Back Alley House Plants

Based in Ames, Iowa, Back Alley House Plants supplies garden and soil products to homeowners, landscapers and contractors across the area. Google lists the business under 3 categories — Garden center, Bonsai plant supplier, Plant nursery — which points to a broader inventory than a single-product yard carries.

The business holds a 4.9-star Google rating from 155 reviews. That sits above the Iowa average of 4.5 measured across 144 listed suppliers.

What Back Alley House Plants supplies

Garden centers carry bagged soil, compost and mulch alongside plants and often sell bulk material from a yard out back. That combination is convenient when a planting project needs both the medium and the stock in one trip.

Bagged product suits containers and small beds; once a project passes roughly ten bags, loose material almost always works out cheaper per cubic foot. Ask whether bulk pricing is available before loading a cart.

Because Back Alley House Plants carries several material lines, it is often possible to combine an order across products — soil, mulch and stone on one truck — rather than paying separate delivery charges to two or three different yards.

How much material you need

Garden and soil products is sold by the cubic yard. One cubic yard equals about 27 cubic feet — roughly thirteen 2-cubic-foot bags.

As a rough guide: 1 yard covers about 100 sq ft at 3 in; 2 yards covers about 215 sq ft at 3 in; 5 yards covers about 540 sq ft at 3 in.

Have length, width and target depth ready when you phone. Yard staff convert those into cubic yards far more reliably than a generic online calculator, and they know how their own material settles.

Ordering and delivery

Ask about delivery minimums and trip charges up front — for smaller orders these often matter more to the final bill than the headline per-cubic yard price.

Check where the truck can actually dump. Tandem trucks need overhead clearance and firm ground, and most drivers will not reverse across a soft lawn or a new driveway. If access is tight, ask whether they run a smaller truck or can leave the load at the kerb.

Pricing for bulk material is rarely published in full, since it moves with stock and season. The business website may list current products, but a phone call will get you a firm delivered number faster.

Ratings and reputation

Of the 155 reviews on file, 147 are five-star (95%) and 1 are four-star. 3 reviews sit at one or two stars, and those are worth reading directly — complaints at material yards usually concern delivery timing or short loads rather than the product itself.

Among the suppliers we list across Iowa, this rating places Back Alley House Plants in the top 25%.

Across the 10 suppliers we list in Ames, the average rating is 4.1.

Review volume matters as much as the score. A 4.9 drawn from 155 reviews reflects a substantial track record.

Hours and visiting the yard

Back Alley House Plants is open 5 days a week, closed Monday and Tuesday. The yard opens as early as 9 AM and runs until 6 PM.

Saturday opening makes this a practical option for weekend projects — a real advantage, since plenty of bulk yards shut for the weekend and leave homeowners unable to collect material outside working hours.

Loading is weather-dependent whatever the posted hours say. Heavy rain turns yards to mud and makes wet material heavier and harder to spread, so call the same morning if conditions look poor.

Best time to buy in Iowa

In Iowa, the buying window is compressed. Yards get busiest from the first thaw through early June, and again briefly in autumn. Ordering garden and soil products in early spring often means waiting in a queue and paying peak rates, so booking delivery before the rush — or in late autumn for spring work — usually gets both a better price and a firmer delivery date. Many yards in colder states reduce hours or close outright through deep winter, so confirm seasonal availability before planning a January or February project.

Other suppliers nearby

There are 6 other suppliers we list within a short drive, the closest being Cooper and Sons, Inc. in Ames, roughly 0.3 miles away. 33 suppliers sit within a 25-mile radius of this yard.

If this yard is short on what you need, the suppliers listed below carry overlapping inventory and will often deliver into the same area.

Buying garden and soil products in Ames

We list 10 bulk suppliers in Ames and 144 across Iowa, spread over 71 cities and towns.

Bulk material pricing is intensely local. Trucking is a large share of the delivered cost, which is why a nearby yard usually beats a cheaper one further out once the full quote lands.