tesla,

I recently used Missouri Organic for compost and was very impressed with the quality and price, not to mention the good service. I have also used Johnson County Topsoil for topsoil for when I was putting in my landscaping.

GTinKC - this is great to hear - I saw their ad in KCG and it's nice to hear them personally recommended. I will call tomorrow and check on pricing and availability. Thanks so much!

tesla

I second "Missouri Organic"! You can check-out prices on their website: www.missouriorganic.com.

I just started going there, and I used one of their "Buy 3 yards, get $20 off" coupons. However, the first two trips, they loaded me using a bobcat... and I definitely got more compost that way... compared to my third trip, when a different guy loaded me with a front-end loader. So trip #3 was a bit disappointing.

However, the quality of the compost is excellent!

They also accept garden waste too (you have to pay them).

Thanks!

-= Dave =-

I do not like Missouri Organics compost.

It often smells of incomplete breakdown and if you leave a small pile of it out you will notice salts start to build up on the dried edges. I dont care how much cheaper it is - Never again for me.

If you are a KC resident you can get free wood mulch from the city. It is NOT the greatest and is not double ground (so some large pieces and trash need to be culled out). You can spread a layer of this and then better mulch on top of it to reduce cost though.

MulchMart and Suburban are both ok places in south KC to get mulches. I prefer MulchMart's compost and mulch choices but they are pricey. I do not care for Suburban's compost (they cut it with field soil and that increases annual weeds). It often smells of incomplete breakdown too but not as bad as MoOrganics.

I think it is Mart(?) Brothers about Roe and Merriam Dr also have decent double ground mulch for those in central KC, nrth JoCo or south WyCo.

If buying soil Johnson County topsoil is the way to go. I dont recall the name but there is a company in Blue Springs/Lee's Summit that sells both pulverized soil and sterile soil (I suspect they steam it). That is pricey though but worth it if you have the money or are concerned about adding weeds.

Avoid soils which come from the river bottoms (specifically ask were it came from). It is often sandy, has a low organic material content so it compacts quickly and is often FULL of weeds.

May I ask approximate prices I can expect to pay for mulch and topsoil. Also when buying them, are their different types or grades you have to choose from?

Missouri Organic is the way to go for compost. Last fall I bought a dump truck load (12 yards) and tilled into my front yard (which I had killed off) and reseeded. The compost was well rotted and HOT!. This spring my yard looks the best is has in the 28 years I've lived here.

A few years ago I bought truck load of compost for my back yard from a tree company in Kansas which was NOT well rotted - lots of chips. Anyway I did the exact same rehab in back as in front. Not nearly as good an outcome.

The best quality and price for bulk mulch is CS Carey. I never even knew they were there because they don't advertise. Apparently they sell mostly wholesale so most of the commercial places in town have their mulch. It's $35 a yard and the best I've ever used, I usually buy from Suburban, This is better and much cheaper. Seems like a great company and really good people. I went back for some topsoil and it too was awesome stuff.