Gardening & outdoor

Garden and yard math without plant prices or landscaper quotes: mulch and gravel volume, raised bed soil fill, plants per bed from spacing, seed from area × packet rate, and rainwater barrel yield from roof catchment. Cross-link construction tools for shared area math. Estimates only — follow seed packets and local harvesting rules.

Volume is the number to get right, because soil and mulch are sold by the cubic yard or cubic metre while beds are described in length, width, and depth. Mulch is typically laid two to three inches deep — deeper looks tidy but can hold moisture against stems — and it settles and breaks down, so most beds need topping up annually. Filling a raised bed entirely with bagged potting mix is expensive, and a blend of topsoil and compost is the usual approach. Plant spacing figures refer to mature size rather than the size of the plant in your hand, which is why a newly planted bed should look sparse. Rainwater yield scales with roof footprint rather than roof surface area, and collection is regulated in some jurisdictions, so check local rules before installing a large system.