compost and mulch marketplace

The Compost and Mulch Marketplace on Lawn to Garden

The Compost and Mulch Marketplace is hosted on StopWaste's Lawn to Garden website. For the most up to date information, contact the vendors directly or visit their website. Please note that StopWaste is not a business, producers, retailer, or wholesaler of compost and mulch.
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Tips for Buying Bulk Compost

Bulk compost delivered at the Alameda Compost Hub

There are many composters and landscape vendors in the Bay Area who sell and deliver compost and mulch by the cubic yard. If you have a large gardening or landscaping project, then buying in bulk is more cost effective and convenient than buying bagged. Ask the vendor if the compost is OMRI-listed or CDFA-registered as organic certified. You can feel confident in the quality of organic-certified composts. More information on assessing compost characteristics and quality can be found on the previous page.

Once the compost arrives and before it is unloaded by the truck, make sure to examine the compost for the following:

  • It should be dark black or brown in color and have a moist and crumbly texture. Some woody pieces can be expected. Overly woody composts are great for landscape mulching and use around perennials and fruit trees, but may "drag" nitrogen in the short term if used in annual vegetable beds.
  • Grab a handful and smell the compost. It should smell sweet and earthy. A slight smell of ammonia is okay, and is typically paired with being hot to the touch and steaming. It should not smell putrid or strongly of ammonia, which could indicate an unstable or immature compost. Compost stability and maturity naturally improves as it continues to decompose (the compost is still curing), so accepting steamy/ammonia-smelling compost is okay if you're able to let it sit for ~2 weeks to let it finish curing before use. You can safely use immature compost for sheet mulching, however.
  • It may contain a small amount of plastic, glass, metal, and other inert contaminants. If it seems excessive to you, you can decline the delivery.
  • If you accept the compost, place a tarp down where it will be unloaded - it makes for a much easier clean up job.

Additional Tools

  • Materials Calculator – Determine how much compost and/or mulch you need for your project.
  • Chip Drop — free or low-cost arborist wood chips delivered to your property.