Gardening has been practiced by humans since the prehistoric period of time, initially as a necessity, then as a recreational activity, or as a primary source of income. The soil is one of the most important components of gardening.
Without soil, there is no existence of a tree, let alone a garden. Nowadays, almost everyone engages in gardening, whether in an open space outside their home or in smaller pots in the corner of their home, on bookshelves, on the dining table, or at their study.
While preparing the base of a plant for your garden, you somehow wonder where do the soil comes from and how many cubic feet in a bag of soil, or how to measure the number of cubic feet of soil your garden needs. Don’t worry; this article will help you calculate how much soil your garden requires.
Where Does Soil Come From?
Soil is one of the most vital elements of our environment. So, it can be found anywhere. But, not all types of soil are fit for growing plants on. However, home improvement shops and garden businesses often sell industrially processed soil.
They collect soil from places that suit them best for growing specific plants. Then they divide the soil according to its texture. As an example, A difference will exist between the texture of the soil required for growing vegetables and that of the soil required for growing flowers.
The soil needed to grow indoor plants is also different from that needed to grow outdoor plants.
After the differentiation, the soil is tested for the presence of basic minerals important for growing plants.
Usually, the soil is needed to have a good amount of phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen gas. Then other ingredients like compost, cow dung, sphagnum peat moss, and coarse vermiculite are mixed with soil for a better texture needed for growing plants.
Then the mixture of soil and other ingredients are kept under the sun for useful bacteria to grow, which are sure to help plants grow better. Sometimes, organic pesticides are also mixed with soil.
Before buying a bag of soil, you need to confirm with the seller which plant you want to grow on the soil. Then, they will prepare the soil in accordance with your need. Sometimes, you need to prepare the soil all by yourself. The seller will provide you with all the steps you need to follow to prepare the soil.
How Many Cubic Feet in a Bag of Soil?
All you need are a few measurements and some basic math to figure out how much soil your garden needs. If you have a spacious yard, you may discover that normal measuring tapes are problematic because they are very short.
Any measuring wheel which can be found at any hardware shop or any improvement shop is a good investment. It will provide you with precise findings in a short period of time.
Things that are needed:
- Measuring Tape
- Calculator
Measure the length of the area where you will be laying the dirt using a measuring tape to ensure that you have enough soil. Keep in mind that the measurement is in feet. The breadth is measured in feet.
Using feet as a measure, determine the depth of soil that will be required. For filling a raised garden bed, you must determine the height of the perimeter fence around the garden. If the bar is higher than the raised garden bed, you will need to dig deeper. When putting soil in a yard, you should think about how deep you want the dirt to be.
In order to convert inches to feet, divide the number of inches by 12. The number of feet is equal to the number of inches divided by 12 if the measurement is less than one foot. For example, 5 inches divided by 12 = 0.42feet.
The cubic feet of soil you’ll need to fill your trench has to be calculated by multiplying the width, length, and depth together. For example, if the width is 10 feet, the length is 20 feet, and the depth is 0.42 feet, the result is Multiplying the width by the length by the depth gives you an estimate of the cubic feet of soil required to fill your trench. 84 cubic feet (20*10*.42=84)
Garden businesses and home improvement shops often deal in the soil in bags with measurements that specify how many cubic feet of soil the bags contain.
If you know the cubic feet of soil you need, divide that figure by the number of cubic feet in a bag to get the number of bags you’ll need. If you want 30 cubic feet of soil and one bag contains 3 cubic feet, you will require a total of 10 bags.
Soil Preparation
Though the seller prepares the soil for you, sometimes you need to prepare the soil again according to your requirements. You don’t want anything harmful in your soil, right? Then you should avoid chemically hazardous ingredients mixing with your soil. They do no good to our environment as well.
In order to prepare your soil, you have to pasteurize the soil to eliminate any harmful bacteria, insects, and weeds. Then you can mix organic pesticides to save your plants from these harmful elements in the future.
Final Words
Home improvement stores sell soil in bags not only for making money but also to help fancy people fulfill their hobbies, and small farmers earn their livelihood. They are preparing and bagging garden soil makes gardening very convenient. It seems that they do the hardest part for you. But the problem arises when you need to measure the soil requirement of your garden.
Though they provide you with all the information you need to know about soil preparation and gardening, you need to measure how much soil your garden needs all by yourself.
As a beginner, it may appear to you as more problematic than it actually is. You may find yourself in complete darkness while measuring a bag of soil. In such cases, this article got you all covered. This article provides you with all the things you have to do to know about how many cubic feet in a bag of soil. Happy gardening!
David, the founder of The Garden Fixer, started with a passion for gardening in 2012. He has continued his passion for gardening and desire to improve his skills and wanted to share his journey and helpful knowledge with other like-minded individuals.
He launched The Garden Fixer as an outlet for those interested in learning more about Gardening in hopes they can take what they learn and apply it for themselves!
