How much compost do you need?
Measure the beds or lawn you are feeding. You get cubic yards, tons and truck loads of compost.
You need about
0 cubic yards
0tons
Add your truck size to see loads
for this job
How this was worked out
Assumes compost at 0.6 tons per cubic yard. Soil weighs more or less with its mix and the water in it, so ask your supplier for their number.
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About compost
Compost is yard waste, leaves or manure that has been piled, turned and left to rot until it is dark and crumbly. It is light, so a cubic yard of it weighs far less than the same yard of topsoil. Mix it into a bed or rake a thin layer over a lawn rather than planting straight into it.
More about compost
Finished compost smells like a forest floor, and you cannot pick out what it was made from. If it smells sour or like ammonia, or feels warm when you dig in, it is not done and can burn young roots. Screened compost has the sticks taken out and spreads more evenly.
On a lawn, topdress 1/4 to 1/2 inch after aerating and rake it into the holes. In a bed, work 2 to 3 inches into the top 6 to 8 inches of soil. For a new raised bed, compost is usually one part of the mix with topsoil, not the whole fill.
Compost settles 20 to 30 percent as it breaks down and the air goes out of it, so a bed filled level with straight compost sinks well below the rim within a season. It also soaks up water like a sponge. A wet load weighs a lot more than a dry one, which is one more reason to order compost by the yard and not the ton.