Gardening Guides

Beginner Gardening Tips

Start Small

New gardeners often make the mistake of planning huge gardens. Start with a 2m × 2m bed. Master that before expanding. Small gardens are easier to maintain and give you faster results.

Know Your Soil

Before ordering any material, test your existing soil. Heavy clay needs sand and compost. Sandy soil needs organic matter. Good loam just needs compost for nutrients.

Calculate Before You Buy

Always use our weight calculator before ordering. Many gardeners order 2x what they need, wasting money and creating disposal problems.

Layer Your Materials

For raised beds: bottom 15cm cardboard for weed suppression, middle 30cm topsoil/compost mix, top 5cm mulch. This saves money and improves soil health.

Advanced Garden Planning

Calculate Material Ratios

For a healthy raised bed mix: 60% topsoil + 30% compost + 10% perlite or sand. Use our calculator to determine exact weights for each component.

Plan for Settling

All soil mixes settle 10-20% in the first month. Overfill your beds initially, then top up after settling. Our calculator already suggests 10% extra for this.

Seasonal Considerations

Order mulch in spring (applies moisture retention for summer) and fall (insulates roots for winter). Order soil when you are ready to plant — do not store it for months as it loses nutrients.

Material Selection Guide

Choosing the Right Mulch

• Wood chips: Best for trees and shrubs. Lasts 2-3 years.
• Bark mulch: Premium appearance, good for front yards.
• Straw: Best for vegetable gardens and strawberry beds.
• Rubber mulch: Playgrounds only — does not decompose.
• Pine needles: Acidic plants like blueberries and azaleas.

Choosing the Right Soil

• Topsoil: Filling low spots, building raised beds
• Garden soil: Pre-mixed for planting, more expensive
• Potting mix: Containers only, too expensive for gardens
• Compost: Soil amendment, mix with topsoil

Common Project Calculations

Use our calculator for exact numbers, but here are typical amounts:

Standard Raised Bed (1.2m × 2.4m × 0.3m)

• Topsoil: about 900 kg
• Compost topping: about 100 kg
• Wood mulch (top layer): about 50 kg

10 Square Meter Garden Bed

• Soil preparation (0.2m deep): about 3,200 kg topsoil
• Compost amendment (5cm mixed in): about 375 kg
• Mulch topping (7cm): about 280 kg wood mulch

Pathway (10m × 1m × 0.1m)

• Gravel base: about 1,600 kg coarse gravel
• Decorative top: about 400 kg pea gravel