How to Calculate Bark Mulch Coverage for Garden Beds
Bark mulch smothers garden weeds, holds in moisture and shades the soil during hot summers. Look for naturally insect-resistant varieties such as hemlock, Douglas fir, cypress, oak or redwood, depending on what's available in your area. You'll usually find it in bags holding 3 cubic feet or priced by the cubic yard in bulk. Cover garden beds 2 to 4 inches deep to conserve moisture and prevent weeds, recommends Stu Campbell in the book "Mulch It!" With a few calculations, you can determine how that translates to cubic feet or cubic yards. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Measure the length and width of a rectangular garden bed in feet, using a tape measure. Multiply the numbers together to calculate the square footage. If a garden bed is round, measure the diameter in feet, divide by two, multiply that number by itself, then multiply it by 3.1 (pi).
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Figure the square footage of each garden bed and add the totals, if you want to mulch more than one bed. Divide by 12. The result is the number of cubic feet you'll need to cover all the garden beds 1 inch deep.
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Multiply the result by the inches of mulch you want on the beds. This number is the total cubic feet you need.
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Divide the result by three to calculate how many 3-cubic-foot bags of bark mulch you'll need to purchase. To calculate the number of cubic yards, divide the total cubic feet by 27. If you find bark mulch sold by the bushel, divide the total cubic feet by 1.25 to calculate the number of bushels.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit pine bark mulch image by robert mobley from Fotolia.com
