How Much Compost Do I Need?

GMC Complete Compost should be added to your soil at a ratio of 1 part compost to a minimum of 2 parts native soil.

  • For lawns: Lawns can look great without chemicals. Aerate your lawns, then apply 1/4 – 1/2 inch of compost and gently rake into existing soil. Reseed and water as usual.
  • For vegetable or flower gardens: Apply 1 – 3 inches of compost and rototill or mix into existing soil.
  • For fall garden cover crop: Spread 1 – 3 inches of compost and seed cover crop in the fall to protect exposed soil. Incorporate the cover crop into the soil and proceed with gardening as usual.

Compost Calculator

To determine the cubic yardage of compost you need for your own garden simply enter the square footage of the site & your desired depth in inches then click “How Much Do I Need?”

Compost Coverage Formula

To determine the number of cubic yards:

square feet x inches of compost x 0.0031 = # of cubic yards needed

To determine the number of bags:

square feet x inches of compost x 0.124 = # of bags needed

Compost Coverage Chart

Depth Bags/100 sq. ft. Yards/1000 sq. ft. Yards/Acre
1/8″ 1.75 0.38 16
1/4″ 3.50 0.75 33
1/2″ 7.00 1.50 65
1″ 14.00 3.10 133
2″ 28.00 6.20 270
3″ 42.00 9.30 405
4″ 56.00 12.40 538
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