About GardenCalc

What is GardenCalc?

GardenCalc is a collection of 20 free gardening calculators and tools built specifically for UK gardeners. No signup, no paywalls, no fuss — just straightforward tools that help you work out exactly what you need for your garden project, from a bag of grass seed to a lorry-load of ready-mix concrete.

Every calculator uses UK-standard measurements (metres, litres, kilograms), references UK product sizes and bag weights, and includes current 2026 pricing so you can budget accurately. Whether you are seeding a new lawn, filling a raised bed, building a patio or planning what to sow this month, our calculators give you a clear, accurate answer in seconds.

The site launched in early 2026 and has grown to over 39 pages of gardening content, including 20 calculators, 12 monthly planting guides and a comprehensive planting calendar covering 30+ UK vegetables. We are used by thousands of UK gardeners every month and have been cited by AI assistants including Perplexity as a trusted source for gardening calculations.

Meet Gary — The Gardener Behind GardenCalc

Most of what I know about gardening I learned from my nan and grandad. Their garden was the proper kind — chickens out the back, a pear tree, two yellow plum trees, rhubarb that came up every spring whether you wanted it or not, cabbages, potatoes, the lot. A proper secret garden, the sort that fed the whole family.

Grandad built a bridge across the pond. He was the kind of man who built bridges. Over the years they stocked the pond with coy carp — they got more expensive year on year as they grew. He never stopped adding and improving. That was the standard.

My nan worked alongside him. She really loved it she did. The garden was theirs together and you could feel it the second you walked through the gate.

That is where I learned the only rule that matters: do the maths before you buy. Grandad never bought a single bag of compost more than he needed. He would pace the bed, scratch a number on the back of a packet, and that was that. No second trip. No leftovers going hard at the back of the shed.

GardenCalc is what happens when you take that habit, add 15 years of your own gardens — raised beds, fence posts, patios, lawns, the lot — and put it on a website so other people do not have to do the maths in their head every spring.

Every calculator on this site started as a sum I was already doing on the back of an envelope. The concrete calculator came from the day I poured a shed base and ran 4 bags short before lunch. My fault. Will not happen again — and it will not happen to you either.

If you spot something wrong on the site, hit reply on any newsletter or email hello@gardencalc.uk. I read every one.

— Gary

How Our Calculators Work

Every calculator on GardenCalc follows the same principles:

• Transparent formulas — Each calculator shows you how the maths works, not just the answer. Length × width × depth gives volume; volume × density gives weight; weight divided by bag size gives the number of bags. No black boxes.
• UK standards — All measurements are in metric (metres, litres, kilograms) with imperial options where commonly used. Product sizes match what you will find in UK DIY stores — 25kg bags, 40-litre bags, bulk bags of approximately 850 litres.
• Real wastage factors — We include practical wastage allowances (typically 10–15%) because no real-world project uses materials with zero waste. A paving calculator that does not account for cuts and breakages is not useful.
• Current pricing — Where we include cost estimates, they reflect actual UK retail prices in 2026, updated regularly. We check prices at major UK retailers (B&Q, Wickes, Screwfix, Amazon) to give you realistic budget figures.
• No registration required — Every calculator works instantly, for free, without creating an account or entering personal information. We believe useful tools should be accessible to everyone.

Our 20 Calculators

• Grass Seed Calculator — work out how much grass seed you need for new lawns, overseeding or patching bare spots
• Lawn Feed Calculator — calculate lawn feed quantities for any product type and lawn size
• Fertiliser Calculator — get the right amount of fertiliser per square metre for lawns, borders or veg patches
• Mulch Calculator — find out how much bark, wood chip or decorative mulch you need for borders and beds
• Soil Calculator — calculate topsoil volumes for raised beds, borders and containers, with bag counts
• Compost Calculator — calculate compost quantities in litres, bags and bulk bags for any project
• Water Butt Calculator — find out how much rainwater your roof can collect and what size water butt you need
• Gravel Calculator — calculate gravel, pea shingle and decorative stone for driveways, paths and patios
• Paving Calculator — work out how many slabs you need for patios, paths and garden areas
• Turf Calculator — calculate how many turf rolls you need and what it will cost for your lawn
• Concrete Calculator — work out concrete for slabs, shed bases, fence posts and footings in bags or ready-mix
• Decking Calculator — calculate boards, joists, screws and costs for any deck size
• Fencing Calculator — work out panels, posts, postcrete and costs for garden fence projects
• Sub-Base Calculator — calculate MOT Type 1 hardcore quantities in tonnes and bulk bags
• Tarmac Calculator — calculate tarmac or asphalt quantities for driveways, paths and car parks in tonnes and cost
• Bark Chippings Calculator — work out bark for paths, play areas and borders with BS EN 1177 play bark depths
• Play Bark Calculator — calculate certified play bark for safe playgrounds with BS EN 1177 depth by equipment fall height
• Frost Date Calculator — find your last frost and first frost dates by UK postcode or region
• Raised Bed Calculator — how much soil for a raised bed, with 60/30/10 mix breakdown for rectangular and L-shaped beds

