What's changed since the January outlook?
The outlook we published on New Year's Day called for a compressed mulch season followed by a long hardscape summer. That's roughly how it has gone.
The spring mulch rush is easing. Most Plymouth County beds that were getting done this year got done in April and May, and the mulch orders arriving now are top-offs — one or two yards, not six. Base material and soil are taking their place. Mulch is a spring product and stone is a summer one; that arc is normal.
The other change since January is the map. We now deliver across Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, Essex, Plymouth, Bristol, and Barnstable Counties — 460-plus areas served. Bristol and Barnstable are new this year, so Plymouth County is no longer the southern edge of the footprint, and routing south of Braintree has got denser.
Have per-yard prices moved?
No. The catalogue sits where it did in the spring.
| Material | Per cubic yard | What it's going into now |
|---|---|---|
| Pine Bark Mulch | $55 | Slope beds and top-offs |
| Hemlock Mulch | $63 | Undyed refresh, vegetable borders |
| Loam (Screened) | $55 | Regrading, patching thin turf |
| Compost | $50 | Topdressing, bed amendment |
| Dense Pack ¾" to minus | $76 | Patio, walkway and shed bases |
| Gray Granite 1.5" | $85 | Deep drainage and backfill |
What does delivery cost in Plymouth County?
The fee is $100 plus $4 for every driving mile beyond 30, charged per load, not per order. Everything within 30 driving miles of the Dispatch Office in Dorchester is $100 flat.
Plymouth County straddles that line, which is why there's no single county number. The northern tier nearest the Braintree line generally falls inside the flat zone; head south toward Plymouth, Wareham or Middleborough and the per-mile portion adds up. Enter your ZIP on any product page, in the cart, or on the delivery page for the exact figure.
The load cap is the lever. Mulch ships up to 10 yards a trip; rock, stone, sand and soil up to 6. Loads are counted per line item, so five yards of black mulch plus five of cedar is two trips and two fees — an extra $100 in the flat zone, more further south. Consolidate to one material where you can.
What should Plymouth County expect through August?
- Water becomes the constraint, not material. Irrigation limits anything you plant between now and late August. Check the National Weather Service Boston office for current conditions rather than a monthly average, and note that towns set their own watering restrictions — the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is the starting point on state guidance.
- Hardscape season peaks. Order base early — it's a 6-yard-cap material, so a large job is several trips that have to be scheduled.
- Seeding waits. Don't put grass seed down in July in southeastern Massachusetts. Get loam and compost on site, grade it, and hold the seed for late August. Saying otherwise would sell more soil today and cost you a lawn.
Frequently asked questions
Are prices going up later this summer?
We're not signalling an increase. The table above is live as published, and the only number we can guarantee is the one in your cart.
How far ahead should I book?
Same-day and next-day are usually available. Weekend slots fill first all summer, so book by mid-week for a Saturday drop.
Why is my second material charged another fee?
Because it's a second truck trip. The fee covers the trip, not the paperwork. Ordering to the cap on one material always beats splitting the same volume across two. There's no minimum, so one yard is a valid order.
Browse the full catalogue, or go straight to bed refresh materials or the patio and walkway base range and enter your ZIP for an exact delivered price. Prepping a yard for guests this weekend? Our cookout-ready yard fixes is the practical version, and we'll post a month-end read for Norfolk County heading into July.
