Tollhouse soil series

What this means

What Tollhouse soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Tollhouse soils is neutral: pH 6.7 (most land between 6.5 and 6.8), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Sandy topsoil covers 50% of mapped Tollhouse acres. It drains fast and warms early in spring, but dries out and loses nutrients quickly: mulch, compost and steady watering help. The most common surface texture is coarse sandy loam (62% of mapped Tollhouse acres).

96% of mapped Tollhouse acres is excessively or somewhat excessively drained: water moves through fast, so gardens need more frequent watering in dry spells.

For lawns and yards

On 95% of mapped acres, rain soaks in slowly (hydrologic groups C and D, including dual groups that are D until drained). Expect runoff and puddles after heavy rain: core-aerate compacted lawns and keep ground sloping away from foundations.

For a septic system

For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 96% of the acres in mapped Tollhouse soils very limited, 0% somewhat limited and 0% not limited (4% not rated, such as urban land, pits or water).

Where the soil is very limited (slow permeability, a high water table, flooding, shallow bedrock or steep slopes), alternative systems such as mound or sand-filter designs are common and cost more.

Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.