Raised beds and container gardening are becoming more democratic , since they are easier to maintain and allow you more control over soil quality . It can be a challenge to judge how many bags of surface soil you ’ll require to fill up your layer , and to get the right amount of land , you ’ll need to calculate the book of your plantation owner box . A little simple math can get you on your way so that you’re able to fill up your plantation owner and stick some geraniums or tomatoes in there .

Step 1

Use a tape recording touchstone , rule or yardstick to measure the breadth of your planter box . pen this number down . As an lesson , let ’s say that your plantation owner is two feet wide .

Step 2

Measure the distance of your planter , and save this number down , too . Let ’s say the planter is four feet long .

Step 3

manifold the breadth by the length to find the straightforward footage of the groundwork of the planter . 2 metrical unit x 4 feet = 8 satisfying feet .

Step 4

Measure the summit of the planter , and write that number down . Let ’s say the planter is one and a half foot magniloquent .

Step 5

Multiply the height of the plantation owner by the square footage of the substructure of the planter , calculated in step 3 . Eight square feet x 1.5 feet = 12 three-dimensional foot . The volume of a planter that is two foot by four feet by one and a half feet is 12 cubic feet .

Step 6

Calculate the bulk of a circular planter by measuring the diam , part that in half to obtain the wheel spoke , multiplying it by 3.14 ( pi , roughly ) , then multiplying that figure by the height of the plantation owner . For example , a circular planter that is five fundament blanket has a radius of two and a half feet . Multiplying 2.5 by 3.14 hand you 7.85 . If the planter is two metrical foot marvellous , you would procreate 7.85 by 2 to get 15.7 . A round planter that is five feet across and two feet deep has a volume of 15.7 three-dimensional foot .

Tip

Always use the same unit of measurement for all computing . If you measure the breadth and duration in metrical unit , you must also evaluate the height in foot , not in . Bagged topsoil is most commonly sell in 40 pound bag , which will occupy approximately one three-dimensional foot . Therefore , the 2 x 4 x 1.5 foot plantation owner loge in our example would call for 12 40 - pound old bag of surface soil ( 480 pound amount ) . Always three-fold control the publicity to check that you ’re getting as much topsoil as you require . Due to eating away and settling , you will need to fill again raised bed or other permanent planter boxes every year with an inch or two of topsoil or compost .

Things Needed