1. Measure the area to be covered:
Compost and topsoil are sold by the “cubic yard (cu yd)” - think of it as a box or “cube” 3 ft wide by 3 ft tall by 3 ft deep. Or viewed another way, one cu yd of compost is equivalent to about 4 large or 5 medium-sized wheelbarrows. If thin layers of this cube were sliced off (e.g. 1 inch thick by 3 ft long x 3 ft wide) and laid out next to each other, there would be a specific number of slices that would cover a specific sized area (square footage) based on the thickness of the slices (e.g. 1 inch, 2 inch, 3 inches, etc.). Therefore, to determine how much compost or topsoil you need, you first need to determine the size of the area you want to cover by multiplying the length of the area (in feet) by its width (e.g. 27 ft x 12 ft = 324 sq ft).
2. Decide the thickness of the compost layer you want to apply:Compost is used in two ways, either as a “nutritive mulch” (ie. a layer left on the soil surface), or mixed into the soil, either by hand or with a roto-tiller.
When being mixed into the soil:
As explained below, care should be taken not to over-apply Farm-Crafted Compost. Our suggested application rates are as follows:
-Mixing in one inch to maintain soils that already have a relatively good supply of nutrients and organic matter.
-Mixing in two to four inches to improve soils that are significantly depleted.
-In general, we recommend achieving a MINIMUM 80% dilution rate - meaning that 1 inch of compost should be mixed into
a MINIMUM of 4 inches of soil, 2 inches of compost should be mixed into a MINIMUM of 8 inches of soil, and 3 inches of compost should be mixed into a MINIMUM of 15 inches of soil.
-As shown on our Compost Application Guide (below), at a depth of one inch, one cubic yard of compost or topsoil will cover 324 sq ft, 162 sq ft if spread two inches deep, and 120 sq ft if spread three inches deep.
When being used a “nutritive mulch”:Because compost encourages plant growth, it should NOT be used to try to suppress weed growth. Instead, bark mulch or wood chips are better suited for that purpose. However, when Farm-Crafted Compost is being used as a nutritive mulch (ie. around the base of individual plants, or covering the entire surface in DENSELY planted gardens), we also do NOT recommend applying it at more than 2 to 3 inches thick for the reasons described below:
-Water infiltration: Compost is comprised of 100% decomposed organic matter, either from animal manure (usually with saw dust, wood shavings, or straw “bedding”), food scraps, and/or yard debris containing leaves, grass, chopped brush/trees, etc. In nature, “topsoil” is a mixture of a small percentage of organic matter with a much larger percentage of weathered rock in the form of sand, silt or clay. The organic matter in soil is referred to as “loam”, which is where the terms “sandy loam”, “silty loam” or “clay loam” comes from. One problem of using 100% compost as a planting media is that when the compost dries out, it often becomes hydrophobic, which means that it resists “wetting”, which results in the water from rainfall and/or manual watering running-off, rather than infiltrating down to the plant roots where it’s needed. Conversely, when compost is mixed with weathered rock in the form of sand, silt or clay, those weathered rock particles help ensure that water infiltrates into the underlying soil layers.
-Excessive Salt: Most vegetables and flowers are salt-intolerant, and since our Farm-Crafted Compost is made exclusively from animal manure, it therefore contains higher salt concentrations than compost made from plant residue and food residuals.
-Excessive Phosphorus: While phosphorus (P) is an essential plant nutrient, excessive P concentrations in the soil can negatively impact the uptake/availability of other key plant nutrients. Additionally, when there’s the potential for run-off, excessive P levels in the soil can also cause disruptions of the ecology of nearby rivers, ponds and lakes. Similarly, our Farm-Crafted Compost will also contain more P than compost made from plant residue and food residuals.
-Persistent Broadleaf Herbicides: Unfortunately, “broadleaf” herbicides are widely used in agriculture and horticulture, and some of these herbicides are “persistent”. In other words, these herbicides are intentionally manufactured to resist degradation, even in compost piles. And while the “low-input” or “slow” compost method that we use promotes the growth of microbes that can consume and neutralize these herbicides, whenever ANY compost is used in excessive amounts and/or not adequately mixed into the soil, there’s increased potential for these herbicides to harm broadleaf plants such as vegetables, flowers, and trees.
Use this quantity calculator to determine how much Compost or Topsoil you need.
-Excessive Salt: Most vegetables and flowers are salt-intolerant, and since our Farm-Crafted Compost is made exclusively from animal manure, it therefore contains higher salt concentrations than compost made from plant residue and food residuals.
-Excessive Phosphorus: While phosphorus (P) is an essential plant nutrient, excessive P concentrations in the soil can negatively impact the uptake/availability of other key plant nutrients. Additionally, when there’s the potential for run-off, excessive P levels in the soil can also cause disruptions of the ecology of nearby rivers, ponds and lakes. Similarly, our Farm-Crafted Compost will also contain more P than compost made from plant residue and food residuals.
-Persistent Broadleaf Herbicides: Unfortunately, “broadleaf” herbicides are widely used in agriculture and horticulture, and some of these herbicides are “persistent”. In other words, these herbicides are intentionally manufactured to resist degradation, even in compost piles. And while the “low-input” or “slow” compost method that we use promotes the growth of microbes that can consume and neutralize these herbicides, whenever ANY compost is used in excessive amounts and/or not adequately mixed into the soil, there’s increased potential for these herbicides to harm broadleaf plants such as vegetables, flowers, and trees.
Use this quantity calculator to determine how much Compost or Topsoil you need.
