Provided by the Bucks County Department of Consumer Protection:
Q. I am getting ready to freshen up my flower beds for the season and would like to know how to figure out how much mulch I need to order. This is new to me because I usually used bagged mulch, but am considering delivery this year. I want to make sure I am getting the amount I pay for and don’t end up with too much, or not enough mulch. D.Y., Fairless Hills
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A. If you are going to have the mulch delivered to your home you should inspect the load before it is dumped. Make sure it is free from trash and other debris. Mulch is sold by volume and should be sold in terms of a cubic yard which is 27 cubic feet. You can measure the load in cubic feet before it is dumped or unloaded by simply multiplying the length, width and height of the load. Keep in mind the load will have settled some while in transit. Use decimals for inches. For example 3 ½ feet would be 3.50. Then divide the number by 27 to get the number of cubic yards. The rule for determining how much mulch you will need is that one cubic yard will cover 162 square feet at a thickness of two inches. So you need to figure out the square footage of the area you want covered. Basically measure each bed by its length and width, and then multiply the number to get square feet. After accounting for each bed, add up the square footage. That will give you an accurate idea of how much mulch you will need. Please remember, if the mulch appears to be of sub-standard quality, you may refuse the delivery. In addition, be sure to obtain a receipt with the name and address of the business on it. The receipt should also state the amount of mulch that was delivered.
For additional tips and brochures on many consumers related issues please visit us at http://www.buckscounty.org/government/CommunityServices/ConsumerProtection/ConsumerTips
