Will your beds fit, and can you reach the middle?
Enter your garden space and up to six beds. The drawing shows whether they fit with the paths you want, and whether you can reach the middle of each bed from the sides you can stand at.
Example: a bed 8 × 4 ft inside, 12 in of soil
or mix your own: 15 topsoil+8 compost
- About 2,600 lb: 3 trips in a vehicle with 1,250 lb of room after its driver, or one delivered load.
- 1.2 cubic yards in bulk. Suppliers’ minimum loads run 1 to 5 yards, so get one delivered quote before buying 22 bags.
12 in of soil: room for carrots and most crops. On open ground, roots carry on into the soil below the bed. Depth by crop
At other bag sizes: 43 of 0.75 ft³ · 32 of 1 ft³ · 22 of 1.5 ft³ · 16 of 2 ft³ · 11 of 3 ft³
Bed 1: 12 in of soil.
Weight uses Sands and Soils screened topsoil at 2,200 lb a cubic yard. Choose another material in Soil order.
Measure the inside of the bed
Choose a bed to start with
Soil depth is the inside height less the space you leave empty at the top for mulch and watering.
Prepare the spot for this bedLeave space to work around it
The outside size follows the inside plus 1.5-inch walls on each side, the thickness of a 2-inch board. Change it for a bed with thicker or thinner walls.
Sides refer to the drawing. For round containers, select all four sides to check reach from the whole rim. Layout clearances use the enclosing outside rectangle, including for round beds.
Work out your soil order
Split into your own mix
Already have a two-part soil mix in mind? Enter the percentage of each ingredient. Read the soil and surface guidance before choosing a mix.
Bag size for each ingredient
Compare your bag and bulk quotes
Private amounts stay on this page and are excluded from save, share and print. Enter 0 for a genuinely free delivery.
Leave room to work
Use each bed’s outside footprint, including corners and legs, and the path width you need to walk, kneel or push a barrow. Reach is measured from the sides you mark as open. The bed width guide and the path width guide give the figures extension services publish.