Gravel, Stone and Soil Delivery in Jersey City, NJ

Snow, rain and freezing nights by the harbor

The closest NOAA normals station is the Central Park tower in New York, about 6 miles away. It averages 49.5 inches of precipitation and 29.8 inches of snow each year. That much water, plus melting snow, means anything you build outside needs a clear path for water to leave.^[1]

The same station records 67 days a year with a low of 32 F or colder. Water that sits in a stone base and freezes expands, and over a winter it can heave pavers and loosen edging. A base of clean, compacted stone that drains well is the best defense.^[1]

At Central Park the median date of the last spring freeze is March 30, and the median first fall freeze falls on November 20.^[1]

De-icing salt and snow shovels are hard on loose surfaces. Paths that need clearing do best with a firm, bound top such as Stone Dust Screenings rolled hard, while Pea Gravel suits areas that can sit under snow until it melts.^[1]

Old fill and glacial till below the city

The soil survey maps the ZIP's center point as Urban land, till substratum, 0 to 8 percent slopes. It rates 90 percent of that map unit as paved or built over, so the ground under most surfaces has been disturbed, filled and reworked.^[2]

The remaining natural soil in the unit is Greenbelt, which makes up 10 percent. Greenbelt is a well drained loam in hydrologic group B, so water moves into it at a moderate rate.^[2]

Its shrink-swell rating is low, 1.2 percent, so the soil itself barely moves as it wets and dries.^[2]

The USGS geologic map places the center point on the Stockton Formation, a unit of siltstone, mudstone, arkose, shale, sandstone and conglomerate. Bedrock like that does not change what you buy for a patio, but it explains the mix of stone and old masonry that can turn up when an excavator digs deep near the waterfront.^[3]

The ground at the center point is only 10 feet above sea level.^[4]

Courtyards, tree pits and planters

Housing near the waterfront is mostly apartments and attached homes, so the usual project is small and tight on space, with every square foot doing a job.^[5]

For a courtyard, a firm and tidy surface works best. Compact a base of Road Base or 3/4" Crushed Stone, then finish with Pea Gravel for a soft, crunchy look or with Stone Dust Screenings rolled flat for a hard surface you can sweep. Edge the area with steel or stone so the gravel stays in its frame.^[2]

Tree pits along a sidewalk need loose soil that drains. Fill them with Garden Soil, keep the level a little below the curb, and top with Brown Shredded Mulch or Black Shredded Mulch to hold moisture and keep the soil from compacting under foot traffic.^[1],[2]

Rooftop and patio planters dry out fast and freeze through in winter. A layer of #89 Crushed Stone at the bottom helps drainage, and Garden Soil mixed with Compost above it gives roots a light, rich medium. Mulch on top keeps the soil from drying in summer wind.^[1],[2]

Plant tree pits and planters after the last spring freeze has passed, and water them deeply through the first summer while roots spread into the new soil.^[1]

Pavers and walks that survive the winter

Pavers fail here when water gets trapped under them and freezes. Dig down to firm ground, lay fabric over any soft fill, and compact several inches of Road Base in thin lifts. Screed a level bed of Concrete Sand or Stone Dust Screenings on top and set the pavers tight against each other. Sweep Mason Sand into the joints to lock them.^[1]

Give every walk a slight fall away from buildings. On a narrow lot with no lawn to absorb runoff, a strip of Drain Rock along a fence line or at the base of a wall catches roof water and lets it soak into the moderately draining ground below.^[1],[2]

Low shrink-swell loam is kind to pavers and walks, because the soil underneath barely changes volume between wet and dry spells. Most of the movement you see in a city walk comes from frost, tree roots or loosely packed fill, so the effort belongs in compaction and drainage.^[2]

Side passages and planning a city delivery

A passage between buildings gets little sun and plenty of foot traffic, and grass rarely thrives there. A compacted layer of Road Base topped with #89 Crushed Stone or Walkway Gravel makes a clean, dry path that you can rake smooth. Skip large stone in tight spaces, since it is awkward to walk on and harder to shovel.^[2]

If the passage has to be cleared of snow, a bound surface makes life easier. Stone Dust Screenings, wetted and compacted, form a crust that stands up to a shovel far better than loose gravel. Expect to top it up and roll it again each spring after the thaw.^[1]

Where roof water drains into the passage, lay a strip of Drain Rock along the wall, kept apart from the path by edging. It catches the runoff and lets it soak into the moderately draining ground below, rather than turning the walkway into a puddle.^[1],[2]

Where old masonry or broken concrete turns up in a dig, it can stay at the bottom of a deep fill if it is packed tight, but it should never sit just under a paver base. Pull it out of the top layers and replace it with compacted Road Base so the surface settles evenly.^[2],[3]

Room for a delivery is tight on most blocks. Plan where the load will go before it arrives, such as a cleared stretch of driveway, a tarp laid on a paved strip or a spot right beside the work area. For a courtyard reached only through a gate or hallway, a wheelbarrow and a few helpers turn a pile at the curb into a finished job in an afternoon.^[2],[5]

Mulch and soil are the easiest loads to move by hand. Brown Shredded Mulch and Red Mulch are light, and Garden Soil spreads easily with a rake. Stone is much heavier, so measure the area with the calculator above and order close to what you need.^[1],[2]

Homes in ZIP 07302 and across Jersey City

The Census Bureau's survey finds 31,029 housing units in ZIP 07302. Only 2 percent are detached single-family houses, and the median home was built in 2000.^[5]

Jersey City as a whole has 135,231 housing units. Detached houses make up 7 percent of them, and the citywide median build year is 1971.^[5]

Owners occupy 24 percent of the lived-in homes in the ZIP.^[5]