Compost Near Me

Buying compost locally

Decomposed organic matter used as a soil amendment to improve soil structure, fertility, and water retention. Quality compost is dark, crumbly, and earthy-smelling. It adds beneficial microorganisms and nutrients that support healthy plant growth and improve poor soils. Yards also call it Mushroom Compost or Garden Compost. GoodGravel lists 128 suppliers that stock compost across 43 states. 43 of them deliver and 30 are pits or quarries that sell straight from the stockpile.

Expect compost to run $15 to $40 per ton at the yard, or $20 to $50 per cubic yard. A 10 ton load is $150 to $400 before delivery. Sold by the cubic yard at landscape supply yards. Mix 2-4 inches of compost into the top 6-8 inches of existing soil for best results. Many municipalities offer free or low-cost compost from yard waste programs. Pits sit at the low end of that range and landscape yards at the high end, since the yard bought it from a pit and trucked it in.

Compost works well for soil amendment, garden beds, lawn top-dressing, and raised bed mix. Skip it for structural fill and drainage applications. The upside: dramatically improves soil structure and fertility and increases water retention in sandy soils. The catch: quality and composition vary widely between sources.

Fine, crumbly texture when fully decomposed. Dark brown to black color. Should smell earthy, not sour or ammonia-like. Screened compost has been filtered to remove large uncomposted pieces. Mushroom compost is a byproduct of mushroom farming and is particularly nutrient-rich. One cubic yard of compost weighs about 0.95 tons. A 3 inch layer over 500 square feet takes 4.6 cubic yards, which is close to 4.4 tons. Add 10 percent for settling and the odd low spot.

Press the location button at the top of the page and the list sorts by distance from you. Call the closest yard and ask for compost by name and by size. Ask if it is washed or still has fines in it, because that changes how it drains and how it packs. If the nearest yard is out, the next one is usually within 20 miles when you are near a city.

Under 2 tons, pickup with your own truck or a trailer is the cheaper route. A half ton pickup takes about a third of a yard per trip. Above 5 tons, delivery starts to pay for itself because the fee spreads over more stone. Either way, get the total price for your exact tonnage from two yards and compare those totals, not the price per ton.

Read more about the material on the compost guide.