Gravel ?

[Jim.G1SSO]

I want to make some of my garden maintence free.

What size gravel should I use 10mm or 20mm ?

I have heard that the 10mm is particually prone to letting weeds grow Jim G

[Tim Watts]

On Wednesday 28 August 2013 08:46 wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Gravel sucks appearance wise and gets everywhere (esp 10mm) -

Can you afford some funky chippings? For some reason the 30-40mm size seem less prone to problems. And you can use different colours.

[Nightjar]

Larger stones are less prone to being used as a cat litter tray. My cats won't even walk on the 20mm chippings on parts of my garden. As for weeds, if you have a weed control membrane, they only grow in wind blown dirt that lodges in the stones. I don't know whether one size is more prone to that than another, but IME, you need to lift the stones and sieve out the dirt every few years to stop weeds.

Colin Bignell

[dom]

Presumably you're using weedproof matting under the gravel, so there should be no weed penetration.

Guide to what's available from my local supplier here:

Crushed gravel locks together better when it's compacted, but not so good for vehicle tyres.

Do you want to walk over it, or drive over it?

[fred]

In article , Jim.G1SSO writes

I have used 20mm for a few jobs and it works and looks fine, a softer and more subdued look than chippings. No need to but washed, that's what rain or a hose is for.

For small to moderate amounts I have bought from B&Q in 25kg bags for about 2quid a bag and on a recent buy they were doing a 25% odd discount on purchases of 10 bags or over making it closer to bulk bag prices. Also easier to cart 30 bags through a house with no side access than to crane over a bulk bag.

You'll be wanting about 40mm depth for reasonable coverage, work out the required weight by calculating volume and figuring on 1.5tonnes per cubic metre.

[Dave Liquorice]

Gravel/chippings are not "maintenance free". Even with a good weed control fabric underneath plant seeds will be blown onto the top. It will also migrate, though the larger stuff less so and if regularly driven/walked over will need raking back every so often. Low maintenance compared to say grass would be a better description.

[Martin Brown]

It isn't bad though. Much better than bark chippings for instance.

I prefer plum slate or golden flint for cosmetic use in a low maintenance garden. Basic cheapest gravel looks too industrial.

The nominal 20mm chippings provide fewer nooks and crannies for weed seeds to hide in and grow and also drains and dries out faster.

You will always get a few weeds coming through on the edges and the odd seedling too (especially after a few years when some windblown soil has accumulated under the chippings and on top of the weedproof membrane).

Thistles and bamboo will penetrate "weed proof" membrane.

[Huge]

I have about 200 square metres of gravel hard standing in front of my house, and the list of reasons I wouldn't have it again grows every weekend. My advice is to *seriously* consider not having gravel. it certainly isn't maintenance free.

[The Medway Handyman]

People make four basic errors with gravel.

10mm is more like shingle & migrates. 20mm is & looks much better. You need 'edges' all round to stop migration. You need at least 40mm depth.

[charles]

you missed: it is almost impossible to cycle over.

[Dave Liquorice]

That would be a positive aspect from TMH's point of view. B-)

[The Medway Handyman]

Yet another benefit.

[The Other Mike]

20mm, mixed with cement, sand and water. It's the only way you will make gravel maintenance free.

[tony sayer]

Dunno. We have gravel outside well compacted, and it does settle so we need to chuck a bit more on from time to time around 10 year intervals;!..

[Tim Watts]

On Thursday 29 August 2013 09:41 The Other Mike wrote in uk.d-i-y:

I have 40m2 for sale ready made - £1 for any size lot - buyer collects :)

[Rick Hughes]

get crushed slate ... lay Geotex underneath and no weeds. It looks good, and stuff I use is up to 70mm in size