Look in the yellow pages under garden centers. Many of them deliver mulch.

You may want to check out Remington Mulch in Fairfax County. They claim to have "high quality" wood mulch but the delivery cost to MD may be expensive.

Filbert

Dan,
Hopefully you will get recommendations from someone in your area soon. Yellow pages are great, but the quality is unknown. That could mean an expensive mistake. If you see your post dropping without any good recommendations, bump it or repost.

FWIW, I usually wait until late May to mulch. Took me a few years to realize that putting it on too early actually keeps the soil temp down. It can also impede the return of some perennials or can stop reseeding where you want it. Suz

Mulch & More Rockville, MD 301-340-1818
Had a great rating somewhere a while back. They will mix topsoil with leaf grow & drop that off .They also do mulch - loose or bagged- I prefer the large bags, I can drag them to where I need them without having to load & unload the wheelbarrow (an extra step). I drag it on a long plastic sled. I was happy with their mulch.There is a delivery fee, so it pays to get a large quantity.
Rose

I can't remember the name (will look on my way home and repost) but there is a little farm outlet store on Knowles just west of Connecticut avenue. I got a truckload of shredded wood mulch from them last fall delivered to my driveway. I was happy with it. I think it cost $75 but it was a WHOLE lot of mulch. I live in Silver Spring too, so nice to meet a neighbor here. Maybe we can swap some stuff.

Leslie

You can also check out Rels in Silver Spring/Olney area. They can deliver both bagged and loose mulch. They have a $20 delivery fee. I use them for my mulch, since they are just down the street from me.

"I know Montgomery County (I live in Silver Spring) has mulch, but they recommend not using it in flowerbeds. . .at least not right away."

Why not? I don't know about Montgomery County, but I have used the free shredded wood mulch from Loudoun and Fairfax Counties and had no problems. It does not look as nice as the store purchased mulch, but it is hard to beat 15 yards delivered to my door for $85.

- Brent

This is what they say on the Montgomery County website:

Free mulch is "green" mulch and must be aged for at least 6-8 months before it can be used for your flowers, vegetables, or other plants with tender or shallow root systems.

Here is a link that might be useful: Montgomery County Mulch Information

Another vote for Rel's in Sandy Spring. Cheapest prices I've ever seen for bagged Leafgro ($3!!!)

I do not know if montgomery county mulch is the same as the Takoma Park mulch, and I've never received it. But Takoma alway seems so earthy, maybe it would be OK. Link follows.

Here is a link that might be useful: takoma mulch

Brent in NoVA,
Can you tell me a little more about this program? We are in Fairfax Cty and are interested in covering a very large in our backyard with mulch, mainly to prevent weeds and make a play area (we're not planning on planting anything there).

Thanks a lot for mentioning this!

Rebecca

The link below should cover just about all you need to know. The page lists Mulch Hauling Companies. In my case I used Miller & Sons and got a 15 yard load of shredded wood mulch delivered for $85. The mulch is rather chunky and contains bits of trash, but worked great for my needs. My neighbors use similar quality mulch from Loudoun County for their kid's play area, but you may want to check it out in person before deciding.

- Brent

Here is a link that might be useful: Fairfax County Mulch

I'm bookmarking this thread! How about bulk compost? Also in DC area.

DC Materials in Glendale has very good rates on compost (Leafgro), mulch, sand, and such. I've used them several times and been pleased. They're in the phone book.

The state used to run a site near Annapolis where they'd load compost into your truck for a modest fee. Much cheaper than having it delivered, if you have a big truck. But I couldn't find any mention of it on the Leafgro web page.

If you need woodchips in quantity and don't care if they're green or a little rough, tree services are usually happy to drop off a truckload for free (saves them a trip to a dump site). Beware: those trucks hold a *lot*!
Steven

Each year for the past three I have also bought Leafgro mixed with sand from DC Materials; six inches of this plus three of rotted horse manure courtesy of Dr Dirt tilled into six inches of my base clay gives me lovely fluffy soil. Last year I bought 9 yards of leafgro mixed with 3 of sand; delivered it cost $325. I have only a few yards left and will need more.

