Raised Garden Bed Soil Calculator

Calculate soil volume, weight, and mix recipes for your raised beds

Imperial (ft, in)
Metric (m, cm)

🔷 Step 1. Select Bed Shape & Enter Dimensions

Rectangle
Square
Circle

📐 Step 2. Number of Beds & Units

Total Soil Volume Needed
32.0 cu ft
cu ft
cu yd
cu m
L
gal

🧪 Step 3. Select Soil Mix Recipe

Standard Mix
Mel’s Mix (Square Foot)
Vegetable Garden
Raised Bed Mix
50%
16.0 cu ft
30%
9.6 cu ft
10%
3.2 cu ft
10%
3.2 cu ft
TOTAL: 100%
🌿 Add 14.4 cups of All-Purpose Fertilizer

Soil Calculations

32.0 cu ft
Soil per Bed: 32.0 cu ft
Total Soil: 32.0 cu ft
2,400 lbs
Estimated Total Weight
Soil Tons: 1.2 tons
Bags Needed:
1 cu ft bags: 32 bags
2 cu ft bags: 16 bags
1/2 cu ft bags: 64 bags

Soil Weight Guide

• Wet soil: 90-100 lbs/cu ft

• Dry soil: 75-85 lbs/cu ft

• Compost: 40-50 lbs/cu ft

• Raised bed mix: 75 lbs/cu ft avg

Mix Recipes

• Standard: 50% topsoil, 30% compost, 20% aeration

• Mel’s Mix: 1/3 peat, 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 compost

• Vegetable: 40% topsoil, 40% compost, 20% perlite

Bed Depth Guide

• 6-8″ : Lettuce, herbs, greens

• 12″ : Most vegetables

• 18″ : Carrots, potatoes

• 24″+ : Accessible gardening

Soil Mixing Tips

Mix ingredients thoroughly before adding to beds. Moisten the mix as you go – it should feel like a wrung-out sponge. For Mel’s Mix (Square Foot Gardening), use 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 compost. Add fertilizer according to package directions – the calculator provides a baseline of 14.4 cups for 32 cu ft. Consider getting your soil tested to fine-tune nutrient levels.