Whether you are a homeowner or a professional landscaper, you likely choose to work with a bulk nursery supplier to get both great deals and great products. In addition to hopefully being more cost-effective, it’s also a lot more efficient to purchase landscape supplies in bulk or in “buckets” as opposed to bagged material. You can pull up to the yard with your truck or trailer, get the number of “scoops” that you need, and be on your way. There is no need to be hauling bags out or opening them one by one. Your truck or trailer load can be scooped or dumped right where you need it.
While that’s all quite true, we find that some homeowners and landscapers expect that all nurseries operate the same way. More specifically, we find that a lot of folks expect that “all buckets are created equal.”
How Much is a Bucket Load?
When you come to the supply yard and ask for a “scoop” or a “bucket load,” it’s important to understand what you’re getting. You can’t assume that one scoop or one bucket is the same from nursery to nursery. If one nursery is charging less than another, it could be that you’re not getting nearly as much product. Even worse, if they’re charging the same, you could be getting less product for more money!
Although there are certainly some nursery suppliers that might prefer we weren’t sharing this with you, we believe in transparency. At Nature’s Mulch, we feel strongly that landscape customers deserve to be educated consumers.
That’s why we want to arm you with important questions to ask. If you’re purchasing landscape supplies and asking for a “scoop” or a “bucket load,” be sure to ask:
How much material is one scoop?
Is this a full cubic yard or only half a yard?
Once you know how much you’re actually getting, then you can realistically and fairly compare prices. The truth is, you can’t compare “bucket to bucket” until you have the specifics.
At Nature’s Mulch, one bucket load or one “scoop” is a full cubic yard for us for mulch, soils, and aggregate. For decorative rock, a bucket load or scoop is two-thirds of a yard so that the weight isn’t too much for smaller trucks. This is all information that we want to transparently share with customers so that they know exactly what they’re getting.
This question sometimes comes up in terms of price. If clients ask us why another nursery might be a dollar or two less, the answer could be that their bucket load is not a cubic yard. Perhaps it’s only half of that.
Of course, quality matters, too—and will also impact price. We’ll discuss that next. Investing a little bit more in a higher quality product could give you better results making it worth the price.
Comparing Quality
The quantity that you’re receiving is an essential factor, but so is the quality. While you might assume that what one nursery carries must be the same as another, this is also not the case. The quality of the products carried can also differ dramatically from nursery to nursery. Take compost, for instance. We’ve written an entire article on how compost can differ, so it’s important to understand what you’re getting.
The same goes for mulch, or for any other landscape product that you might buy. You can’t assume that all nurseries are carrying the same quality products. Since the quality of the products will absolutely impact your results, it’s so important to pay attention to what you’re getting.
At the end of the day, it boils down to us wanting the best for our customers. Whether you end up choosing Nature’s Mulch or not, we want you to feel confident in knowing what you’re getting—and making a wise choice. That’s why you can always count on us for transparency and guidance. The last thing we ever want to see is folks feeling like they got ripped off by not getting the product quality or quantity that they expected.
At Nature’s Mulch, we’re committed to offering the best and removing the guesswork from your end.