engineered soils used for bioretention basins, rain gardens, green roofs and […]
So to help you celebrate, and to provide great Memorial Day Party Conversation Topics, Here are 5 Awesome “CLICKS ABOUT COMPOST”! How does COMPOST help SOIL? How does COMPOST give your neighbors LAWN ENVY??? Composting 101—a Five Minute Overview Healthier Plants, Less Watering, Less Disease??? Tell Me More!!! I want some compost! Where can I get […]
“Site” Seeing is not a typo! Jake and I were attending an event hosted by the Delaware Valley Green Building Council in Philly, and decided to make a day out of it by visiting Laurel Valley Soils “sites” throughout the city! Our morning meeting wrapped up with a tour of Central Green, the 5 acre park located in the middle […]
Do you know how the best looking lawns in the neighborhood get that way? According to Joe Lamp’l, host of Growing a Greener World, it always begins with a generous topdressing of STA Certified Compost! It’s the most readily available, economical, and stabilized form of organic matter on the market today. Joe Lamp’l discusses how […]
Like Top Chefs, We Know That Quality Ingredients, Blended Perfectly, Create MASTERPIECES! Compost can be derived from many different types of materials, including yard trimmings, food scraps, leaves, manure, and post-harvest mushroom compost. In the previous two blogs, we discussed why you should use compost, and why you should use STA Certified Compost. Here, we […]
Good Housekeeping, Energy Star, United Laboratories, USDA Organic. These icons invoke a comfort level; a feeling of trust, safety and quality endowed on the products that carry these coveted seals of approval. For compost, the United States Composting Council is the governing body which sets the standards for this product. Like the certifications listed above, […]
