Raised bed volume

**Eyren** · 10-03-2009, 08:10 PM

Um, you're out by 10: 100 x 100 x 25 = 250,000

I just googled "soil volume tonne" and found a US soil calculator that said you would need a tenth of a ton to fill a bed 39in x 39in x 10in (your measurements converted to Imperial). That's an imperial ton, though - a metric tonne is slightly bigger.

On the other hand I then found a UK site that suggested you need 1.4 x the cubic metres of your bed in tonnes. A 1m x 1m x 25cm bed is 0.25 cubic metres, so you would need 0.35 of a tonne.

http://www.midlands-turf.co.uk/acatalog/Top_Soil.html

Either way a tonne of soil would be loads! You might want to look into how much 250 litres of topsoil (12 or 13 x 20 litre bags) would cost from your local garden centre, as that's the same volume.

Hope this helps!

**elsie-scot** · 10-03-2009, 08:13 PM

thanks - one company on their website suggested I needed a tonne per bed and I thought that couldnt be right!

**Snadger** · 10-03-2009, 08:15 PM

Originally posted by elsie-scot View Post

I need to get some topsoil to fill in my raised beds but am bit confused with my sum to work it out.

each one is 1m x 1m, high 25cm. So did 100 x 100 x 25 =25,000 cm cubed.

Ok so what does that mean? The bags I have seen come in 1 tonne.

thanks

Not sure, but I think a metric tonne of soil is about a cubic metre volume?

Soooooooo........ a one tonne dumpy bag full of soil should fill four 1 metre square beds @ 25cm deep methinks!

**elsie-scot** · 10-03-2009, 08:18 PM

can tell we garden not do sums!

**kitchengardner** · 10-03-2009, 08:23 PM

Originally posted by elsie-scot View Post

I need to get some topsoil to fill in my raised beds but am bit confused with my sum to work it out.

each one is 1m x 1m, high 25cm. So did 100 x 100 x 25 =25,000 cm cubed.

Ok so what does that mean? The bags I have seen come in 1 tonne.

thanks

As Snadger rightly says a tonne of top soil is approximately 1 cubic metre (it is actually 0.8-0.95 dependent on how wet it was when packed) and your bed size needs only a fraction of that. Mind you I would recommend working in well rotted manure and/or compost as well to improve the fertility

Regards

Kitchen Gardener

**elsie-scot** · 10-03-2009, 09:09 PM

Originally posted by kitchengardner View Post

As Snadger rightly says a tonne of top soil is approximately 1 cubic metre (it is actually 0.8-0.95 dependent on how wet it was when packed) and your bed size needs only a fraction of that. Mind you I would recommend working in well rotted manure and/or compost as well to improve the fertility

Regards

Kitchen Gardener

yep have home grown compost to mix in for all but the carrot bed

**Peter** · 10-03-2009, 09:40 PM

Originally posted by elsie-scot View Post

I need to get some topsoil to fill in my raised beds but am bit confused with my sum to work it out.
each one is 1m x 1m, high 25cm. So did 100 x 100 x 25 =25,000 cm cubed.
Ok so what does that mean? The bags I have seen come in 1 tonne.

thanks

Keep all the measures at the same setting, compost is nowadays sold by Litre measure, as in 50, 60 or 75 Litre sacks.

1 Litre is 10cmx10cmx10cm

1m = 10 x 10cm
25cm = 2.5 x 10cm

Thus 10 x 10 x 2.5 = 250Litres or five 50Litre bags of compost or soil.

Your 1 cubic metre bag would be 1,000Litres, so you'd only need a quarter of it.

As for weight, check a bag of topsoil in a diy-shed and match litres to kilos, though from memory isn't a litre of water a kilo in weight?

**RedThorn** · 10-03-2009, 09:46 PM

lol I asked about this a bit ago...... turns out the weight depends on the amount of moisture in the soil.

To calculate your beds volume convert the centimeters to meters eg 100 cm = 1m or 25cm = 0.25m

Once you have it in meters, it's easier 1mx1mx0.25m = 0.25m3 (meters cubed) Ask the supplier as to the weight of a cubic meter as I have found they range from 1,5 -2 cubic meters per ton (info from suppliers - lol don't shoot the messenger!)

Hope this helps. I'm still looking into this and if I find out any more, I'll PM you if you'd like

**elsie-scot** · 11-03-2009, 08:34 AM

Originally posted by RedThorn View Post

lol I asked about this a bit ago...... turns out the weight depends on the amount of moisture in the soil.

To calculate your beds volume convert the centimeters to meters eg 100 cm = 1m or 25cm = 0.25m

Once you have it in meters, it's easier 1mx1mx0.25m = 0.25m3 (meters cubed) Ask the supplier as to the weight of a cubic meter as I have found they range from 1,5 -2 cubic meters per ton (info from suppliers - lol don't shoot the messenger!)

Hope this helps. I'm still looking into this and if I find out any more, I'll PM you if you'd like

thanks for that

**oldie** · 11-03-2009, 11:28 AM

I have just filled 6 beds 1x1 meter by 15cm deep from a 1tonne bag. Only problem I had was that the pallet it was on wouldn't go through my garden gate and I had to wheelbarrow it in from the bottom of the drive.

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