Grow more food by getting the numbers right
How much soil a bed really takes, how much light tomatoes need indoors, which heat mat fits your tray. We do the math from published specs and university extension sources, so you can buy the right size the first time.
Try the free calculators How we researchStart with your project
Raised Beds
Height, width, materials, soil volume and awkward sites such as slopes and balconies.
Grow Lights
Size a light by PPFD and DLI, not by the wattage printed on the box.
Seed Starting
When to sow, how much heat to give, and how to fit it all in your home.
Watering & Season
Drip systems, timers, cold frames and row covers for raised beds.
Free calculators
Enter your own dimensions and get a usable number. Every formula is shown on the page.
Raised bed soil calculator
Cubic feet, cubic yards, bag count and wet weight for any bed.
Grow light cost calculator
Monthly and seasonal power cost from actual watts and your rate.
DLI calculator
Convert PPFD and hours into DLI, or find the PPFD you need.
Seed starting calendar
Sowing dates for common crops from your last frost date.
Drip line calculator
Tubing length, emitter count, flow rate and time per inch of water.
Popular guides
Grow light for a 3×3 tent of tomatoes
The target PPFD, actual watts and running cost for indoor tomatoes.
Elevated planter weight on a balcony
Work out the wet weight of a planter and what to ask your building.
Galvanized vs cedar raised beds
Lifespan, heat, safety and assembly compared, with the honest limits of the data.
Raised bed height for bad knees
Which height suits standing, sitting or a wheelchair, and what each one costs in soil.
Heat mat size for a 72-cell tray
A fit chart by tray count, and why a thermostat matters.
Drip irrigation for four 4×8 beds
A worked layout with tubing length, flow and run times.
No fake testing
We say plainly when a guide is research rather than hands-on experience.
Sources you can check
Each guide lists the extension publications and specs behind its advice.
Fit before features
We start from your space, crop and budget of effort, then narrow down what to buy.