Lynn

I live too far away for you, but I get it from Patuxent Nursery for @ $16.00 a scoop. There are 8 scoops in a dump truck, and the delivery for me is $45.00. That's why I have a pick up truck on order.

Anyway, it's worth the delivery to have it there when I want it!

Christine

Excellent, thanks, y'all! Lynn - who or what is Dr Dirt? I can get pigeon poop from the next-door neighbor who raises them, but rotted horse manure would be great.

This saturday I picked up 4 yards from the montgomery county waste transfer station. It's about a 5 minute drive from my house and I have a pickup truck. It was free and as far as I can tell, it's the same shredded hardwood that everyone else sells for $20/yard. It has the occasional paper bag, electrical wiring and miscellaneous piece of plastic, but so does everyone else.

The quality varies. Now is a good time to pick it up since it's been sitting all winter in a warm pile. If you pick it up a week or two after a hurricane, then it will be more green.

Dr Dirt is our friend Tom Gallagher (sp?), a staffer at Sandy Springs Friends School where the Fall Swap was held. He runs a composting program at the school, he usually brings a truckload of old manure and stacks of old coffee sacks to haul it in to any offsite swaps he attends, and by special arrangement I was able to get a carload direct from him on another occasion. Other good manure sources include Wheaton Park stables, Rock Creek stables, and contact the local 4H for names of folks who raise goats/sheep/rabbits in PG or Monkey Cty. I also have names of local alpaca and llama breeders I got from attending the MD Sheep and Wool Festival (MD Fair Grounds, Timonium, usually 1st weekend in May) -- I got several carloads of llama manure last summer in return for helping to paint fences. Tom Sawyer, eat your heart out.

Lynn

Below is a link to a thread on the Virginia Forum with more info on the Fairfax County Mulch program. Scroll to the bottom for a pic of my $85 pile.

- Brent

Here is a link that might be useful: Free Mulch thread

Man, I really need a truck.....!

"Man, I really need a truck"

I know what you mean. I cannot complain about the cost of having the mulch delivered last year, but it was a lot of work. It took most of two weekends and a number of weekday evenings to get the mulch out of my driveway. I would sure be nice to be able to pick up a few yards, spread put it to use and then pick up a few more yards at a later date. Or to be able to pick up a yard to two of compost without paying a $40 deliver fee.

I hope to replace my 1993 Chevy Corsica any day now, but its replacement will probably not be a truck. I am hoping for something like an Outback where I can at least fold down the seats and haul a few things. Still not the best manure hauling mobile.

- Brent

I want to buy a little old used pick-up truck, no more than say $2,500, but I don't know enough about used cars to feel confident buying a cheap one. You know? I don't know what to look for or what questions to ask.

I have a Toyota Prius, I love it but I can't even fold down the seats in front of the trunk. I need a working truck.

Anyone thinking about a truck might want to consider a small utility trailer instead. I use my Subaru Outback to pull a little 6 X 4 foot trailer with removeable wood sides -- it works great for mulch and compost. Cheap, almost no maintenance, no extra gas burned when it's not hooked up, and mine fits underneath my deck for storage, since it's got only 8" size tires. Mine has a max gross weight of only 1000 lbs which seems fine for mulch and compost (although you'd want a higher capacity for large loads of soil or gravel) and it hauled a motorcycle to St. Lois and back with no problems.

It's easier to load a motorcycle or power-washer onto a low trailer than onto a pickup truck, too. I always wonder why more people don't have one, they're great!

"I always wonder why more people don't have one"

The answer...storage. If I could convince my wife that we should get rid of our pop-up camper so that I can have a trailer that I can use to haul around manure then I would be set! With all the stuff that I have to do in the garden it is not like I can take a camping trip anyway!! I mean, who would be there to check on my little seedlings? ;-)

- Brent

Riff, that's a great idea. I'll have to look into it.

Actually.... I wonder if my Prius is really designed for pulling a trailer.... I think I'm going back to the truck idea.

Grey Goose Farm located on Rt. 108 between Olney and Laytonsville is the best place for bulk mulch, leafgro, compost, and an Incredible Vegetable Garden Soil that they custom mix for you. Call them at 301-977-7555 for delivery. They are the place to go!

Here is a link that might be useful: grey goose farm