Mind the Mulch
Guides for people ordering by the yard
How much to order, what things cost, which material suits the job, and when to put it down. Written for bulk buyers rather than bag buyers.
- How Much Compost to Amend a Flood Prone Yard, With the Depth MathOne cubic yard of compost covers 324 square feet at 1 inch deep, or about 0.0833 cubic feet per square foot per inch. Here is how...September 25, 2026
- Will Compost Wash Away on a Slope Before It Does Anything?Compost can wash off a hillside, but it usually does not if you get three things right. Here is how to match blanket depth to your...September 25, 2026
- Is Compost Sold by the Ton or the Yard, and Why It MattersCompost gets quoted by the cubic yard at most homeowner yards and by the ton at scale based operations. Here is why a ton is a...September 25, 2026
- Albany Clay and Spring Snowmelt: How Deep to Work in CompostAlbany clay holds spring snowmelt for days, and the usual fix of digging a deep compost pocket makes it worse. Here is the working depth, the...September 25, 2026
- Three Amendments for a Bed That Stays Wet, and How to Pick OneLeaf mold is famous for soaking up water, which sounds wrong for a bed that already stays soggy. Here is how compost, leaf mold, and aged...September 25, 2026
- Raising a Low Backyard: How Much Compost Is Too Much?Compost keeps decomposing, so a deep layer used to lift a low yard shrinks back into a dip within a season or two. Here are the...September 25, 2026
- Raising a Raised Bed Cheaply: Fill Dirt Base Under Garden BlendA mineral fill dirt base under a real growing mix is the cheapest way to fill a tall raised bed, as long as the cap on...September 24, 2026
- How Much Fill Dirt to Bring a Buckeye Lot Up to GradeWork out how much fill dirt it takes to bring a low Buckeye yard up to grade, from measuring average depth with a string line to...September 24, 2026
- Filling In an Old Pond or Stock Tank With Fill DirtOld farm ponds and stock tanks swallow far more fill dirt than the first estimate suggests. Here is how to clear the muck, run the volume...September 24, 2026
- Fill Dirt vs. Crushed Gravel Under a Pole Barn PadCompacted fill dirt builds the elevation and crushed stone makes the surface you drive on. Here is how deep each layer runs, why lift thickness decides...September 24, 2026
- Planting Trees on Fill: Why Young Trees Stall in Backfilled GroundYoung trees on graded lots often leaf out fine, grow a little, then hold flat. The cause is usually subsoil fill, not fertilizer. Here are the...September 24, 2026
- Fill Dirt or Sand for Backfilling Around a Rural Septic TankSand or pea gravel goes under the tank and against the sides to the midseam. Clean fill dirt goes above that, in compacted lifts. Here is...September 23, 2026
- Regrading Around a Rural Well Head Without Burying ItRegrading around a well casing is a constrained job. Your exposed casing height sets the limit, not the size of the puddle. Here is how to...September 23, 2026
- Fill Dirt vs. Screened Topsoil for Backfilling a Retaining WallFill dirt goes behind the wall, topsoil only caps the top. Here is the full backfill cross section from wall face outward, plus plain arithmetic for...September 23, 2026
- Why Crushed Limestone Costs Less Per Ton Than River RockCrushed limestone costs less per ton than river rock because of quarry distance, simpler processing, and freight weight, not quality. Here is the mechanism behind the...September 23, 2026
- Bloomington Black Dirt vs. Bagged Garden Blend: Which to BuyBagged garden blend is mostly bark and peat with little real soil, while bulk black dirt brings the mineral fraction that keeps a bed from shrinking....September 23, 2026
- Where Homeowners Overspend on a Bulk Delivery OrderThe delivery line on a bulk mulch or soil quote is not a markup on your material. It is a truck making a round trip. Here...September 23, 2026
- Pebbles vs. Decomposed Granite for a Low Cost Side Yard PathDecomposed granite is the better default for a narrow side yard path, but pebbles win if the strip stays wet. Here is how each one feels...September 23, 2026
- Is Peat Moss Worth Buying When Compost Costs Less?Peat moss costs several times what compost does per cubic foot, and for most bed filling and amending it is the ingredient you can skip. Here...September 21, 2026
- How to Tell if a Cord of Firewood Is ShortA full cord is 128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood, and that fixed number is all you need to check a delivery. Here is the...September 21, 2026
- One Weekend, One Person: How Much Material Can You Actually Spread?Pros plan on a yard per person per hour. A careful homeowner is closer to half that. Here is how to turn an honest rate into...September 21, 2026
- How Much Sand Do I Need Under an Above Ground Pool?Most above ground pools need a 2 inch masonry sand base, which works out to roughly 1 to 3 cubic yards for common round sizes. Here...September 21, 2026
- Cobblestone vs. Concrete Pavers for a DIY Weekend WalkwayConcrete pavers finish in a weekend. Cobblestone lasts a century. Here is the honest DIY comparison on installed cost, excavation depth, and how much ground one...September 20, 2026
- Why Polymeric Sand Fails in Year Two and How to Redo ItPolymeric sand that held through one winter and opened up the next is usually telling you about installation day, not product quality. Here is how to...September 20, 2026
- New Build With Bare Subsoil: Do You Need Sand or Topsoil?Your builder scraped the lot and left you packed subsoil. Here is why a sand layer makes drainage worse over clay, how deep a real growing...September 20, 2026
