Bulk Gravel, Rock, Sand and Mulch Delivery in Ontario, CA

A dry year with hardly a frost

The closest NOAA normals station is Ontario Intl AP, CA, about 3 miles from the center of ZIP 91762. It averages just 11.6 inches of precipitation a year. In a climate that dry, the main enemies of a yard are dust, wind and the occasional hard storm that drops a lot of water in a short time. Stone surfaces and mulch earn their place by holding soil down between those storms and by keeping moisture under the surface where roots can reach it.^[1]

Cold weather barely shows up. The station counts only 2 days a year with a low of 32 F or colder. Its median first freeze date is December 30 and its median last freeze date is January 4. With so little frost, heaving is not a real worry for a base or a walkway, and paths of Decomposed Granite or Stone Dust Screenings can stay smooth for years. Work on beds, borders and gravel surfaces can go ahead in almost any month, so long as the ground is not soaked from a recent storm.^[1]

Dry years do not mean dry ground every day. When a storm does arrive, the water comes off roofs, patios and streets in a hurry, and loose material on a slope can move several feet in one afternoon. Downspouts that empty onto bare soil carve small gullies. A splash pad of River Rock under each one, or a short run of Drain Rock that spreads the water out, keeps a yearly total of 11.6 inches from doing outsized damage.^[1]

Loose sand that drinks water fast

At the center point of the ZIP, the USDA survey maps Tujunga loamy sand, 0 to 5 percent slopes, and the Tujunga series makes up 85 percent of that unit. Loamy sand is mostly sand grains with a little silt and clay mixed in. It falls through your fingers when dry and barely holds a shape when damp. The drainage class is somewhat excessively drained, and the soil sits in hydrologic group A, the group where water soaks in fast and runoff stays low.^[2]

That fast drainage is good news for a driveway and harder news for a garden. A stone base on this sand rarely sits in water, so fabric matters less than it would on clay. Plant roots, on the other hand, dry out quickly because the sand holds so little moisture. The shrink-swell rating for the top 100 cm is low, at 1.5 percent, so the ground stays put as it wets and dries. Edges and borders still need firm anchoring, because loose sand shifts sideways under weight.^[2]

The ground at the center point sits 840 feet above sea level. That reading describes one spot only. The gentle slopes in the soil unit name matter more for a project, since even a few degrees of fall decide which way a storm burst runs across a yard.^[2],[3]

Holding a drive together on sandy soil

On loamy sand, water drains away fast, so a gravel drive fails by movement. Round stone on loose sand acts like ball bearings, and tires push it into ridges. Start by scraping off any loose top layer and wetting and compacting the native sand. Then lay Road Base in thin lifts, misting each one before you compact it so the fines bind. Crushed Concrete is another firm, angular choice for the base and packs almost as tight.^[2]

For the surface, 3/4" Crushed Stone or Driveway Gravel locks into the base and stays where tires leave it. Pea Gravel looks soft and tidy but rolls underfoot and under wheels, so it belongs in paths and play areas rather than drives. Edging matters on sand, too. Steel, concrete or timber edging keeps the base from spreading out into the lawn. In a group A soil with low runoff, a short Drain Rock trench at the bottom of the drive is enough to catch the water from a heavy storm.^[2]

Pea Gravel or 3/8 inch stone for a garden path

A garden path on sandy ground can go two ways. Pea Gravel is small, smooth and rounded. It looks soft, drains at once and feels pleasant under bare feet, but it shifts with every step and slowly spreads into beds unless it is boxed in. 3/8" Crushed Stone is about the same size with sharp, broken faces. Those faces lock together, so the path stays flatter and walks more like a firm trail.^[2]

On fast-draining loamy sand, neither path needs a deep base. Scrape off the loose surface, compact the sand, lay a landscape fabric to slow weeds and set a firm edge. Spread the stone a couple of inches deep and rake it level. Choose Pea Gravel for a relaxed path that winds between plantings, and 3/8" Crushed Stone where people carry tools or push a wheelbarrow.^[2]

Dry gardens, gravel yards and cover

Many yards here move toward stone and mulch instead of thirsty lawn. Decomposed Granite makes a firm, tan surface for patios and paths. Compact it in layers and it binds into something close to soft pavement. River Rock fills dry creek beds and the gaps around succulents, and its rounded stones give storm water a channel without washing away. Red Mulch and Brown Shredded Mulch cover open soil between plants, slowing evaporation in the dry months.^[1]

On sand that dries out fast, new beds need help to hold water. Blend Compost into the native loamy sand before you plant, then top the bed with Garden Soil. The finer particles and organic matter act like a sponge that the sand alone cannot provide. A layer of Wood Chips over a shrub border shades the soil and breaks down slowly into more organic matter. Water deeply and less often so roots grow down into the cooler soil below.^[2]

Homes in ZIP 91762 and the state base standard

The Census counts 20,320 housing units in ZIP 91762. Ontario as a whole has 55,966. Detached single-family houses account for 59 percent of the ZIP's homes, very close to the 58 percent citywide. Owners occupy 58 percent of the occupied homes in the ZIP. For the ZIP, the Census gives 1975 as the median year built. For the whole city it gives 1980. Older homes often have worn concrete drives and tired front beds, and both can be refreshed with a few loads of stone and soil.^[4]

California's highway agency, Caltrans, writes its stone layer under pavement as Class 2 Aggregate Base, in Section 26-1.02B of its Standard Specifications (2026). That standard sets grading and testing rules for public roads. A home project needs no lab tests. It still needs a compacted, well-graded base under the surface to stay flat.^[5]