How to Measure Topsoil
Topsoil is applied on top of the ground before planting seeds to make sure they have the nutrients in the soil needed to grow. The amount of topsoil that you need depends on what you are growing and the area of ground you are going to cover. Topsoil is usually measured in cubic yards, but can also be measured in tons. A ton of topsoil is equivalent to one cubic yard. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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1
Determine how deep the topsoil needs to be for the plants you are growing. For example, sod should be placed on 3 to 5 inches of soil, but new grass needs 4 to 6 inches. If you are growing vegetables, you need between 8 and 12 inches.
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2
Convert the depth from inches to yards by diving by 36. For example, 8 inches would be equal to 2/9 of a yard.
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3
Measure the dimensions of the area that you are planning to cover with topsoil in yards. Measure the length and width for rectangles or the diameter for circles.
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4
Calculate the surface area you are covering. For rectangles, multiply the length times the width. For circles, halve the diameter, square the result and multiply by pi (3.14). For example, a circle with a diameter of 8 yards would have a surface area of about 50.24 square yards.
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5
Multiply the depth from Step 2 by the surface area in Step 4 to determine how much topsoil you need. For example, 50.24 square yards times 2/9 of a yard would give you a volume of about 11.2 cubic yards.
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