Potting Soil Calculator (Free Tool )

Having the right amount and quality soil is important for having a great garden and plants.

And whether you are using pots or raised beds, you have a big advantage over a regular garden because you can fill them with really good and less soil that is even better than the soil in your yard.

A well-draining and nutrient rich soil that is loose and abundant in organic matter will facilitate the growth of the plant roots and provide them with the necessary water and nutrients.

And before you place your potted plants or raised garden beds in their final place, make sure you remove any grass or stubborn weeds from that area.

For raised beds you can use a garden fork or shovel to loosen the soil that’s already there, going down about 6 to 10 inches.

This will help the water drain away properly and keep moisture in the raised beds.

It’s pretty cool because even though raised beds is only 5 inches high, your plants will feel like they are growing in a bed that is 12 to 18 inches deep! That is more than enough space for carrots, potatoes, big tomato plants, and pretty much any other vegetables or plants you can think of growing.

Here is an estimated rule to follow when filling your raised beds or pots.

• 60 % topsoil
• 25 % compost
• 10 % potting mix.
• 5 % Empty.

If you are filling larger beds, you can consider buying soil in larger quantities.

You can do soil calculation using the soil Calculator above and figure out how much soil you will need for each bed or pot.

You can just enter the dimensions of your raised beds or pots and you will get an estimated amount of soil.

Remember that the qualities provided are just estimates, as the volume of soil can differ depending on where you get it from or what type of soil you use.

If you can’t find good quality topsoil, you can use a mixture of soilless growing medium and compost in equal parts as a substitute. However, if you decide to include peat moss in the mix, it should make up no more than 20 % of the total.

It’s important to note that peat moss is naturally acidic and not suitable for growing vegetables.

Here is how to use our potting soil calculator.