Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Calculate Yards of Topsoil
How to Calculate Yards of Topsoil. Adding topsoil to a garden bed raises its level and creates a layer of rich growing soil. Before purchasing a load of topsoil, you should determine how much you will need. Determine the area of the location where you'll be placing the dirt and calculate its volume in yards. When you go to purchase topsoil,...
Adding topsoil to a garden bed raises its level and creates a layer of rich growing soil. Before purchasing a load of topsoil, you should determine how much you will need. Determine the area of the location where you'll be placing the dirt and calculate its volume in yards. When you go to purchase topsoil, typically sold in yards, the measurements from your calculations will match the topsoil's unit of measure.
Things You'll Need
Measuring tape
Calculator
Measure the length and the width of square or rectangular garden areas. Multiply the two numbers together to get the area.
Find the area of triangular gardens by measuring the length of the bottom leg of the garden bed, then the height of the bed. Multiply these two numbers together, and divide by 2.
Determine the area of a circular garden by measuring from the center of the bed to one edge. This measurement is the radius. Multiply the radius by itself, then multiply that number by 3.14, or pi.
Calculate the volume of the garden bed. Decide how deep you want the topsoil layer to be. Multiply this number by the area of your garden bed. This number, in cubic yards, is the amount of topsoil you need to cover your garden bed.
Tips & Warnings
Area measurements are in square units: square yards, inches or feet. Once you determine the volume by multiplying the area by the depth, you are working in cubic units.
In small spaces, measuring in feet or inches may be more convenient; just remember to convert the measurement to yards before you order the topsoil.
