Which Material is better: Stone or Mulch???

Almost ready to lay a foundation for an area that will fit about 15 face cords. What material is better to use for the base.....Pea Stone or Mulch and Why??? It will be about 3-4 inches thick........

 

Stone. Because it won't decay away.
Also the stone won't allow weeds to grow and the stone won't hold moisture.

 

X2 or attract extra termites.

 

stone drains better as well, I'd lay landscape cloth down because weeds will grow thru stone.

 

stone as it tends to stay dry
mulch can stay wet by wicking water up from the ground underneath and can get infested with termites unless well treated.
I wouldn't bother with landscape fabric unless you really need to suppress growth from under the fabric because most fabrics end up with a layer of dust, pollen and dirt on top of them which weeds will grow in on top of the fabric.

 

Stone for sure, but I would use a 5/8" crush stone as it binds together. Pea stone is like a bed of marbles. It will stick in your shoes when cold etc. Not as stable as a base either. Crushed concrete works very well too.

 

Yes, I was going to say to not use pea gravel. There's even larger grades of crushed Stone, like what railroads use that is even less money.

 

+1
Crushed white limestone if available looks good too.
As well as crushed red brick.
Used to be able to get crushed red granite here on the port terminal but it was pricey $60/ton.

 

Stone is way better!. doesn't hold water...or bugs...or rodents...or snakes...doesn't rot up and turn to compost/dirt.

 

Glad you posted this ? Nordic Splitter ... I’m prepping a new area for storage myself. Seems like stone is the unanimous decision. I’m assuming all the draw backs of mulch would also apply to a wood chip base????

 

Whats the difference between mulch and wood chips?

 

I’d say about 2/3 years

 

stone definitely. Mulch will rot, hold moisture. Like amateur cutter said x2. Big box stores will discount open bags of landscape stones.

 

I can’t speak for your specific area. Here in Ct if you call the major supplier of crushed stone product they will deliver it to your door for %50 less than you can buy it and truck it yourself from any other distributor. The mark up is crazy.
You may be well served to find out who actually makes the crushed stone in your area and call the quarry directly

 

Had the driveway redone awhile back and had the fella put a layer down in the staging area. Wish I woulda rolled some cloth down first though.

 

Well I finally got around to putting down a stone pad for my new stacking area. Spent a few days in hot weather shoveling stone and moving it one wheelbarrow load at a time. Took forever! 8,000 lbs of stone total .

 

Almost forgot to show my lazy retaining wall... just punched a few holes in the bags and wet them down . I figure the paper will peel of eventually...

 

Looks like inch and a half crushed, washed, rock. Good idea laying paper and a good drain as well as pallets. Well worth the time to do it like that, do it once and do it right.

 

I have heard they build levees out of bags of cement in just that fashion. No need to wet them yourself though. Mother Nature will do it eventually.

 

That looks soooo nice! Was it muddy before? Your stacks should stay nice and clear now! Not only did you move the stone, you moved the wood a couple times too! Wow.