I thought I might get some decomposed granite for my backyard this weekend, but the weekend is shaping up to be too busy already -- and if I were honest with myself I'd admit that shoveling granite probably wouldn't be the best thing I could do with my (healing) sprained ankle. But I really want the granite project underway. Really.
Here's the general look that I'm going for:
My main purpose is to cover updirt soil* until I can landscape everywhere. I remain thrilled to have all the grass gone out of my backyard, but am less thrilled when the soil becomes mud when it rains. I am not over the moon happy with the few paths I put in (cedar mulch over weed stop fabric) so I'll pull those up and redistribute the mulch into beds. I think the granite will provide a more cohesive look, and for the most part negate the need for paths.
I did make a couple of phone calls to suppliers about price and how far a cubic yard would go -- and did some rough calculations of how much space I have to cover. I think I need about 2 cubic yards, maybe a little more. I'm told one cubic yard of decomposed granite will cover 300 sq. ft. 1 inch deep (or 600 sq. ft. 1/2 inch deep -- look at me, doing math) I think something between 1/2 inch and 1 inch deep will serve my purpose.
Which brings me to a c-c-c-catch 22. The minimum delivery is 4 yards. The amount you can put in a back of a regular pick up truck is about half a yard, because it's so heavy. So, I can get 4 yards delivered and have nearly twice as much as I need (obviously foolish -- won't be doing that) or I can make 4-5 trips in a pick up truck. Ugh. But, as Red pointed out, the good news about that method is that by hauling 1/2 a yard at a time, I won't end up with more than I need. It's a lot of trips though. Maybe I can re-frame the driving time as labor breaks? I am also going to check into truck rental at Home Depot -- maybe they have a larger payload than a personal pick up truck.
* Soil or dirt? "Dirt" has sort of a negative connotation, doesn't it? And "soil" seems more respectful and attended to. Because I plant plants in it, and I want to nurture those plants, its better to project that I'm planting them into soil, not just sticking them in the dirt.
Here's the general look that I'm going for:
My main purpose is to cover up
I did make a couple of phone calls to suppliers about price and how far a cubic yard would go -- and did some rough calculations of how much space I have to cover. I think I need about 2 cubic yards, maybe a little more. I'm told one cubic yard of decomposed granite will cover 300 sq. ft. 1 inch deep (or 600 sq. ft. 1/2 inch deep -- look at me, doing math) I think something between 1/2 inch and 1 inch deep will serve my purpose.
Which brings me to a c-c-c-catch 22. The minimum delivery is 4 yards. The amount you can put in a back of a regular pick up truck is about half a yard, because it's so heavy. So, I can get 4 yards delivered and have nearly twice as much as I need (obviously foolish -- won't be doing that) or I can make 4-5 trips in a pick up truck. Ugh. But, as Red pointed out, the good news about that method is that by hauling 1/2 a yard at a time, I won't end up with more than I need. It's a lot of trips though. Maybe I can re-frame the driving time as labor breaks? I am also going to check into truck rental at Home Depot -- maybe they have a larger payload than a personal pick up truck.
* Soil or dirt? "Dirt" has sort of a negative connotation, doesn't it? And "soil" seems more respectful and attended to. Because I plant plants in it, and I want to nurture those plants, its better to project that I'm planting them into soil, not just sticking them in the dirt.
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