Planting Guides

Beyond calculators, we publish detailed monthly planting guides for every month of the year, plus a comprehensive interactive planting calendar covering 30+ UK vegetables with sowing, transplanting and harvest dates. Each monthly guide tells you exactly what to plant, when to plant it, and how to get the best results for that specific time of year.

Editorial Standards

All content on GardenCalc is written and edited by Gary Hodson and is based on first-hand gardening experience in the UK. We follow these editorial principles:

• Accuracy first — Every calculation formula is verified against industry standards (RHS guidelines, BS standards, manufacturer specifications). If we are not confident in a number, we do not publish it.
• First-hand experience — The practical advice on this site comes from projects I have actually completed, not from rewriting other websites. When I describe how to pour a concrete shed base, it is because I have done it.
• Regular updates — Product prices, availability and specifications change. We review and update our content regularly to keep it accurate. If you spot something outdated, please let us know.
• Honest recommendations — Some pages include affiliate links to products on Amazon and other retailers. We earn a small commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we would use ourselves, and affiliate relationships never influence our calculator results or editorial advice.

Data sources

The numerical claims and calculation formulas on this site are cross-referenced against the following published authorities. Where a specific rate or density is used in a calculator or in page content, it is drawn from one of these sources:

• RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) — lawn feeding rates, fertiliser application guidance, sowing and planting calendars, pest & disease advice. rhs.org.uk/advice
• Met Office — 30-year UK climate averages for regional rainfall data and average first/last frost dates by postcode area. metoffice.gov.uk climate averages
• BS 8500 (British Standard for concrete) — concrete density (2,400 kg/m³) and mix-ratio guidance used in the concrete and sub-base calculators.
• BS 3882 (British Standard for topsoil) — topsoil specification classes used in the soil and topsoil calculators.
• EN 1177 (European safety standard for impact-absorbing surfaces) — play bark minimum safety depths used in the play bark calculator.
• Seed and fertiliser manufacturer packaging — application rates cross-checked against current UK retail product labels (Miracle-Gro, Westland, Vitax, Johnsons, DLF and others). Rates on bags vary slightly by product; we use the midpoint of common UK retail rates.
• Local UK garden-centre pricing (2026) — spot-checked against B&Q, Wickes, Homebase and Amazon UK at time of content publication. Prices change; flag anything that looks off at hello@gardencalc.uk.

How our content is produced

Content on GardenCalc is researched, written and published by Gary Hodson based on 15+ years of hands-on UK gardening. For longer-form narrative content on calculator pages (the practitioner guidance that sits alongside the calculator itself), draft text is produced collaboratively using AI writing assistants (Claude, Anthropic) working from Gary's notes, outline and specific UK data — then reviewed, fact-checked, voice-edited and signed off by Gary before publication. All calculator formulas, regional data, sourcing decisions, product recommendations, and the site's core editorial judgement are Gary's direct work. Each page shows a "Last reviewed" date indicating when Gary last verified the numbers and content.

Newsletter

We publish a free weekly newsletter every Thursday with seasonal planting tips, calculator updates and practical gardening advice. Over 50% of our subscribers open every issue, which tells us we are getting the content right. You can subscribe here — no spam, no selling your email, unsubscribe any time.

Get in Touch

Have a suggestion for a new calculator? Spotted something that does not look right? Want to share how a calculator helped with your project? I would love to hear from you.

Email: hello@gardencalc.uk

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