Soil for a 4 × 6 ft bed at each depth
Whole bags are rounded up. The bed’s wall height is not the soil depth: measure the depth you plan to fill.
| Soil depth | Cubic feet | Cubic yards | Bags of ¾ ft³ | Bags of 1 ft³ | Bags of 1.5 ft³ | Bags of 2 ft³ | Bags of 3 ft³ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 in | 12 | 0.44 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
| 8 in | 16 | 0.59 | 22 | 16 | 11 | 8 | 6 |
| 10 in | 20 | 0.74 | 27 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 7 |
| 12 in | 24 | 0.89 | 32 | 24 | 16 | 12 | 8 |
| 18 in | 36 | 1.33 | 48 | 36 | 24 | 18 | 12 |
| 24 in | 48 | 1.78 | 64 | 48 | 32 | 24 | 16 |
Measure inside the walls
The table uses the full 4 × 6 ft. If that is the outside size of a wooden bed built from boards 1½ inches thick, the growing space inside is 45 × 69 inches. At 12 inches deep that holds 21.56 cubic feet, 10% less than the table. Metal and composite walls are thinner, but corner posts and braces still take space, so measure between the inner walls before you order.
Beds sold at 4 × 6 ft
These are the beds we list in this size. A maker’s stated capacity often differs from the table because the inside is smaller than the advertised size or the maker assumes a different fill depth.
- Gardener’s Supply Cedar Raised Beds, 4 ft Wide10 bags of 1.5 ft³ for the stated capacity. 7.25 in walls, 7.25 in planting depth. The maker states 14 cubic feet.
- Gardener’s Supply Deep Root Cedar Raised Beds20 bags of 1.5 ft³ for the stated capacity. 14.5 in walls, 14.5 in planting depth. The maker states 30 cubic feet.
- Gardener’s Supply Farmstead Cedar Raised Beds8 in walls, 8 in planting depth. Inside: 63 × 39 in. The maker does not state a soil capacity.
- Vego 32" Extra Tall 10-in-1 Jumbo Modular Bed43 bags of 1.5 ft³ for the stated capacity. 32 in walls. The maker states 64 cubic feet.
- Birdies Jumbo Modular Raised Bed, 15 in tall20 bags of 1.5 ft³ for the stated capacity. 15 in walls. The maker states 28.8 cubic feet.
- Birdies Jumbo Modular Raised Bed, 29 in tall39 bags of 1.5 ft³ for the stated capacity. 29 in walls. The maker states 57.6 cubic feet.
- Epic Large Modular Metal Raised Bed, 15 in tall20 bags of 1.5 ft³ for the stated capacity. 15 in walls. The maker states 30 cubic feet.
- Epic Large Modular Metal Raised Bed, 29 in tall39 bags of 1.5 ft³ for the stated capacity. 29 in walls. The maker states 58 cubic feet.
- Gardenary 12" Tall Cedar Raised Garden Beds12 in walls. The maker does not state a soil capacity.
- Gardenary 18" Tall Cedar Raised Garden Beds18 in walls. The maker does not state a soil capacity.
- Gardenary 24" Tall Cedar Raised Garden Beds24 in walls. The maker does not state a soil capacity.
What to plant in a 4 × 6 ft bed
Four planting layouts drawn to scaleA 4 × 6 ft bed holds 24 heads of lettuce, 384 carrots or 3 trellised tomatoes at Colorado State University Extension’s spacings. See a salad bed, tomatoes and peppers, and roots and onions with every plant counted.Work out your own bed
Open these measurements in the soil calculator to change the depth, add more beds or split the fill into a mix. To compare the cost of bags with a bulk delivery for 0.89 cubic yards, use the bagged vs bulk soil calculator.