The Right Ways to Compute Compost Coverage

Compost is undoubtedly one of the most important garden components available and can improve almost every kind of garden. Aside from the nutritional value it adds to the soil, less the chemical use, compost also aids in loosening the soil, avoids compaction of soil, prevents drying up during warm and winter seasons, and provides protection for delicate plants. Compost also lessens the amount of effort required to keep a garden healthy, lawn or flower bed by decreasing or eliminating the growth of weeds. With the proper amount of compost, all your garden plants will surely become healthier. So what are the ways to compute compost coverage?

First step is to determine the width and the length of garden where compost is planned to be spread.

Second, to get the total area of the lot where compost is desired to be applied, multiply the width by the length.

Third, you have to determine as well how much or how deep would you want the compost to be spread. Most solid waste and gardening institutes recommend that the right amount for composting vegetable gardens is between one to three inches. For covering plants and crops during the winter season, the recommendation is between one to three inches as well. For flowers inside containers and grass lawns, the ideal depth is a quarter to a half inch.

The fourth step is to multiply the area of the lot in square footage by the desired thickness of the compost spread in inches.

The resulting figure will be used to determine the cubic yard, as required in the fifth step. Multiply the resulting figure in the fourth step by.0031.

To wrap up the calculation, here is an example. If you have an area of 6 feet (width) by 6 feet (length), multiply both and you get 36 square feet. Multiply 36 square feet by the desired thickness, 2 inches, for example. And you get 72. Then multiply that by.0031. The final result is the cubic yards or the volume of compost needed.

Just a reminder, you do not have to be too detailed on the width or length. Just simply round off the figures, especially when you measure odd shaped lots. You can never go wrong with using compost, but then again, knowing how much to put will save you time, money and effort.

Randy Robertson is a composting expert and writes unbiased reviews on compost container and compost tumbler products.