The last part of our sump pump/rain barrel and dry well project involved getting rid of ~½ cubic yard of loose gravel. Sure, we could just give it away but that felt like a whole thing, especially because I knew we could find a way to use it for our own outdoor projects…but how?
What to Do with Extra Gravel
Here’s what we ended up using it for:
Rain Barrel Area
“Rain Barrel area” is all I really know what to call it, but I’m open to suggestions! This is where the majority of the loose gravel went. Mostly as a way to keep us from having to navigate the lawnmower around the PVC valves and the rain barrel itself. I lined the area with landscape fabric and used no-dig borders to close the area off, then went a-shovelin’.
A border around our foundation.
In an effort to divert rainwater from seeping into our basement (but really to get rid of the excessive amounts of bindweed that we can’t ever seem to kill), I created a border on the side of our house that gets very little love. It is also lined with landscape fabric (again, RIP bindweed) and another no-dig border. Tip: if you decide to make a border around your home like this, make sure to create a slope away from the house to help keep rain from flowing into your foundation.
What To Do With Extra Gravel – Other Ideas I Would’ve Done:
- Creating a garden path. I would’ve loved to cut through the yard and create a winding little path toward a picnic or reading area, but I know the practicality of that (i.e. lawn mowing) would have been a headache.
- Creating a border around a deck/fence. We have mulch at the base of our fence perimeter, and if I had to do it again, I might’ve preferred gravel (especially since the mulch loses its color because of winter).