How Much?

The weather last weekend here in Acton was (mostly) great. Sunny and 18 on Saturday and Sunday the rain held off til later in the afternoon. And thanks to the avid gardeners and DIYers of the area, here at Reds, we were pretty busy. Besides 'How much does it cost?', the most popular question from customers at Reds seemed to be 'How much is it?', or basically, 'What am I paying for?'. Great questions from conscientious consumers. Apparently, weights and measures in the garden/landscape business are a little wackier than other industries, bouncing between metric, imperial and other industry-made terms.

Consider the area of soil and amendments:  

On Saturday we sold several cubic yards of mulch, a few 25 litre bags of topsoil, some 18kg bags of stone and manure and a couple 3.8 cubic foot bales of potting mix.

For some of you this makes perfect sense- hats off to you. For the 'I-don't-quite-get-it' crowd, this quick little guide's for you.

1- Cubic yard (yard): Bulk product, such as triple mix or mulch, is sold by the cubic yard. By definition, a yard measures 27 cubic feet (picture a box 3' x 3' x 3'). A cubic yard is also about 10 wheelbarrow loads or around 45 minutes work for 2 people.

2- Litre: Topsoil, black earth, triple mix and potting soil are typically sold in 20-30 litre bags. By definition, a litre is 1000 cubic centimetres. A 25 litre bag is around the same size as a normal bag of cat food. For comparison, 30 25-litre bags = 1 cubic yard.

3- Kilogram: Compost and aggregate product are sold by weight (kg). This is because the materials have the tendency to 'settle' and therefore condense in volume. The biggest bag you'll typically see at the retail level is 18kg (~40lbs). When you're buying by weight, the bags/yard ratio will change depending on the product. Basically if it's a little job, get bags. For big jobs, borrow your neighbour's truck and go for a whole yard.

This list is by no means exhaustive. We'll clarify other weights and measures in further posts. Until then, happy planting!