Choosing the Right Amount of Mulch for Your Project

Mulch or chips are a great addition to any landscaping project. They can be used as a decoration for your plant bed and insulate the plants in your garden. Mulch also decreases weed growth, helps insulate soil temperatures to prevent moisture evaporation from the surface (especially in Florida’s summer heat), and improves nutrient density in soil.

All these benefits are maximized when you choose the right amount of mulch for your project. Make sure that you get the proper amount of mulch to keep your plant beds healthy.

Spread Your Mulch at the Proper Depth

Three inches is the standard depth for mulch. This is primarily referring to use in plant and flower beds.

This depth allows the mulch to retain moisture that works as insulation for plant roots. It keeps the moisture at your plants’ bases where they need it most. Think of it as a protective top layer.

You Can Have Too Much of a Good Thing

Avoid going overboard and spreading the mulch too thick. A layer of mulch thicker than three inches will actually be harmful to your plants for several reasons:

1. Thicker layers allow too much moisture to sit underneath the mulch – This creates the perfect environment for fungi to grow.
2. If you spread your mulch too thick it can kill your plants – If your mulch is too thick, your plants may not be able to get the water and nutrients they need to survive.

A layer of mulch at the proper thickness will protect your plants from weather extremes. In the summer it won’t dry out, keeping moisture available, and in the winter it will insulate against colder temperatures. (If you live in a climate where hard freezes are frequent or if you have plants that will be harmed by freezes, it is important to take other precautions against the cold, as well.)

How Big Is One Cubic Yard (Visually)?

Visualizing the area you will be covering is a good way to make sure you choose the right amount of mulch. At a depth of three inches, one cubic yard would cover an area of 80 square feet or an area that is 8×10 feet.

Another way to visualize it: Two cubic yards will fill the bed of a pickup truck.

Calculate How Much You Need

If you know the dimensions of your plant bed or area to be covered (even if it is a circular area), it is simple to calculate how much mulch to buy with our Mulch Calculator (located in the sidebar).

You’ll need height, width, and length for rectangular beds and diameter and depth for circular beds. Our calculator takes your dimensions in inches and converts them to cubic yards.

How Many Bags Are Equal to One Yard?

At Gaston, we sell mulch in bulk by the cubic yard. If you’ve only ever bought mulch in bags from the hardware store, the conversion of bags to one cubic yard is simple: one cubic yard of mulch is equal to 13.5 bags.

1 Cubic Yard = 13.5 Bags

When you’re ready to start your landscaping project, we can help you with all your mulch needs. We can either load up your truck or trailer or deliver it directly to your home or job site.

Choose the Right Mulch from Gaston 

Gaston Mulch and Soil offers a variety of mulches for every landscaping need. Our pine mulch comes in four colors so that you can find a perfect match for your yard’s aesthetic. We also offer hardwood mulch in natural and red tones, as well as a mulch made of a cypress blend.

Whether you are starting from scratch or refreshing your existing mulch beds, you can find what you need in our selection of premium mulches.