If you’re like most homeowners and like to apply mulch to your garden once a year, it’s best to buy mulch in bulk. You’ll save more per cubic foot, and you’ll be able to complete the whole job in one go. But where can you buy mulch in bulk if you don’t want to buy multiple bags?
You can buy mulch in bulk at most Home Depot and Walmart/Lowes also offer bulk mulch. You’ll likely get cheaper mulch in bulk from your local nursery, landscaping service, or by contacting a mulch delivery service. Some municipalities offer local mulch for sale as well.
Let’s take a look at the average cost of buying mulch and the different places where you can find it in bulk. We’ll also review how to calculate the amount of mulch needed for your garden.
The cost of mulch depends on the type of mulch you’re using and how much you’re buying. Purchasing mulch in bulk is the cheapest way to go. Organic mulch is also generally cheaper than synthetic mulch, such as rubber or plastic.
The average cost of mulch is $15-$65 per yard if you install it yourself. If you buy mulch and have it installed by a landscaping company, you may pay anywhere between $25-$70 per yard. However, the cost varies greatly depending on the type of mulch you’re buying and whether you’re buying it for your whole yard or a small section.
Is It Better to Buy Mulch In Bulk?
As is the case with many items, it’s better to buy mulch in bulk, especially if you’re going to mulch a whole yard or garden. While you may be tempted to buy small bags of mulch and do parts of your garden at different times, this will cost more than buying it in bulk and applying it at once.
In one survey of gardeners, 48% of people said that buying mulch in bulk is better, while almost 33% of the participants said that it depended on the job.
However, you shouldn’t buy too much mulch since you might have trouble storing it, and applying extra thick layers of mulch may damage your plants.
Buying mulch in bulk does come with some potential downsides. Firstly, you’ll have to have a large vehicle to deliver the mulch or be prepared to pay for expensive delivery charges.
It’s also much harder to apply mulch in bulk since you’ll have to move it to different areas of your garden via wheelbarrow. This is less convenient than buying bags and spreading the mulch in different areas of the garden.
Where to Buy Mulch in Bulk
Bulk mulch is only available from certain places. The best place to buy bulk mulch is your local nursery, as they are often cheaper than large, established stores like Home Depot. Many of these nurseries also offer delivery options, making it easy to buy larger quantities.
Home Depot, Walmart, and other similar stores are also great options for buying mulch in bulk. Some of these stores have delivery options, but you’ll usually have to organize your own transportation.
You can also discuss with your landscaping company to organize mulch for your project. These companies often know where to get the best prices for bulk quantities.
For larger projects, you can search for a mulch delivery company online. Compare the prices of a few options before making a purchase. You’ll be surprised at how much you can save by buying mulch in bulk!
Calculating How Much Mulch You Need
Before you choose whether to buy individual bags or a truckload of mulch, you’ll first have to calculate how much mulch your garden needs. The average depth of mulch is between 2 and 4 inches, so let’s assume you apply 3 inches of mulch.
For an 80-square-foot area, you’ll need 0.74 cubic yards of mulch. This amounts to 10 bags of mulch if you buy mulch from the store. However, this value can vary according to the type of mulch you use.
If you’re using organic mulch, calculate the mulch based on how much you need to fill 2-4 inches and multiply it by the total area of your garden in inches. If you’re using synthetic mulch such as rubber mulch, you’ll need only half as much to cover the area 1.5 inches deep.
However, you’ll still pay more since synthetic mulch can be more than five times more expensive than organic mulch in some cases.
