How much soil do I need?Updated an hour ago

The fastest way is our soil volume calculator. Enter your container sizes or bed dimensions and it works out the total volume, recommends a recipe, and picks the cheapest mix of bags and totes.

Doing the math yourself

• 1 cubic foot is about 7.5 gallons.
• A 1 yard tote is 27 cubic feet, about 200 gallons.
• For a bed, multiply length by width by depth in feet to get cubic feet.
• For containers, add up the gallons and divide by 7.5 to get cubic feet.

Things that change the number

• Headspace. Most growers leave 2 to 3 inches at the top for mulch and top dressing.
• Settling. Fresh soil is fluffy and settles after watering, so you may need a little more than the math says.
• Transplants. Each plant coming out of a nursery pot brings its own soil, so you will need a bit less.

Do not stress about being exact. A little extra is useful for top dressing or next round.

Ways to buy

Soil comes in 1 cubic foot bags, 70 bag pallets, and 1 yard totes. Totes are the cheapest per cubic foot. If you can drive to Montrose, Colorado, local pickup at our Factory Outlet skips freight. You can also find a local store that carries BuildASoil with our store locator.