Pick the mulch you plan to buy and enter your bed size. You get yards, bags or pine straw bales, plus a depth check for that material.
How it works
Length × width × depth in inches ÷ 12 gives cubic feet. Divide by 27 for cubic yards, add 5% and round up to the quarter yard. Pine straw is counted in bales at about 40 sq ft each at 3 in.
Before you order
- Keep mulch pulled back from trunks and stems. Mulch piled against bark traps moisture and invites rot.
- On heavy clay, stay near 2 to 3 inches so the soil can still dry out between rains.
- Compare the cost of bags against one bulk delivery once you pass about 2 cubic yards.
Common questions
How deep should mulch be?
About 3 to 4 inches for wood chips and shredded bark on well-drained soil, and 2 to 3 inches on heavy soil. Loose materials like straw go 4 to 6 inches because they settle.
How much does a yard of mulch cover?
At 3 inches deep, one cubic yard covers about 108 square feet. At 2 inches it covers about 162.