[JohnB47]

I'm always thinking of alternative places to buy things that I want for veg growing - eg trays bought at the garden centre may be a lot more expensive than some fairly similar plastic thing you could get at a cheapie hardware store.

Sooo - does anyone know of a cheaper alternative supplier of sand, or 'grit sand', which was the name of the ridiculously small bag I bought last time for around £4 odd.

Ta.

[Jamie Butterworth]

Wickes sell bags of sharp sand for around £1.50 i think

[JohnB47]

Thanks.

Presumably you mean that builders 'sharp sand' is equivalent to the stuff you get in the garden centre?

[Benandbill]

How big was the bag from Wickes?  I want some to grow parsnips in stony soil.  I went to my local garden centre y/day and asked about sand.  They didn't have it but suggested Do It All would be cheaper than B&Q.

[Ma and Pa Snip]

Builders merchants sell sharp sand, either small bags or in bulk.

Got a couple of bags the other day,   Travis Perkins £2.10 plus VAT each


http://www.travisperkins.co.uk/Branch-Locator

[bigben]

I bought some bags from B&Q recently they were £1.60 ish each or a bit less if you bought 3. The site has them at 1.64 http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?isSearch=true&fh_search=sharp+sand

[8doubles]

Scrounge it from a builder at the end of a job,if you don`t they will probably have to pay a man to bag it up or throw it in the skip. 

[Jamie Butterworth]

Heres a link:

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Sharp-Sand/invt/220112

[Gandan57]

I bought ten bags of Wickes sharp sand but the particle size is quite large- more like grit than sand.

[Gandan57]

Oh I`ve just read your original post again. That`s exactly what you were after- grit sand!

[JohnB47]

Thanks everyone - I'm hearing loud and clear - 'go to a builders merchant' (or at least 'buy builders sand').

So, sand is sand is sand?

There is no difference between what I might get at the garden centre compared to a builders merchant?

Cheers all. It's digging time.

[Ma and Pa Snip]

Thanks everyone

So, sand is sand is sand?

Not quite
There is playpit sand as well, and you dont want that or anything that is like sand seen on the beach

You just want  sharp sand or builders sand and preferably without larger stone particles in it

[JayG]

Builder's sand is usually too fine for gardening use (playpit sand is probably even finer and softer.)

I definitely think it's sharp sand you need; it's not the same as builder's sand!

[Ma and Pa Snip]

Builder's sand is usually too fine for gardening use (playpit sand is probably even finer and softer.)

I definitely think it's sharp sand you need; it's not the same as builder's sand!

You're probably right Jay, thinking about it isn't builders sand that dark yellow stuff without any grit in it.

[JohnB47]

Great. Thanks for clarifying. Sharp sand it is.