Gardeners and growers in the Charleston area can pick up soil for free in the coming weeks. The city of Charleston public grounds department is giving away compost from shredded leaves and trees at its facility on Ridgeview Drive off of Hanna Drive.
The giveaway started April 22 and will continue rain or shine from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 6 and May 13.
"We have plenty," said Dottie Blankenship, a secretary in the city's public grounds department. "Anybody is welcome to come get it."
The soil is made of leaves collected by city workers from residents' homes and from trees and limbs that are chipped. In the past, the city has sold the soil by the scoop, Blankenship said.
"We just have got so much, they're trying to get rid of some of it," she said.
The soil the city currently has is more than a year old.
People may bring a truck or trailer to haul the compost. City workers will load them, but they cannot load bags or other small containers.
For more information, call the city's public grounds department at 304-348-6458.