Gravel Delivery in Massachusetts

The geologic map shows hard, old rock at most of our Massachusetts center points, in a wide spread of kinds. At the Boston and Cambridge center points it lists argillite, quartzite, sandstone and conglomerate. Quincy and New Bedford show alkali granite. Worcester reads granofels and schist, and Lowell reads diorite and tonalite. Lynn shows rhyolite and felsic volcanic rock.^[1]

Springfield is different. Its center point shows arkose, siltstone, sandstone and black shale, softer, layered rock. Sandstone and shale break into flat, platy pieces, while granite, quartzite and diorite break into blocky, hard chunks. A buyer does not need to know the name of the rock under the yard, but it helps to know that crushed stone from hard rock wears slowly and keeps its edges for years.^[1]

Soil sits on top of that rock, and the USDA soil survey names it at five center points. Boston reads well drained silt loam. Worcester reads well drained fine sandy loam. Cambridge reads channery fine sandy loam, also well drained, where channery means it carries thin, flat chips of rock. Lowell reads fine sandy loam classed somewhat excessively drained, which means water passes through it fast and the top dries out quickly.^[2]

Sandy loam is easy ground to build on. It packs well, drains well and rarely turns to mud. Silt loam, as at the Boston center point, is finer and holds water longer after a thaw. Planting beds on the fast-draining Lowell reading need more Compost to hold water, while a base on the Boston reading needs a fabric layer to keep silt out of the stone.^[2]

Ground heights vary from the coast to the hills. The center point of Lynn stands 10 feet above sea level and Quincy's 30 feet. Cambridge reads 50 feet, Springfield 70 feet and Boston 80 feet. Lowell and New Bedford both read 90 feet, and Worcester stands highest at 670 feet. Each number belongs to one spot, and a single neighborhood can rise and fall well past it.^[3]

Frost is the main thing to plan around. The weather station used for Lowell logs 148 days a year at 32 F or colder, and the Springfield station 144 days. Worcester's logs 130 days and Cambridge's 121 days. Quincy's reads 115 days, Lynn's 108 days, New Bedford's 104 days and Boston's 92 days. A lot of those days warm above freezing by noon, and each swing between frozen and thawed works water in and out of the top of the ground.^[4]

Snow comes next. The Worcester station averages 72.9 inches of snowfall a year. Quincy's averages 50.9 inches, Boston's 49.2 inches, Lynn's 39.1 inches and New Bedford's 32.5 inches. Before a winter load arrives, plow or shovel the drop spot and the way in. Stake the edges of the drive, since a driver cannot see a buried curb or a garden wall under a fresh blanket of snow.^[4]

Spring thaw is the softest time of year. Once the frost leaves, the top of a lawn can stay soft for a while, and a full dump truck can rut it badly. A drop on pavement or on a gravel apron avoids that. Rain adds to it: the Quincy station averages 52.3 inches of precipitation a year and the New Bedford station 52.2 inches, while Cambridge reads 49.4, Lowell 48.5, Worcester 48.3, Lynn 48.0, Springfield 45.2 and Boston 43.6 inches.^[4]

Access is tight in many older neighborhoods. Narrow streets, parked cars, steep drives and three-family houses set close together can leave little room for a truck. A dump bed rises high to unload, so check for wires and branches above the spot. If the truck cannot reach the back yard, a pile at the front of the drive and a wheelbarrow may be the way to go. Tell Gravel Valet about these limits when you order.^[3]

Protect the surface under the pile. A tarp on a lawn keeps fines out of the grass and makes cleanup easy. Stone set on asphalt on a hot day can press small dents into it, so a piece of plywood under the pile spreads the load. Keep wet Topsoil and Compost off light pavers, which can stain.^[2]

Driveways built for frost lead the list. With 148 days a year at 32 F or colder at the Lowell station and 130 at Worcester, a thin base can heave. Dig down to firm ground, lay fabric on finer soil, and build a deep course of Road Base or Crushed Concrete in compacted lifts. Top it with 3/4" Crushed Stone or Driveway Gravel, and crown the surface so meltwater runs to the edges.^[4]

A coarse lower layer helps on wet or low sites. #4 Crushed Stone or 1-1/2" Crushed Gravel at the bottom of a driveway leaves open gaps where water can drain away before it freezes. On the silt loam reading at the Boston center point, that open layer matters more than on the sandy loam readings at Worcester and Lowell, which shed water on their own.^[2]

Drainage and snow storage go together. Plowed snow piles up along the edges of a drive and melts slowly in spring. A trench of Drain Rock or #57 Crushed Stone wrapped in fabric along that edge gives the melt a path away from the house. Riprap holds a slope or a ditch bank where runoff moves fast.^[4]

Low yards near the water ask for a little more care. Lynn's center point reads only 10 feet and Quincy's reads 30 feet. On low, flat lots, rain and melt can pool before they soak in. Raise a patio or a shed pad on a few inches of 3/4" Crushed Stone so its surface sits above the lawn, and give any downspout a short run of Drain Rock to spread the water out.^[3]

Beds and lawns come next. Fast-draining fine sandy loam, as at the Lowell and Worcester center points, benefits from Compost and Garden Soil to hold more water. A top layer of Brown Shredded Mulch or Black Shredded Mulch keeps roots cool in summer and evens out the swings of a freeze and thaw in early spring. River Rock and Pea Gravel suit a bed against a foundation.^[2]

Patios and walks finish the list. Pavers and flat stone need a compacted base of Road Base, then Concrete Sand or Stone Dust Screenings to set them. Mason Sand fills joints. Decomposed Granite and Walkway Gravel make a firm garden path that drains. Use our area calculator to turn each layer into tons before you order.^[2]