19 original guides
Landscaping guides
These pages are the long answers behind the calculators: how deep to go, what to buy, and how a yard of soil actually covers. Every worked example uses the same formulas as the live tools. Depth, density, pallet size, and price bands name the NIST, USDA, land-grant, and cost-guide publications on each page and on the sources list.
Topsoil how-to
- How to Calculate Topsoil for a Raised Garden BedWorked examples for 4×8, 4×12, and L-shaped beds, plus how deep the soil should be for vegetables versus flowers.
- How Much Topsoil Do You Need for a New Lawn?Depth rules for sod and seed, a 500 and 1,000 square-foot walk-through, and when to grade before you order soil.
- How Many Inches of Topsoil Do You Need?A depth guide for top-dressing, new lawns, garden beds, and filling low spots, with the coverage each inch buys you.
- How Many Bags of Topsoil Do I Need?Convert cubic yards to 0.75 and 2 cubic-foot bags, and see when a bulk truck is cheaper than the garden-center pallet.
- How Many Cubic Yards in a Ton of Topsoil?Why a ton is not a yard, the 1.35 factor this calculator uses, and how wet loads throw the weight off.
- How Much Does a Yard of Topsoil Cover?Coverage at 1, 2, 4, and 8 inches, plus how to reverse the formula when a supplier tells you they have four yards left.
Sod how-to
- How to Measure a Lawn for SodSplit odd yards into rectangles, circles, and L shapes, then turn square footage into rolls and pallets without counting the same corner twice.
- How Much Sod Do You Need for a 5,000 Square-Foot Lawn?Pallets, rolls, truck space, and a cost band for a half-lot lawn, plus the same math at 2,000 and 8,000 square feet.
- Sod Rolls vs Pallets: What You Are Actually BuyingRoll sizes, pallet coverage, how farms stack, and when a small-roll order is the wrong way to buy a backyard.
- Sod vs Seed: Which One Fits the Yard?Cost, time, erosion, and season — a practical comparison, not a sales pitch for either product.
Sand how-to
- How Much Sand Do You Need for a Paver Base?Bedding-sand depth versus the gravel base beneath it, with worked examples for a 10×12 patio and a walkway.
- Play Sand vs Mason Sand vs Concrete SandWhat each sand is for, what it costs in typical bulk bands, and why the wrong bag shows up in the wrong hole.
- How Much Play Sand for a Sandbox?Box dimensions, a 6- to 8-inch play depth, bag counts, and why you should not fill a box with mason sand.
What to buy
- Screened Topsoil vs Fill DirtWhat each pile is for, what it should cost, and the lawn problems you get when a builder leaves the wrong one on the lot.
- Topsoil vs Garden Soil vs Potting MixWhich bag or bulk pile belongs in a lawn, a raised bed, and a container — and why potting mix is a bad way to fill a 4×8.
Cost notes
- How Much Does Topsoil Cost per Yard?National reference bands for fill, screened, premium, and bagged soil, plus how to compare a delivered ticket to the calculator.
- Topsoil Cost in TexasWhat Texas yards tend to sell, why blackland clay and caliche change the order, and how to use the calculator on a typical suburban lot.
- Topsoil Cost in CaliforniaWhy imported soil, drought rules, and long hauls show up on California tickets, with Bay Area, Central Valley, and SoCal notes.
- Topsoil Cost in FloridaSandy native ground, fill versus topsoil, and why a Florida “yard of soil” may not be what a Midwest lawn wants.