How much mulch for a 3 x 30 bed?
Short answer
- A 3 x 30 ft bed is 90 square feet. At 3 inches deep it needs 0.83 cubic yards (22.5 cubic feet) of mulch.
- With 5% extra: 12 bags of 2 cu ft or 8 bags of 3 cu ft (0.88 cubic yards).
- It's typically a long border along a fence or walk.
- If you edge all four sides, that's 66 feet of edging.
Mulch for a 3 x 30 bed at 2, 3, 4 inches
Cubic yards are shown without extra so you can compare quotes. The other columns include 5% extra.
Open this bed in the mulch calculator to change the size, depth, extra or material.
How the math works
3 ft × 30 ft = 90 sq ft. At 3 inches deep that's 90 × 3 ÷ 12 = 22.5 cubic feet, and ÷ 27 = 0.83 cubic yards. Adding 5% gives 23.6 cubic feet to buy.
How deep should it be?
Penn State Extension recommends a 2 to 4 inch layer of mulch. Use the low end for fine shredded mulch or to top up an old layer, and keep mulch a few inches away from tree trunks and stems.
Other sizes
- 4 x 8 bed32 sq ft, typically a small raised bed or a foundation strip.
- 5 x 10 bed50 sq ft, typically a front-of-house planting bed.
- 10 x 10 bed100 sq ft, typically a corner bed or an island bed.
- 10 x 20 bed200 sq ft, typically a large planting bed.
- 20 x 20 bed400 sq ft, typically a play area or a large island bed.