When you are putting the finishing touches to a home, the place that often comes last is that of the garden.
This isn’t because anyone has forgotten about the garden, and more that the home is just a bit more important to complete.
However, once a DIY professional has gotten the home out of the way, moving into the yard is the next best thing.
For those looking to put grass on the lawn this is fairly easy, but if you are looking to cover the lawn in gravel, then that is another thing entirely.
After all you will need to know exactly how much gravel to put and what’s more you will need to know how much it weighs.
With this in mind, we decided to take a look at gravel and dictate to you exactly how much a yard’s worth of gravel weighs.
Benefits Of Putting Gravel On Your Yard
While it may not be something that everyone does, there are some benefits to putting gravel down over your yard instead of grass or other lawn options.
As such, we decided to write what those benefits might be for you:
Weeds
Gravel is a hardy, resistant stone that is quite cheap to buy, and it is one of the best methods for stopping weeds from overgrowing or gaining a permanent purchase in the area.
This is because the weed will have to root in the soil underneath before sprouting upwards through the gravel.
The nature of the gravel and the different environment it provides means that weeds will have to expend a lot of energy to grow, far before reaching sunlight.
This will leave them with a larger body to get nutrients for and a less sturdy grip to hold them in place, making them weaker overall.
Drainage
Gravel beds are great for drainage and are in fact used in soakaways a lot of the time.
The gravel bed has a lot of nooks and crannies for water to funnel through, but it will still take a little time to reach the soil.
As such, the water gets stuck in the gravel, giving the soil a chance to absorb the water before more comes.
This is great during heavy rainfall, as no giant puddles are going to form over the gravel, nor will the soil underneath be completely drowned.
Heating
Gravel is a great way to heat the surrounding area from where it is placed.
It is great for absorbing heat directly from sunlight, which might not seem amazing, unless you have a lot of plants in your garden used to a colder, drier climate.
Having a few pieces of gravel in a bed of flowers can keep those flowers at the temperature they want, without you having to work too hard to keep them all alive.
This could also do wonders for your house if it is always cold. Place beds of gravel around the property next to the outside walls and watch it completely heat up.
Pests
Gravel is also great for stopping any would-be pests – like termites – from appearing and ruining your good time.
This is because gravel is hard, lacks nutrients, lacks moisture, and is generally quite hostile towards animals that try to live within it.
Soil and mulch are amazing, but they provide everything pests need, so if you have problems with pests and wildlife making a habit of destroying your plants and home, then you may want to consider putting gravel everywhere, instead of grass or soil.
How Much Does A Yard Of Gravel Weigh?
The answer to this question will depend a lot on your yard, how wide it is, how long it is, and how deep it is.
Let’s say, as an average for everyone, that yards are 10×10 or 100 square feet and that they reach a depth of about 3 inches normally.
From this metric, we can say you would probably need about 2200 pounds of gravel or about a ton of gravel in total.
That’s enough for loading up a big car full of gravel or having a big old bag that measures 1 cubic yard delivered from the store itself.
With this much gravel, you could make sure your entire yard is filled, however this will depend upon the shape of your yard as well.
If your yard is a simple square shape, then there is nothing to worry about, but if it is an odd shape or has some strange corner to it, then you may have problems.
This is also true of the topography of your yard.
If – for some strange reason – there is a hill in the middle of your yard, then you may find yourself in a bit of bother, as the gravel just slides off requiring you to add more gravel to it.
Is It Better To Use Pea Gravel Than Other Gravel?
While pea gravel is slightly more expensive, it might be worth your while using it instead of other forms of gravel.
For starters, pea gravel is different due to the surface finish on the rock itself. It is not jagged and chipped like other gravels, instead the stones are naturally smooth and easy to touch.
This makes it look nicer than other gravels and makes it easier to walk on, which may not sound like much, but it can be great if you need to get over it.
Pea gravel can also be used in multiple locations due to this as well, with no problems.
If you are trying to create a walkway, a driveway, or use it on indoor plants, then pea gravel is better.
Conclusion
A yard’s worth of gravel is about 2400 or about a ton in weight – if the yard is 3 inches deep and 100 square feet.
Generally, you can get this from the store without too much issue, but you could equally have it delivered to your home as well if you feel it is necessary.
Hi, my name is Joel Adams and I like to think of myself as a professional DIYer. Whatever odd jobs a person needs to be done around the house, I’m their guy.
I’m talking shelves, making sideboards and tables, painting feature walls… the list is neverending!
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