Incorporated in 1886 – primarily to obtain a saloon license at the time – Manhattan is an established community with its own distinct history.
Railroad construction in the mid-19th century brought many newcomers to the area, especially people of Irish descent. With its roots in farming, the village has continued to grow, and its Irish and German heritage are still celebrated each year during the Manhattan Irish Fest.
Today, homes in the village represent an inspiring range of properties and architectural styles such as Ranch, Tudor, Craftsman and Colonial.
According to an article by Bankrate.com, landscaping improvements can increase a home’s resale value by 15-20% on average.1 The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) Research Group analyzed the Return on Investment (ROI) of various landscaping projects and yard upgrades. It also surveyed homeowners to assess how much enjoyment each upgrade provides, assigning each project a “joy” score.2
The 2023 NAR study results show that you don’t have to spend a fortune to achieve a decent ROI. As they can apply to the value of your Manhattan home, the study’s top five projects in terms of landscaping ROI include:
overall landscape upgrade (add hardscape, flowering trees, vegetable garden)
lawn care (a healthy, weed-free lawn)
lawn maintenance (pruned trees and bushes, edged garden beds, fresh mulch)
outdoor kitchen (built-in grills, sinks, etc.)
patio upgrade (create an outdoor seating and gathering area)
If you are a homeowner who likes to maintain an attractive property with features such as a lush lawn, landscape planting beds and a vegetable garden, Tim Wallace Soil Mix Supply has the yard materials for achieving the ideal look, function and ROI.
Manhattan (IL) Overall Landscape Upgrade: Vegetable Garden Soil
The longer we serve Manhattan homeowners here at Tim Wallace Soil Mix Supply, the more we see them discovering the benefits of having a home vegetable garden.
When you grow and harvest your own food, you know where it came from, how it was grown, how long it took to travel to your table and especially how great the produce tastes. A home vegetable garden also adds to the outdoor time you enjoy with family and friends.
The right soil blend for your vegetable garden should control moisture, provide an appropriate planting media and include a healthy organic amendment.
Moisture control. Vegetable gardens need ample moisture, and a good soil mix with plenty of organic matter holds more of it. We need to be careful, though – too much moisture can lead to problems such as soggy soil and root rot. So can using the wrong kind of sand, as sand either holds or sheds moisture depending on the type in the mix.
Coarse sand better supports water drainage in raised garden beds, which can hold water, turn soggy and develop root rot. Because it helps hold moisture, fine sand is better for in-ground gardens and lawns. Unless a soil mix already includes composted horse manure, adding sand also helps produce a smooth blend that’s easy work with. A soil blend that incorporates peat is another great material for moisture retention.
Planting media. Although it may be obvious, a quality garden soil proceeds from a quality topsoil (screened and pulverized black dirt). However, even a great topsoil will not have enough of what’s required for the garden to grow properly.
Organic compost. Amending your topsoil with natural compost favors the results you imagine. Where fertilizer feeds the plants, compost feeds the soil. Note however that while compost adds important nutrients for soil health, too much of it can hurt plants and burn tender roots. Always with your goals in mind, Tim Wallace Soil Mix Supply includes the right compost ratio in each of our garden mixes for your projects in Manhattan.
Tim’s Original Garden Mix (great for in-the-ground gardens)
50% topsoil, 25% fine sand, 25% organic compostPremium Garden Mix (also great for in-the-ground gardens)
50% topsoil, 25% fine sand, 25% Purple Cow Classic Organic Compost
Peat Garden Mix
50% topsoil, 25% fine sand, 25% peatEnriched Vegetable Garden Mix
50% topsoil, 50% composted horse manureRaised Bed Mix (best for an above-ground garden bed)
50% topsoil, 25% coarse sand, 25% organic compostPremium Raised Bed Mix (charged up with Purple Cow Compost)
50% topsoil, 25% coarse sand, 25% Purple Cow Classic Organic CompostMix & Till Blends (for gardens with plenty of good black dirt)
50% sand (fine or coarse), 50% compost or peat
Manhattan (IL) Overall Landscape Upgrade: Flower or Perennial Garden Soil
Flowers are a beautiful (and economical) way to further enhance the curb appeal of your Manhattan home. Flowers infuse your yard with liveliness and color, complement your home’s architectural style and call to the eye of passers-by. They also make your home look even more welcoming.
