How much vermiculite is needed for on SFG

Ruthie08 3/1/2015, 4:00 pm

Hi,

Is one 4 cubic feet bag of vermiculite enough for one SFG?

Thanks!

**jimmy cee** 3/1/2015, 4:45 pm

If I am calculating correctly a 4 cubic foot bag of vermiculite, along with 4 cubic foot of peat moss and 4 cubic foot of (5 or more compost materials) will give you a 6 foot X 6 foot X 6 inch SFG bed of Mel's Mix.
That's based on a 1/3rd mix of each component.

A 4 X 4 X 6inch bed is a total of 8 cubic feet

Judy McConnell 3/1/2015, 4:47 pm

Hi Ruthie08 and welcome to SFG. Let's see what I can do.

1. how big is your bed?
- let's say if it is 4' x 8' x 6"= 4x8=32 and 6" is 1/2 (or 0.5 ft), so
0.5 x 32 = 16 cu ft. of material is needed.
2. Mels Mix is 1/3 compost, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 peat

so you would need 5+ cu ft of vermiculite for this example

Just getting started, I would guess that you could get by with the 4 cu ft bag but that would be cutting things short.

Ruthie08 3/1/2015, 5:34 pm

Thanks, I'm just starting and want to build a small 4x4 SFG that is 6 inches deep. Any suggestions on where to buy vermiculite that is not to expensive?

Thanks!

**AtlantaMarie** 3/1/2015, 6:50 pm

Hi Ruthie08! Welcome from Atlanta, GA!

I know down here, it runs about $30 for 4 cubic feet...

Ruthie08 3/1/2015, 6:51 pm

Thanks! I believe I found a store around here they may have it for around that price.

yolos 3/1/2015, 7:25 pm

Best to use a coarse grade of vermiculite if you can get it.

**Kelejan** 3/3/2015, 10:23 pm

jimmy cee wrote:If I am calculating correctly a 4 cubic foot bag of vermiculite, along with 4 cubic foot of peat moss and 4 cubic foot of (5 or more compost materials) will give you a 6 foot X 6 foot X 6 inch SFG bed of Mel's Mix.
That's based on a 1/3rd mix of each component.

A 4 X 4 X 6inch bed is a total of 8 cubic feet

jimmy, don't forget that a 4 cubic foot of peat moss will E X P A N D. So one does not need four cubit feet of peat as you will be mixing using volume.

**sanderson** 3/4/2015, 2:38 am

Ruthie, a simple answer to your original question is Yes.

4 cu ft. of vermiculite is more than enough to make Mel's Mix for a 4' x 4' square 6" deep. 2 cu. ft of compressed peat moss is also more than enough for the same box once it is fluffed up. And 4 cu. ft. of mixed composts is more than enough for the same box plus you will have some extra for top dressing through the growing season.

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