• Chicago IL Compost Delivery - Mulch Mound
  • Chicago IL Compost Delivery - Mulch Mound
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Chicago Compost Delivery
Chicago Compost Delivery

About this compost

Finished screened compost, fully broken down and ready to work into beds. The general purpose choice for building soil that holds water and feeds roots.
Nicole Sheehe
Nicole Sheehe
Google Review

We had a great experience with mulch mound! Our mulch arrived when we requested. The delivery fee was so reasonable. We’ll use them again for sure!

Compost goes on thin. One cubic yard covers about 324 square feet at a 1 inch depth, which is the right amount for topdressing an established lawn. For bed work, where you are tilling 2 to 3 inches into the clay, plan on roughly a third to a half of that coverage per yard, so measure the bed footprint before you order.

A yard is approximately 27 cubic feet. As a general guideline, one yard of material can cover an area of about 100-160 square feet at a 2-3 inch depth.

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Chicago Compost Delivery

Chicago Compost Delivery

4.7
137 reviews
$60.00 per Yard
$60.00
Sale Sold out
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Hand-picked local yards
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Why order through Mulch Mound

The best local compost, without the guesswork.

We hand-pick and partner with the best yards in your region, keep only the ones our buyers rate well, and back each load with our guarantee.

Mulch Mound Guarantee

If your compost isn't the quantity or quality you ordered, we'll make it right.

About this compost

Finished screened compost, fully broken down and ready to work into beds. The general purpose choice for building soil that holds water and feeds roots.
Nicole Sheehe
Nicole Sheehe
Google Review

We had a great experience with mulch mound! Our mulch arrived when we requested. The delivery fee was so reasonable. We’ll use them again for sure!

Compost goes on thin. One cubic yard covers about 324 square feet at a 1 inch depth, which is the right amount for topdressing an established lawn. For bed work, where you are tilling 2 to 3 inches into the clay, plan on roughly a third to a half of that coverage per yard, so measure the bed footprint before you order.

A yard is approximately 27 cubic feet. As a general guideline, one yard of material can cover an area of about 100-160 square feet at a 2-3 inch depth.

FAQs

Read all FAQs

View full details

How It Works

Getting started is easy — just follow these simple steps

1

Choose your quantity

Adjust the quantity to match your project. One cubic yard covers about 100 to 160 square feet at a 2 to 3 inch depth.

2

Select your delivery date

Select a delivery date you'd like for the product to be dropped off at your home

3

Sit back and wait

Sit back, wait, and let us work our magic to make sure the highest quality product is delivered to your driveway.

From The Mouths of Chicago Folks

4.7
out of 5 based on 137 reviews
Google Reviews
Nicole Sheehe
Nicole Sheehe

We had a great experience with mulch mound! Our mulch arrived when we requested. The delivery fee was so reasonable. We’ll use them again for sure!

Google Review
Ryan Cully
Ryan Cully

First time going with this company for mulch and it was an efficient process from start to finish. Website was easy—I told them exactly where I wan...

Read full review

First time going with this company for mulch and it was an efficient process from start to finish. Website was easy—I told them exactly where I wanted the mulch put on my driveway, and it was delivered perfectly when I got home from work the next day. Best deal around when I compared it to competitors and I will definitely be becoming back.

Google Review

Complete Your Outdoor Project

Compost pairs well with a topsoil blend when you are building new beds from scratch on stripped city lots, and with mulch on top once the compost is worked in, to hold moisture and keep it from drying out fast in July heat. If you are dealing with the densest clay pockets near older foundations, some sand mixed with the compost helps drainage more than compost alone.

Chicago Soil Delivery
Chicago Mulch Delivery
Map of the compost delivery area around Chicago, Illinois

Service area

Areas we deliver compost in Chicago, Illinois

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Mulch Mound Pro Tip

Chicago's silty clay holds water in spring and cracks hard by August, so timing matters more here than the compost itself. Work it in during a dry stretch when the clay crumbles rather than smears, usually a few days after rain in April or September. Tilling wet clay with compost just creates dense clods that take a full season to break down, undoing a lot of the benefit you're trying to get from adding the organic matter in the first place.

Mulch Mound Pro Tip

The most common mistake we see is piling compost on thick thinking more equals faster results. At more than 3 inches tilled in, or more than 1 inch topdressed, compost can actually tie up nitrogen temporarily as soil microbes work to break it down, which stunts new plantings for a few weeks. Thin layers worked down repeatedly over a couple seasons beat one heavy application every time on clay soil like this.

Mulch Mound Pro Tip

If you're rebuilding a bed on an older Chicago lot where the original soil was scraped during construction, blending compost with topsoil rather than compost alone stretches your yardage and gives you actual soil volume, not just organic content. Compost alone in a shallow bed on top of clay subsoil will settle and compact again within a year or two without something structural underneath it.

Building Better Soil in Chicago

Chicago yards mostly sit on silty clay, which compacts hard, drains slowly, and starves roots of air once it gets walked on or rained on repeatedly. Working compost into that clay breaks up the structure over a season or two and gives roots somewhere easier to grow. With a growing zone of 6a and a frost window that runs roughly October to mid-May, there are two real planting pushes here, spring and fall, and compost gets used heavily in both. A lot of the beds we deliver to sit near bungalow lots and older brick two-flats where the original topsoil was stripped or covered decades ago, so the compost is doing real rebuilding work, not just a boost.

What Finished Compost Is

Finished compost is organic matter that has fully broken down into a dark, crumbly material with an earthy smell. It feeds soil life, improves structure, and helps beds hold water without staying soggy.

How Much to Apply

Work 1 to 2 inches into new beds, or topdress lawns with a quarter to half inch and rake it in. More is not better. Too thick a layer can smother roots instead of feeding them.

When to Apply

Spring and fall are both good windows. Spring applications feed the growing season ahead, and fall applications break down over winter so beds are ready at first thaw.

Frequently Asked Questions

Click a question to see the answer

Answer

Will compost actually help my clay soil or is that just marketing talk in Chicago yards?

Yes, this is one of the main reasons people order it here. Silty clay compacts and drains poorly, and organic matter physically opens the structure so roots and water can move through it. It takes repeated applications over a season or two rather than one fix, but it is real, measurable improvement, not a marketing claim.

Answer

How many yards do I need for a 1000 square foot lawn topdressing?

At a 1 inch topdress depth, one cubic yard covers about 324 square feet, so a 1000 square foot lawn needs roughly 3 cubic yards. If you are tilling into a bed at 2 to 3 inches instead, plan on closer to double that per square foot covered.

Answer

Is spring or fall better for putting compost down in Chicago?

Both work, compost sells through spring and fall here and each has an advantage. Fall gives it a full winter to work into the clay before spring planting, while spring compost supports the growing season directly. Given the October first frost and mid-May last frost, aim to get it down outside of frozen or waterlogged ground either way.

Answer

Where will the delivery truck put the compost on my property?

The load is placed at the curb or driveway where the truck can access safely, it is not carried into backyards or over landscaping. Clear a spot roughly the size of a parking space before delivery, and laying down a tarp or plywood protects your driveway if that matters to you.

Answer

Should I get compost or a topsoil blend for a new bed?

If your bed is on typical Chicago clay with little existing topsoil, a topsoil blend gives you actual soil volume while compost alone is meant to amend, not replace, soil structure. Many people order both, using topsoil to build the bed depth and compost mixed through it for organic content and drainage.

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