Growing a flourishing flower garden takes more than dropping some plants into the dirt and waiting for them to keep rising. Having the right garden soil is crucial for flower health, growth and bloom development. Most flowering plants will fare best in loose and well-drained soil with lots of organic material.
If you’ll be planting your flowers in containers, an all-purpose potting mix will encourage the right growing conditions while preventing root rot and damage. If your project is an in- or above-ground garden, select a specially blended garden soil.
Tim Wallace supplies Manhattan homeowners with diverse mixes for supporting your specific flower or perennial garden:
Tim’s Original Garden Mix
50% topsoil, 25% organic compost, 25% fine sand
Compost, topsoil and fine sand together provide balanced bedding for flowers and plants. This garden soil mix provides the best of all worlds since topsoil creates the home for roots with lots of water, compost injects a nutrient boost and sand helps with soil porosity and water retention.
Peat Garden Mix (great for annual flowers too)
50% topsoil, 25% fine sand, 25% peatPremium Garden Mix
50% topsoil, 25% Purple Cow Classic Organic Compost, 25% fine sand
This mix saves you time and effort by giving your flowers all that they need – a ready blend of high-quality black dirt, fine sand and naturally fertilized soil. Just spread it into your garden!Perennial Garden Mix
50% pine bark fines, 50% organic compost
An equal blend of organic compost and aged pine bark mulch is a potent recipe for a lively and productive perennial garden bed. To help your plants reach beautiful maturity, the compost provides the soil with essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. This should also raise the soil pH for the growing season.
Manhattan (IL) Overall Landscape Upgrade: Tree & Shrub Soil
Trees and shrubs that are well-placed within your yard can add property value as they grow. When you’re planting newly purchased trees, shrubs and bushes, note that they’ll be under “transplant shock.” A good way to reduce their stress is to supply extra water and nutrients into your planting hole or bedding area.
Your planting area’s existing soil will likely have lost nutrients through the years. Adding fresh topsoil and compost gives your trees, shrubs or bushes the nutrient boost they truly need; loose soil in which to freely spread their roots; and a soil structure for water flow and drainage.
Landscape Planting Mix 50% topsoil, 50% organic compost
Topsoil is naturally occurring soil’s most nutrient-rich layer. Good topsoil with the right blended ratio of organic matter is essential for growing healthy trees, shrubs and bushes. This mix provides the perfect 50-50 balance.
Enriched Topsoil Mix 50% topsoil, 50% mushroom compost
The mushroom compost’s blend of composted straw, composted horse manure and peat provides greater available natural phosphorus for bloom and development among your fruit-bearing trees, shrubs and bushes.
Manhattan (IL) Lawn Care & Repair: Soil
If you look at your Manhattan lawn and believe it needs repair, common reasons can be:
more weeds than grass
too many bare spots
thin grass
damage or poor results from chemical fertilizers
grass that’s not a healthy shade of deep green
If even one of these problems appears in your yard, you can proactively resolve it with our Lawn Repair Mix.
With our Lawn Repair Mix, you combine the three main elements for restoring your lawn to the way it should look:
1) Topsoil
Topsoil is the cornerstone of a lawn with healthy grass. Over time, however, nutrients in the soil can leach out or be used up by the grass. A fresh layer of topsoil can revive a tired lawn in need of nutrients.
2) Fine Sand
Sand helps reduce compacted soil. Fine sand supports water and moisture retention.
3) Compost
Organic compost is simply recycled plant-based material for helping to nourish both the lawn and the garden. You have different options for adding compost to your lawn.
Mushroom compost normally includes composted straw, horse manure and peat. It too can be used in either the lawn or the garden. However, composted horse manure that has been aged and turned regularly is best suited for the garden. An ideal choice for lawn repair is the nationally known Purple Cow Classic Organic Compost.
