What to Use for Backfilling a Trench in a Front Yard

Earth

• Earth is the material you must use to back-fill a trench in your yard. Not only will it allow you to grow grass eventually, it provides the type of insulation and support that the components in the trench require. When the builder excavated the trench, he might have left the earth removed from it somewhere in your yard. If so, use it to fill the trench so it's level with the rest of your yard. If the builder hasn't left any soil for you, order dirt from a garden supplier. To calculate the approximate amount you will need, measure the width, depth and length of the trench in yards and multiply the three numbers to calculate the cubic yards needed. If you don't want to pay for fill, look in the classified section of your newspaper for people giving away free fill dirt; builders will occasionally list dirt for free, provided you pick it up yourself.

Hand Tools

• If the trench is not too deep, wide or long, recruit some helpers and back-fill it by using shovels. If the dirt for the job is not piled close to the trench, use wheelbarrows or a lawn tractor and wagon to haul it to the site. Standard, rounded shovels are ideal for this job. Once you've filled the trench, use a heavy rake to level off the area.

Machinery

• If the trench is too large to be filled manually, rent a backhoe or other type of small excavator to complete the task. This process is advisable only if you're familiar with using small machinery. With a backhoe, you can load the bucket with earth, drive it to the trench and drop it into position. If you have someone helping you, your assistant can level out the earth between trips with the backhoe.

Landscaping

• How you use the area, after you've back-filled the trench, depends on the look you wish to achieve. If the trench runs through an area where you want to grow grass, cover the earth over the trench with grass seed and water it regularly until it begins to grow or lay strips of sod over the area for a quicker solution. You can also create a shallow garden bed in this area.