Perhaps this is the year you finally grow vegetables in raised beds. Or, maybe you’re digging into a new garden bed out back. You may just need to rejuvenate a large area of neglected soil in your yard. But one thing is clear, you’re going to need more than a couple of bags of soil. You need bulk.
Before you pick up the phone and start buying bulk soil, ask yourself a few questions first:
Important Questions
Around here, we know quite a bit about bulk soil. California Soil, our parent company, is the biggest bulk premium soil delivery service in California. From January through early August, hundreds of loads of our bulk soils, worm castings and planting mixes are delivered throughout the state, from San Diego to Crescent City.
Whether you’re purchasing from Sanctuary Soil or another supplier somewhere else in the country, consider these questions first to save yourself money, time and headaches on your gardening project.
How Can I Find Suppliers?
Ask around your local area to find the most reliable and respected suppliers for soil and planting amendments, such as composts, mulches and worm castings. Often your local cooperative extension office is a good place to start your research.
What’s the Quality?
Ask the soil companies to provide specifics on their product ingredients. Are the company’s products organic or Clean Green certified like our products? Do they have urea, biosolids, bloodmeal or other chemicals?
Do these companies guarantee their products are screened for rocks, litter and clay pieces? Is the product at least 98% weed free?
What is the pH level of the soil; does it have the right levels of acidity and alkalinity recommended for your plants’ needs?
How were the Ingredients Sourced?
Does the company produce the ingredients itself? Or are they provided by outside suppliers? At Sanctuary Soil, we manage the entire production process of our organic worm castings, forest products and composts on our 200-acre Vernalis site, and we make our own deliveries too.
This one-stop service allows us to personally monitor every step of the process for quality control.
What Does it Cost?
Ask yourself whether the soil company offers a clear, consistent and simple pricing strategy. For example, our authorized dealers work off the same pricing and delivery rates, which are set by the county. You should also ask about any unexpected or hidden costs that might occur.
A professional soil and amendment supplier should be able to deliver premium bulk quality at value prices.
But keep in mind that prices for premium amendments and soils will reflect the time and effort needed to safely and sustainably produce these artisanal gardening products. As you can imagine, it’s not like dumping a truckload of old top soil into your garden. There’s three years of hard work in every bag of Empire Builder, for instance.
How Do I Order?
Does the soil company make it easy to order the product, based on informative descriptions? Can you review product specifics before ordering? For instance, you can order bulk easily from our authorized dealers, and pick up bulk soil yourself at several of them. You’ll also find detailed product information on our website, so you know exactly what you’re ordering.
Make certain you have all the product information you need, and that the ordering process is convenient.
What about Delivery?
Always ask when and how the soils and amendments will be delivered. For some companies, bulk soil can take up to two weeks in peak season to receive, and it is often provided as a loose-tipped load on your driveway.
Sanctuary Soil deliveries arrive within three working days, anywhere in California. We know that some folks don’t want the hassle of a loose-tipped soil load. That’s why you can also purchase our products in tidy bulk bags, if you prefer.
Take the Bulk Challenge!
If you’re in California, we’d love to serve your bulk soil needs, whether you need a single super sack or multiple truck loads.
But wherever you decide to buy, do your homework first! It’s really the best way to achieve the highest quality and value for your bulk soil investment.