Containing no weeds, seeds or pathogens, Purple Cow Compost adds beneficial microbes, carbon and balanced nutrients to your lawn or garden soil. It also improves soil structure and porosity for a better plant-root environment; reinforces nutrient retention and use; and reduces nutrient loss caused by leaching. Purple Cow further includes humus to assist in soil aggregation and nutrient availability for the plant.
If you soon plan to repair your lawn, we recommend:
Lawn Repair Mix
50% topsoil, 25% fine sand, 25% Purple Cow Classic Organic Compost
PRO-SERIES Lawn Repair Mix
50% topsoil, 25% fine sand, 25% Purple Cow plus 40 lbs. PENNMULCH® per yard
The PENNMULCH seed accelerator in our PRO-SERIES Lawn Repair Mix establishes a thicker, healthier lawn in one simple application. When it gets wet, it expands and then dries, holding the seed in place. This will provide an almost 100% seed germination rate, resulting in nice, full turf that’s also non-toxic.
Manhattan (IL) Lawn Care & Maintenance: Unevenness, Bumps and Dips
Having uneven spots in your lawn can be both bothersome and dangerous. Mowing over bumps produces unsightly results as some grass remains uncut. If your lawn has low areas, they can leave grass looking scalped.
Then there’s trying to mow in a straight line. Some lawns can look like they were mowed while eyes were closed. More important, dips and raised spots can be a hazard waiting to cause trips and falls.
Standard topsoil can fill in low spots with depths greater than 3″. Adding fine sand to the topsoil will establish a rich, smooth soil blend perfect for leveling lawns at depths between ½” and 3″ – this is very common at pro golf courses.
We supply Manhattan homeowners with superb options for lawn-leveling:
Topsoil: For depths greater than 3″
Topdressing Mix (also great for laying sod): 50% topsoil, 50% fine sand
Manhattan (IL) Lawn Care & Maintenance: Soil for Overseeding
Our Topdressing Mixes are an ideal medium for germinating grass seed. You need only add a starter fertilizer and then water regularly. If you wish for a more “natural” approach, you can also try one of our lawn soil blends with compost, PENNMULCH or peat.
Tim’s Original Garden Mix powers up our Topdressing Mix by adding organic compost. When you’re overseeding your lawn, the mushroom compost in both the Enriched Topsoil Mix and the Premium Topsoil Mix provides excellent topdressing as opposed to simply covering the seed with topsoil.
A form of slow-release plant fertilizer, the organic mushroom compost in the Enriched Topsoil Mix and the Premium Topsoil Mix also helps the seeds retain moisture so they can germinate faster while avoiding birds and wind.
We offer different blends for overseeding your lawn:
Tim’s Original Garden Mix 50% topsoil, 25% fine sand, 25% organic compost
Topdressing Mix (perfect for laying sod as well) 50% topsoil, 50% fine sand
Enriched Topsoil Mix 50% topsoil, 50% mushroom compost
Premium Topsoil Mix 50% topsoil, 25% fine sand, 25% mushroom compost
Peat Garden Mix 50% topsoil, 25% fine sand, 25% peat
Peat Topdressing Mix (also great for laying sod or overseeding) 50% topsoil, 50% peat
PRO-SERIES Topdressing Mix 50% topsoil, 50% fine sand, 40 lbs. PENNMULCH/yd.
Soil Mix Supply for Manhattan (IL): Let’s Talk More About Curb Appeal
Whether your goals this year include the lawn, landscape planting beds or a new flower or vegetable garden, Tim Wallace Soil Mix Supply has a soil blend for the look, function and ROI you’re conscientious about. To further discuss the right “topsoil or garden soil near me” for Manhattan, call us at (630) 759-1080!
1 Cynthia Paez Bowman and Lara Vukelich, August 3, 2023, “Does landscaping increase home value?” https://www.bankrate.com/homeownership/landscaping-increase-home-value/
2 Stephens, Hannah, June 25, 2023, “What Backyard Improvements Yield the Best ROI?” https://www.elocal.com/resources/home-improvement/renovation/faq/backyard-improvements-best-roi/
