Gravel, Stone and Soil Delivery in Long Beach, MS

A very wet Gulf Coast year

The NOAA normals station at Gulfport Naval CTR, MS, about 3 miles away, averages 68.2 inches of precipitation in a year. That is a very wet total. Any surface that cannot shed water fast will stay damp for much of the year.^[1]

With that much rain, edges and outlets matter more than the surface stone. A drive or a patio here is only as good as the path its water takes after it leaves.^[1]

Snow is rare at the Gulfport gauge, with a yearly average of 0.2 inches. Cold is mild as well. The station logs 13 days a year with a low of 32 F or colder.^[1]

Its median last spring freeze is February 18 and its median first fall freeze is December 14. Beds have a very long planting season between those dates, and mulch spends more of its life fighting heat and rain than frost.^[1]

Sandy coastal soil with a water table below

The USDA soil survey maps Harleston fine sandy loam, 0 to 2 percent slopes, at the center point of ZIP 39560. The Harleston series makes up 85 percent of that map unit. The ground is nearly flat.^[2]

Harleston is rated moderately well drained. Its hydrologic group is B/D, which means group D while the water table is high and group B where the land has been drained. In a dry spell the sandy top takes water in well. After a run of storms, a raised water table can leave it soggy.^[2]

The top mineral layer is fine sandy loam, and its shrink-swell rating in the top 100 cm is low, at 0.7 percent. The soil barely moves as it wets and dries, so swelling is not a worry for a base or a slab on this ground.^[2]

The geologic map shows Coastal deposits of Holocene age, a young unit of fine and coarse alluvium. The ground at the center point is about 20 feet above sea level.^[3],[4]

A drive that stays above the water

Raise the drive a little above the yard on either side. On flat ground with a B/D rating, height is what keeps a base dry when the water table comes up. Strip the grass, roll the fine sandy loam and lay a fabric across it.^[2]

Build the base from Road Base or Crushed Concrete, compacted in layers. Fine sandy loam compacts well when it is damp, not soaked, so pick a dry week for the work.^[2]

Surface the drive with Driveway Gravel or #57 Crushed Stone. Clean stone on top lets rain pass straight down to the base and out to the sides. Shape a crown so the water leaves the middle.^[1]

Along the edge of the drive, a strip of 1-1/2" Crushed Gravel set into a shallow trench catches what runs off the crown. It keeps the shoulder from turning to mud where tires drift off the stone.^[3]

Where the runoff goes

Every lot needs a plan for where heavy rain will travel. Shallow swales lined with River Rock or Pea Gravel can carry surface water to the street or to a ditch. On flat ground, give the swale a slight fall even if you can barely see it.^[2]

Downspouts are the biggest single source of water near a house. Set each outlet on a pad of Riprap or River Rock to break the force, then lead the flow into a French drain filled with Drain Rock.^[1]

Fine sandy loam can wash into a drain and clog it. Wrap the stone in fabric before backfilling, and keep a layer of Pea Gravel or River Rock on top so the surface stays neat.^[2]

A dry well filled with #57 Crushed Stone can hold a burst of roof water and let it soak away. It works best in a raised spot, away from where the water table rises.^[2]

Sand for play, pavers and low spots

Sand is part of most coastal yard jobs, and each kind does a different task. Playground Sand is washed and soft, made for sandboxes and play areas. Mason Sand is fine and even, the sand to sweep into paver joints. Concrete Sand is coarser and makes a level bed under pavers.^[2]

Fill Sand suits a low corner that needs raising before a shed or a patio goes in. On ground with a B/D rating, a few inches of extra height can be the difference between a dry pad and one that sits in water after a storm. Compact Fill Sand in thin layers, wetting each one.^[2]

Fill Dirt holds its shape better than sand when building up a slope or a berm. Cover it with Topsoil and grass or mulch so heavy rain does not wash it off. Riprap at the foot of a berm stops it from eroding where water collects.^[1]

Choosing a top stone for wet, flat ground

Two surface stones come up often for coastal drives and parking pads. #57 Crushed Stone is angular, about the size of a grape, and locks together under tires. Pea Gravel is round and smooth, pleasant underfoot, but it rolls and spreads.^[2]

For anything a car drives on, #57 Crushed Stone is the stronger pick. Its open gaps also let the heavy local rain drain through fast. Pea Gravel works best on paths, patios and around plants, held inside an edge.^[1]

On the fine sandy loam mapped at the center point, either stone needs fabric under it. Without that layer, sand works up through the gaps over time and the surface turns soft. A fabric with a tight weave lasts longer under a drive than a thin landscape cloth, which can tear under a loaded truck. Overlap the seams generously so no strip of sand is left bare.^[2]

Beds, lawns and homes in ZIP 39560

Fine sandy loam drains well in dry weather but holds few nutrients. Mix Garden Soil or Compost into new beds and raise them slightly so roots stay out of a saturated layer after storms.^[2]

Heavy rain can float light mulch out of a bed. Shredded mulch knits together better than chips, so Brown Shredded Mulch or Red Mulch tends to stay put. Edge the bed so the mulch has a lip to rest against.^[1]

The Census counts 8,587 housing units in ZIP 39560. The City of Long Beach has 7,785. Detached single-family houses make up 72 percent of homes in both the ZIP and the city.^[5]

The median home in the ZIP was built in 1987, close to the city median of 1986. Owners live in 66 percent of occupied homes in ZIP 39560. Many drives and walks from those years may now need a fresh layer of top stone.^[5]