MEASURE & FILL
The 4 × 8 soil guide
Compare 6, 8, 10 and 12 inches of fill, then turn cubic feet into whole bags. Use actual inside dimensions for your own bed.
Read the note →THE RAISED BED WORKBENCH
A little planning.
A lot more growing.
Measure your beds. Work out the soil. Compare what to buy.
01Measure your beds
Measure inside the walls. Fill depth is only the soil you want to add, including a top-up.
Shape
Optional extra soil for your own allowance. 0% uses the measured volume; this is not a predicted settling rate.
02Compare your quotes
Use prices for the same soil mix. Empty prices leave costs unknown. Currency changes the label, not the prices.
Bagged soil
Bag unit
Bulk delivery
Quote unit
A 0.5 increment orders in half-yard or half-metre steps. Use your supplier’s actual limits. Costs exclude taxes and bag delivery.
Plot & Soil · Soil shopping plan
Measurements and quotes supplied by you.
1. Kitchen garden: 8 × 4 ft, 12 in fill, quantity 1.
YOUR SOIL PLAN
32cubic feet to buy
1.185cubic yards
906.1litres
32 cu ft measured + 0% allowance
TWO WAYS TO BUY
Bagged
16 bags2 cu ft each · 0 L above target
Add a bag price
Bulk
1.5 cu yd240.7 L above target · $0.00 delivery
Add a bulk price
USD. Orders are rounded up. Compare equivalent soil products; price does not measure soil quality.
Bag quote: not supplied each. Bulk quote: not supplied per cu yd. Order increment 0.5; minimum 0. Tax and bag delivery excluded.
Next, give your plants some room.Open the plant spacing planner
How the numbers work
Rectangle: inside length × inside width × added soil depth. Round: π × radius² × depth. Multiply by the number of identical beds, then add all entries.
1 cubic foot = 28.316846592 litres. 1 cubic yard = 27 cubic feet. Bag count is rounded up after your allowance. Bulk orders are rounded up to the supplier’s increment after its minimum.
This calculates volume, not a soil recipe, weight or yield. See the worked cost example →
A FEW NOTES BEFORE YOU GROW
Good plans start with good questions.
BEFORE YOU BUY
A soil quantity
is not a soil recipe.
Ground-connected bed or elevated planter? Know what you’re filling before you choose the mix.
Read the garden noteBUY & COMPARE
Bags or a bulk delivery?
The cheapest unit price may not make the cheapest order. Include whole bags, delivery fees and the supplier’s minimum.
Read the note →SPACE & PLANT
Make sense of plant spacing
Use final plant spacing, row spacing and a stated edge margin to count planting positions in a rectangular bed.
Read the note →