Global Araç
Garden Bed Soil Volume
Dökme genellikle ~1 metreküpten sonra daha ucuzdur ancak teslimat ücreti eklenir ($50–150). Torbalar küçük veya çatı yatakları için daha kullanışlıdır. Oturma için her zaman %10 fazla ekleyin — taze karışım ilk ayda 2,5–5 cm sıkışır.
Filling a raised garden bed always takes more soil than people initially estimate — and the gap between “what I bought” and “what I need” is the source of the most common first-year-gardener frustration. The math itself is simple: length × width × depth = volume in cubic feet, divide by 27 to convert to cubic yards (the unit bulk soil is sold in). What people miss is (1) the depth confusion — most plant roots want 12+ inches, not 6 — and (2) the 10-15% settling buffer because freshly-delivered soil compacts down meaningfully in the first few weeks of watering and gravity. A bed you fill exactly to the top will be 1-2 inches below the rim within a month.
The calculator takes bed dimensions (length, width, depth), unit preferences (feet/inches or meters/cm), and outputs required volume in cubic feet, cubic yards, and 1.5/2/3 cubic-foot bag counts. It also calculates cost from your $/yard or $/bag input — bulk delivery is typically $30-50 per cubic yard plus delivery fee, while bagged soil from big-box stores runs $5-8 per 1.5 cubic foot bag (about $90-145 per cubic yard equivalent). Bulk wins for any bed bigger than 4×8 feet at 12-inch depth; bags win for small fill-ins, accessibility (no truck access), or last-minute single- bed projects.
Most-asked depth question: how deep should a raised bed actually be? Conventional wisdom is “6 inches” — that's only true for shallow-rooted greens (lettuce, spinach, herbs). Tomatoes, peppers, and peas need 12-18 inches; carrots and parsnips need 18-24 inches; squash and pumpkins want 24+ inches and lots of horizontal sprawl. Build deep, fill once. The bottom 6-12 inches can be cheaper fill (the “hügelkultur” method uses logs, branches, leaves which break down into slow-release nutrients over 5-10 years), with quality topsoil + compost mix only in the top 12-18 inches where most root activity happens. This dramatically reduces cost on deep beds.
Nasıl Kullanılır
- Enter bed length, width, and depth in feet/inches (or meters/cm — the tool converts).
- Add a 10-15% buffer for settling (the tool defaults this; remove if you’re explicitly underfilling).
- Pick units: cubic feet (small beds), cubic yards (bulk delivery), or bag count (1.5/2/3 cu ft bags).
- Enter $/yard or $/bag for cost estimate.
- Decide between bulk delivery (cheaper for large beds, requires truck access) and bagged (easier, more expensive per yard).
Ne Zaman Kullanılır
- Filling a new raised garden bed before planting season.
- Topping off an existing bed that’s settled below the rim.
- Comparing bulk-delivery cost vs bag count for budget planning.
- Hügelkultur layered planning — calculating top “quality fill” layer separately from bottom “cheap fill.”
- Multi-bed garden builds — sum total yards before placing a delivery order.
Ne Zaman Kullanılmaz
- In-ground plot tilling — you’re amending existing soil, not filling a container; volume math is different.
- Container or grow-bag gardening — usually small enough to estimate by-eye or by bags.
- Soil-replacement for an established bed (where you’re not adding net volume, just rotating quality of existing soil).
- Hydroponic or substrate-based growing systems — different volume math entirely.
Yaygın Kullanım Senaryoları
- Quick use during a typical workday
- Pre-decision sanity-check on inputs and outputs
- Educational use — demonstrating the underlying concept
- Onboarding a colleague who needs the same calculation/conversion
Sık Sorulan Sorular
How deep should my raised bed be?
Depends on what you’re growing. Lettuce, spinach, herbs: 6-8 inches. Tomatoes, peppers, beans: 12-18 inches. Carrots, parsnips, leeks: 18-24 inches. Squash, pumpkins, full-grown root crops: 24+ inches. When in doubt build deeper — you can always plant shallower-rooted crops in a deep bed; you can’t go the other way.
Bagged soil or bulk delivery?
Bulk wins for any single bed over ~4×8 feet at 12-inch depth (about 1.2 cubic yards). Bulk soil costs $30-50/cubic yard plus delivery; bagged equivalent runs $90-145/cubic yard. Bulk also eliminates 30+ trips to your car carrying bags. Bagged wins when: you have no truck access, you need under 0.5 cubic yards, or you can’t arrange same-day delivery.
Why the 10-15% extra?
Two reasons. Soil settles after delivery — fresh fluffy soil compacts 8-12% under its own weight plus watering within the first 2-4 weeks. And bag/bulk volumes are typically nominal (a 2 cu ft bag often holds 1.85-1.95 actual cubic feet of compressed material). Calculate your nominal volume + 12% buffer and you’ll fill the bed without coming up short.
What soil mix should I use?
Standard “raised bed mix” recipe: 50% topsoil, 30% compost, 20% peat or coco coir (for water retention) — sometimes called Mel’s Mix from Square Foot Gardening. For tomato/pepper/heavy-feeders, bump compost to 40%. Avoid pure topsoil (compacts hard) or pure compost (too rich, burns plants, doesn’t hold structure). Pre-mixed “raised bed soil” bags do this for you at a premium.
Can I use cheaper fill at the bottom?
Yes — this is hügelkultur, a centuries-old European technique. Bottom 6-12 inches: logs, branches, leaves, cardboard, kitchen scraps. Middle: cheaper fill soil. Top 12-18 inches: quality raised-bed mix where roots actually live. The bottom layer slowly decomposes over 5-10 years, releasing nutrients and improving structure. Cuts soil cost roughly in half for deep beds.
How much does a typical bed cost to fill?
Rough numbers: 4×4×12” = 16 cubic feet ≈ 0.6 cubic yards. Bulk: $30-50 + $40-80 delivery = ~$80-120. Bagged equivalent: 11 bags × $7 = $77. 4×8×12” = 32 cubic feet ≈ 1.2 cubic yards. Bulk: $80-130 total. Bagged: 22 bags × $7 = $154. The crossover where bulk wins is around 0.7-1 cubic yard.