- How Often Pool Filter Sand Needs Replacing, and Why It Wears OutPublished guidance on replacing pool filter sand runs from three years to seven, because wear comes from run hours and backwashing rather than the calendar. Here...September 20, 2026
- Is Beach Sand Safe for a Sandbox or Volleyball Court?Beach sand is not toxic, but it is unwashed, ungraded, and often illegal to remove. Here is what is really in it, which sand to buy...September 20, 2026
- Bullhead City Sand Blowing Away? How to Stabilize a Bare LotBare sand on a new Bullhead City lot blows into the house, piles at the garage door, and washes out every monsoon. Here is what actually...September 19, 2026
- Is Paver Base or Bedding Sand Cheaper Per Patio? A Cost Driver BreakdownBedding sand for a 200 square foot patio is roughly 12 to 31 dollars in material, and a delivery fee of 50 to 150 dollars usually...September 18, 2026
- How Much Topsoil to Add Around a Foundation for GradingThe six inch in ten feet slope rule is easy to say and hard to turn into an order. Here is the wedge math that converts...September 18, 2026
- How Much Does Bulk Soil Settle After Delivery, and How Much Extra Should You OrderBulk soil typically loses 10 to 25 percent of its volume between the delivery pile and the finished grade. Here is how to tell short term...September 18, 2026
- Loam vs. Screened Soil vs. Garden Blend: What to Order WhereLoam, screened topsoil and garden blend are not three grades of the same product. One describes texture, one describes processing, one describes a compost ratio. Here...September 18, 2026
- How Much Soil Do Blueberries Need, and What pH to Aim ForBlueberries need soil in the 4.5 to 5.5 pH range, which almost no yard provides on its own. Here is the peat and pine bark mix,...September 18, 2026
- Tons or Yards? How Bulk Soil Is Sold and Which to OrderA cubic yard of screened topsoil runs about 1 to 1.5 tons, and a ton gets you only about three quarters of a yard. Here is...September 18, 2026
- Building Beds Over Clay: How Much Soil Depth Trees and Shrubs Actually NeedHow many inches of soil shrubs and trees actually need over heavy clay, why a thin imported layer traps water at the boundary, and how to...September 18, 2026
- How Much Soil to Fill a 4x8 Raised Bed, Bag and Bulk MathA 4x8 raised bed 12 inches deep needs about 32 cubic feet of soil, or roughly 1.2 cubic yards. Here is the bag count at every...September 17, 2026
- Why Adding Sand to Clay Soil Makes It WorseMixing sand into clay soil sounds logical, but at garden scale it plugs pore space and leaves you with denser, slower ground. Here is why it...September 17, 2026
- Canton Clay Soil: How Deep to Amend Before Planting BedsAmend the top 10 to 12 inches, not the top 4, because that is where bed roots actually work. Here is why Canton clay traps water,...September 17, 2026
- Planting a Tree in Heavy Clay: Should You Backfill With Soil?In heavy clay, a hole full of rich amended backfill behaves like a buried container and holds water against the root ball. Here is why native...September 17, 2026
- Decomposed Granite vs. Crushed Gravel for Albuquerque Xeriscape BedsDG packs into a firm walkable surface because the fines are part of the blend. Crushed gravel stays loose and angular forever. Here is how that...September 17, 2026
- How to Fix Mulch That Turned Gray and HydrophobicFaded gray mulch that sheds water is two problems, not one. Here is how to tell sun bleaching from a water-repelling fungal crust, and whether to...September 17, 2026
- Mulch Around a Pool Deck: What Not to UseFine bark, straw, sand, and dyed mulch all end up in the water sooner or later. Here is the do-not-use list for poolside beds, plus the...September 16, 2026
- Mulch Volcanoes: Why Piling Mulch on Trunks Kills TreesA cone of mulch packed against a trunk looks tidy and slowly kills the tree. Here is the depth to use, the gap to leave at...September 16, 2026
- Landscape Fabric Under Rock: Myth, Necessity, or Mistake?Landscape fabric is a soil separator, not a weed barrier, and that one distinction decides whether you should use it. Here is the verdict by bed...September 16, 2026
- Stacking Firewood on a Rock Bed: Good Idea or Rot Trap?Crushed stone is a real upgrade over stacking firewood on dirt or sod, but it fails in one specific way. Here is how drainage, stone depth,...September 16, 2026
- Is Limestone Screening Raising My Soil pH Near Beds?Limestone screenings really do raise soil pH as they dissolve, but the effect is slow and usually confined to the first foot or two beside a...September 16, 2026
- How Much Sand Do I Need to Level a Paver Patio This FallA paver patio needs two different sands, and mixing up the math is why orders come up short. Here is the cubic yard formula for bedding...September 16, 2026
- Mulch Bed Weed Blitz in August: Kill Now, Refresh in OctoberAugust weeds are busy making next spring's seed crop, and burying them under fresh mulch does not stop that. Here is how to triage a weedy...September 16, 2026
- When to Mulch Beds in Fall: Timing Around First FrostFall mulch works best after the first hard frost, once plants are dormant and the soil has started to firm, but before the ground freezes solid....September 15, 2026
- Compost or Mulch First? The Right Order for Fall Bed PrepCompost belongs on the soil and mulch belongs on top of it. Here is the full fall bed sequence, from cutback and weeding through raking back...September 15, 2026