Calculate How Much Soil Is Needed in a Raised Bed Planter Box
Planter boxes come in all shapes and sizes. Raised bed planter boxes may be located adjacent to a building, encircle the base of a tree or mailbox or be a free-standing structure. One great advantage of a raised bed planter box is that since you supply the soil, you can cultivate plants without worrying about the type of soil nature provides in your area. It's fairly easy to calculate how much soil is needed for a raised bed planter box by volume. Figuring the weight is trickier, since different soils have varying densities.
Instructions
1. Use a tape measure to find the length and width, in inches, of the planter box. Make your measurements on the inside of the box. Most planter boxes have sides several inches thick. If you measure the length and width on the outside, this will add considerably to your results and cause you to overestimate how much soil you need.
2. Measure the depth of the planter box from the bottom to the level that will be the surface. To ensure accuracy, you should first finish any excavation and leveling of the box interior before taking your measurements.
3. Multiply the length times the width times the depth to find the volume of soil required in cubic inches. Divide this figure by 1,728 (the number of cubic inches in one cubic foot) to convert to cubic feet. For example, if you plan a raised bed planter box 120 inches by 60 inches with a soil depth of 12 inches, you have 86,400 cubic inches. Divided by 1,728, this works out to 50 cubic feet.
4. Consult with a reliable lawn and garden professional (or your local agricultural extension service) to determine what type or mixture of soil you need. Different soil types have different densities. You'll need to know what type of soil you will be using to figure the weight needed. The calculation is simple, though. Just multiply the pounds per cubic foot times the number of cubic feet to find the amount of soil needed for your raised bed planter box.
Related posts
Lumber-framed construction allows for straightforward load calculations.Many of the structural calculations involved in wood-frame construction are relatively simple. Naturally, there is no substi...
Calculate materials accurately.Calculating materials is one of the toughest challenges for the do-it-yourself builder. A lot of time can be wasted making additional trips to the lumberyard for mor...
Urine not only causes soil to smell, but can damage your lawn.Whether your dog, a stray or a wild animal urinates on your lawn, that distinct odor is difficult to eradicate, even if it only happen...
Many conditions can cause your dog to sleep too much.A good dog owner will usually take notice and start to worry when her dog begins to display any abnormal behavior. However, not all strange can...
Learn what equipment is needed to rear a happy pit bull.Whether you are planning on rearing a litter of pitbull puppies or are considering purchasing a puppy once it is weaned and available for ad...
