This week we are excited to have Steve Pettis, UGA Extension Agent for Rockdale County, join us for a math lesson on raised bed gardening! Steve writes….
If you have have raised beds eventually you will need to add more soil. Over time soil compacts, organic matter dissipates, and soil erodes. So, what was once a box full of soil can end up half empty.
Bagged soil is sold by the square foot. How do you determine how many square feet of soil you need to refill the beds?
I would suggest using the formula for determining volume of a rectangular prism –
vol. of rectangular prism = a b c or length x width x height
Multiply the width, height and length in inches. Divide that by 12 inches to get cubic feet. Bags of soil will say how many cubic feet of soil are in the bag. Divide the number of cubic feet in a bag into the cubic feet of your space and you have the number of bags needed.
Thanks, Steve! Happy Gardening!
Becky is a Georgia Certified Beekeeper and works with community and school gardeners to increase beneficial insect habitat.She is the coordinator of the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, happening this year on August 19th and 20th, 2022.She is also part of UGA's Native Plants and Beneficial Insect Working Group.
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Did you use 2X12X8 and 4X4X4 pressure treated lumber?
Steve Pettis – what did you all use? Thanks!
2×12 lumber is the best although 2×10 will work. The 4x4s are a good idea to secure the sides in the corners.