How to Buy Compost in Bulk

I am a new gardener, so to start small this year I decided to try container gardening using grow bags. But, as often happens, I ended up with my own version of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. Gung-ho to grow my veggies I did some online shopping and purchased 16 grow bags. Woohoo! I was ready to start planting! Then I realized that I would need to fill them all. After doing some math I found that I needed over 100 gallons of potting mix. Buying that much potting mix ready-made gets pricey fast, so to save money I decided to buy compost in bulk and make my own potting mix.

Since this was my first time, I had no idea how to buy compost in bulk. I had questions like: What does one cubic yard of compost look like? Where can I buy it? How much will it cost?

What Is Compost?

Before we get into buying compost, we should probably know what it is and why we want it.

Compost is organic matter (like food scraps, leaves, and animal products) that has started to decompose. It looks like dark, rich dirt and it is great for making and maintaining healthy soil. Compost introduces microorganisms and nutrients that feed your soil and help it to become better at controlling moisture. You can read more about compost here.

Since I am container gardening, using compost as a main component of potting mix creates a nutrient dense medium to feed my plants in their limited space.

What Does One Cubic Yard of Compost Look Like?

I am okay at visualizing things, but I had no idea what 1 cubic yard of compost looks like. From my school days I remembered that volume=length x width x height. So 1 cubic yard=3 ft. x 3 ft. x 3ft=27 cubic feet.

Cool. Math. But that doesn’t really help me.

Another source told me that 1 cubic yard fills about half of a standard pickup bed. Now I can picture that!

Why Should I Buy Compost in Bulk?

To save money

My biggest reason to buy compost in bulk was to save money. As I said, buying bags of compost can get expensive quickly. For comparison, one of the cheapest bagged compost options near me cost $3.99 for .75 cubic feet. 1 cubic yard of compost at this price costs $143.64. I paid $68 for one yard from my local nursery. I could buy 2 yards of bulk compost for less than one yard bagged!

To reduce plastic waste

Many of us are trying to reduce our plastic waste. To get 1 cubic yard of compost, I would have needed to buy 36 bags (.75 cubic feet). I don’t want to throw 36 plastic bags into a landfill if I have another option!

To increase efficiency

Buying, transporting, opening, and disposing of 36 individual plastic bags sounds very tedious to me. Yes, it is still work to transport and use bulk compost, but buying compost in bulk can increase the efficiency of your larger garden projects. Sometimes it is the best option.

How Do I Buy Compost in Bulk?

1. Determine how much you need (1/2, 1, 2+ cubic yards; some places let you fill 5 gallon buckets!)
2. Decide where to store it, if needed.
3. Figure out how you will get it to your site (have or borrow a pickup truck, delivery, etc.)
4. Find your source (local landscape nursery, municipal compost, or other).
5. Buy your compost in bulk and bring it home!

1. Determine how much compost you need.

How much compost you need to buy of course depends on how you will be using it. If you are top-dressing an established garden space, the rule-of-thumb is to add just 1-2 inches. More is not always better! If you are creating a no-dig garden bed, you may need enough compost to cover your area at a depth of 4-6 inches.

It is recommended to use 30-50% compost when filling your raised beds (30% for larger beds and up to 50% for smaller beds) mixed with topsoil and potting mix. Potting mixes are also comprised of 30-50% compost along with other ingredients like coconut coir or peat moss and perlite or vermiculite to manage water retention.

Suppliers of bulk compost vary on the minimum amount they sell. Some places allow you to go and fill your own 5 gallon buckets. Others sell a minimum of 1/2 cubic yard, while others sell 1 or more yards.

Since I have over 16 grow bags to fill, I decided to get one cubic yard of compost. I could have used more, but I am also trying to work within a modest budget, and compost is already my biggest expense this season.

2. Decide where to store your compost, if needed.

Knowing how much compost I was going to buy, next I had to determine where to store this massive load until I was ready to fill my grow bags. There is an area behind our shed where an older shed had been removed. That was a perfect location because it had easy access for unloading, and the space is still kind of bare from the shed, so the pile was not going to kill off too much grass.

3. Figure out how you will get your compost to your site.

Suppliers that sell compost in bulk, will often deliver to your site, but the delivery fee can be expensive. If you have a pickup truck or a trailer, you are set.

However, not all of us are so blessed, but I knew I could borrow one from my parents when the time came. Since it was a relatively small load, I did not want to pay the expensive delivery fee.

4. Find your source to buy compost in bulk.

Compost can be sourced from several places. Many people make their own compost using kitchen, lawn, and farm waste, but as a newbie I needed to purchase mine. Compost can also be purchased from local landscape nurseries or from some municipal waste removal services.

Unfortunately, as far as I could discern, my city does not have a composting service, so I started calling local landscape nurseries and a composting service in a nearby city. The prices for one cubic yard of compost in my area varied from $62- $80. The cheapest option was the service in the nearby city, but when I factored in travel costs and time, it was more worth it to buy from one of my local nurseries. I paid $68 for one cubic yard.

I heard a YouTuber in California say they were able to acquire compost for free from their municipal composting service. I almost wish I lived there… but then I wouldn’t be in Montana. Unthinkable!

5. Buy your compost in bulk and bring it home!

Now it’s time to bring your compost home and get your hands dirty. Happy gardening, Friends!

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