Since I've got the terrace in the backyard, I stopped using the main entrance and enter the house from the terrace. This implies that I have to deal with snow and ice on that side. If I put salt, everything will flow directly into the peony bed. I also plan to plant many steppable and other rock plants among the patio stones on the terrace, so I really cannot use salt. Any suggestions? What do you use? Thank you.

Sand, kitty litter (not the clumping kind) or saw dust to add traction.

We use nothing. I know some people use ashes from a wood stove. Sand also works.

If you want to use sand, make sure it's washed river sand: it's the kind that's generally used in the construction industry. Ordinary road sand is generally unwashed and comes from coastal sites, meaning it's loaded with salt. Problem: it cannot be washed off and needs to be removed.

Alternatives are molasses and beet juice (another way to stealthily subsidizing farming, like ethanol weren't enough ). Calcium chloride works but it's expensive. Finally if you live in a cattle ranching area, alfalfa meal can be probably found easily: it has the huge bonus you can just scoop it up and use it as a fertilizer once the cold season is over.

Found this about beet juice: https://www.modot.org/sugar-be...

ElPolloDiablo said:If you want to use sand, make sure it's washed river sand: it's the kind that's generally used in the construction industry. Ordinary road sand is generally unwashed and comes from coastal sites, meaning it's loaded with salt. Problem: it cannot be washed off and needs to be removed.

Alternatives are molasses and beet juice (another way to stealthily subsidizing farming, like ethanol weren't enough ). Calcium chloride works but it's expensive. Finally if you live in a cattle ranching area, alfalfa meal can be probably found easily: it has the huge bonus you can just scoop it up and use it as a fertilizer once the cold season is over.

Thank you, It seems as if sand is the only option for this year; that is until we find something better. You can buy ice melters that contain beet in the stores around my place, but all of them also contain salt. They are probably a bit more environmentally friendly, but still with a lot of salt.

I should try to find alfalfa meal for the next year.

Apparently the North Dakota road people put molasses in their ice melt stuff.

I'm sure it isn't but that makes me think of a nasty, syrupy mess!

Liz...it actually had a nice smell and it didn't rust the car belly so bad...still living where they don't salt roads it even nicer. I think they "sand" the intersections in AL like they do here when we get the occasional ice or snow storm.

Jasmin, that "sand" is like chicken grit or aquarium gravel it works pretty well to break things up and give traction.