Hello folks, Just wondering how much compost or triple mix soil I'll need to fill a veggie bed that is 32ft long by 4ft wide? The bed has 3 mini-ties stacked on top of each other, and it's 32ft long, 4ft wide. Am looking to raise the bed ( clay ), so we don't have to bend down to plant stuff. I am going to be having a truck deliver the stuff, and just want to know how many yards you guys think should be enough Thx
to fill it length (in feet) x width (in feet) x depth (in feet) = how many cubic feet you need 27 cubic feet = 1 yard how big is the mini tie you are using assuming 6 inches and you said 3 so 1.5ft so 32 x 4 x 1.5 = 192 cuft = about 7 yards or about 5.5 cuM
Thanks for that, really appreciate it! Am I better off with triple mix or compost for this veggie bed? I hope this 7yds doesn't end up costing me, as I am on a budget.
Cheers geezer, really appreciate your contribution and all that. I miss that sense of humour dearly, along with marmite.
I used to think that everyone remembered their high school geometry until we had a landscaper do some work for us a decade ago and he opined that 1 cubic yard would fill a certain raised bed. I pointed out - it was triangular in cross section - that the area was 1/2 x a x b and so the volume was 1/2 x a x b x h which was 2 yards ; he though I was either mad or speaking Chinese but in any event his vast experience told him that 1 yard would do. Alas mathematics never lies ...
Except all most of the garden centers talk in cubic yards, certainly in my area. Mulrooney screwed the system up, when he didn't continue with Trudeau's initiative, plus the US flatly refuses to go metric. Now we still have two systems, like we always had, depending upon the industry.
You never mentioned what the underlying soil is. Usually the raised bed is mixed with whatever you put in the upper contained bed. Triple mix is fine, since compost can be added later, and compost disappears rather quickly, sort of like the air leaking out of a air mattress. Take a good look at the soil your are being offered. Sometimes triple mix can be less than desired. Expect to pay about $40.00 per yard and $40.00 for delivery. I would get nine yards, since this is a fairly normal truck load. Eight wheelbarrel load per yard is sort of typical-a good 6 hours of work. Three mini-ties is a high raised bed, I only use two held in place with rebar in holes drilled through the mini-ties, but I utilize the underlying clay soil. Over four years I put in about 45 yards of compost, and I am still slightly below the level of the two mini-ties. My area is about 11 times greater than yours, but extrapolation is possible. Here is a picture of mine. http://vichao.notlong.com 2 April 2008 Raised bed 1440 square feet.
Thanks for that Durgan. The mini ties are held in place the same way you have yours, and the idea came from you anyway, after talking to you elsewhere about this. The underlaying soil is clay just like yours, but last fall I added peat moss to it and tilled it into the ground. The 3-tier mini ties was a request from my mrs, hence the reason for that. So you reckon I should go for 9 yards then, why? 6 hrs work you say eh. Please elaborate on what to look out for when I go buy the triplemix and what questions I should ask them
Soil settles, so 12" of loose fill can settle to 8" to 9" after a year of watering and rain. Bulging the middle can be useful - or you can add more later. Just a thought ...
That makes sense. Just don't want to go all out at first, especially with the price am looking at for the 7yrds
Just put in my order with a local aggregate place, 10yrds came to $200 tax in with delivery. Apparently when you order 10 yrds or more, delivery is free :-) I went for the triple mix, that contains all the usual
I survived shovelling 10yrds of triple mix from the driveway to the back of the house, but not after suffering pain all over my body. Delivery http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/ikennedy/IMG_3425.jpg Veggie bed http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/ikennedy/IMG_3432.jpg Back of house blooms http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c279/ikennedy/IMG_3433.jpg Thanks for your help folks! I won't be ordering dirt anytime soon
Great job and the price was great. Now you know how easy it is to move 10 yards, and you have well exercised muscles. I remember my first 10 yards in a pile, and was almost discouraged, but now I look upon such as almost effortless. If you have a little help the job goes quickly, plus a good wheelbarrel. Congratulations!
Thanks Durgan! My arm hurt like crazy though and they are looking like popeye's muscles after eating spinach :-) When next are you going to be in my neck of the woods? I'll like to pick your brains on how the proposed veggies and herbs are supposed to be planted in the bed above, and if you have any suggestions to pass along Cheers
around here the price of material like that is about $26 to $50 a yard, delivery is dependant on location but I usually bank on $75 to $100 for most local loads in a 10 yard single axle dump truck, larger loads are more like $125 to $150. I just checked with a soil blowing company and their price is about $75 a yard installed. Not cheap for sure!
My purchase is a bargain. I got home from work yesterday, and you can smell the manure in the soil lingering everywhere :-) My shrubs and plants in front seem to love it too, as leaves are opening up left, right and center
