Compost

[Bennewby]

Hi, does anyone know how i can work out how many litres of soil are in a ton? B&Q do a 125ltr bag and a ton dumpy bag but i have no way of working out what is cheaper... Any help will be much appreciated :-)

[David Hare-Scott]

The density of soil and compost varies considerably according to the composition (soil with much sand will be denser than organic compost), how compact it is and the water content (wet compost is denser than dry).

You don't make it clear that the two sources you are considering are the same material so that is another possible source of error in comparison. In general bulk supply is cheaper per unit than material in bags, often much cheaper.

I have not seen bags as large as 125 l. Can you lift it? If so put it on the bathroom scales.

As a *rough* guide a ton of soil will be about 600-700 litres.

What is a 'dumpy bag'?

David

[Brooklyn1]

Compost contains no soil. Compost is all organic, it will in short order decay... whatever small amount of mineral dust remains is so negligible one can say zero. Under ideal conditions (no erosion) the composting organic matter on a lush forest floor takes 100 years to produce one inch of topsoil.

[Bennewby]

Hi David, I'm thinking i will just stick to the 125ltr bag as i can lift it and its easier to move around but just for the record a dumpy bag is what you would get a ton of gravel etc delivered in.

I was so confused abouit it and like you say it depends on the density and moisture content etc. I have a lot of pots to fill and my sister has a raised bed so the idea was to share the cost and share the soil/compost (not sure what the difference is lol) I am VERY new to gardening.

This website is a great help though.

Thanks Ben

[David Hare-Scott]

If you can lift it easily either you have mighty thews and should be on the Olympic weightlifting team or it is a *very* light fluffy mix that may not be suitable on its own for potting and raised beds. Did you put it on the scales?

There isn't the faintest chance of one 125l bag filling "lots of pots" and a raised bed. Do your sums again and work out how many bags you will need and the cost, you may find the dumpy bag much better value.

This isn't a web site, you are getting this from Usenet.

David

[Billy]

Type of Soil Approximate Weight (lb/ft3) (kg/m3) Loose earth 75 1200

Rammed earth 100 1600

Its bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's health than the pediatrician.

- Meryl Streep

[Chris]

Heh. Figuring soft drinks at 2 kilos for a 2 liter bottle (conservative) the thought of lifting 62 of them at once (forget about the 1 liter left-over) scares me- even allowing for the difference in density. Mayhaps the OP found someplace to but 125 liters of Perlite?

Chris