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Killing the weeds

Naomim
Naomim Posts: 3,117 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
Hi all,

My front garden is about 6' × 12' and just full of weeds. I'm looking for a way to get rid of them so I can actually have flower borders and a lawn.

I don't want to put weed killer down for a couple of reasons, both neighbours to each side have lovely gardens and I'd worry anything in the soil may kill their plants and also we have a fair few hedgehogs who potter about and lots of birds. I also have a dog so don't want to harm them.

We did completely dig it over in 2019. We went to Cornwall for a week, came home to a front covered in weeds. I spent 2020 just keeping mowing to try and keep it down but feel I really need to tackle it properly.  MrM is all for concreting over it but I don't want to do this.

Is black tarpaulin the only way to go with this?

Thanks

Naomim 
Credit Cards NOV 2019 £33,220.42 Sept 2023 £19,951.00 Tilly Tidy 20223/COLOR] Sept £43.71 Here's my diary: A Ditherer's Diary Again
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Comments

  • Sky_
    Sky_ Posts: 605 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper
    Black tarpaulin is an option, as is cardboard thickly covered in mulch, as per 'no dig gardening'.

    With my large and weedy back garden I created wide borders by working on a bit at a time, thoroughly weeding that section, put in plants I liked, then mulched that section thickly with bark chips.  It didn't take long to do 13m x 1m of borders and the odd weed we get now is easy to pull out. I just top the bark chips as needed.  I find that it's much better to do small a small bit at a time and thoroughly remove weeds and weed roots.  This method also means you can take a break from working on it, without going backwards, when life gets in the way. 

    2022. 2% MF challenge. £730/3000
  • Roundup & weedol do a systemic weedkiller that is pet / wildlife safe that you may find suitable & it only affects the plants sprayed so it will not kill neighbours plants, just don't spray on a windy day. As Sky- has said cover it over with anything that blocks the light cardboard/plastic bin bags/ weed surpressing fabric (thick stuff not the type you can see through). Then mulch it over I used pea gravel on my patch some years ago as the bark chipping I first put down got spread everywhere by the birds looking for grubs.
    Then do a section at a time a garden is never finished it just keeps evolving so slow and steady wins the race. Best of luck with your garden
  • Naomim
    Naomim Posts: 3,117 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Thank you @Sky_ & @donemedosh so I have a plan for the borders, but what do I do with the lawn aspect? Kill the weeds and put grass seeds down? I cant afford to turf it.

    Naomim 
    Credit Cards NOV 2019 £33,220.42 Sept 2023 £19,951.00 Tilly Tidy 20223/COLOR] Sept £43.71 Here's my diary: A Ditherer's Diary Again
  • Sky_
    Sky_ Posts: 605 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper
    Glysophate (as in Roundup, but check the ingredients) will kill the grass/weeds in the lawn and you can re-seed almost immediately.  As donemedosh said, it is claimed to be pet/wildlife safe (once it is dry, so be prepared to chase off any wildlife/pets until then) and won't harm neighbouring gardens if sprayed on a  still day.  

    Alternatively, feed the grass well, overseed it, and spend some time pulling up the worst weeds.  Good and regular feeding will strengthen the grass roots and help it to crowd out the weeds. 

    Even a newly seeded/turfed lawn will soon have windblown weed seeds in it unless you use a harsh lawn moss/weedkiller all the time, so unless your lawn is really bad (i.e. virtually no grass), it's probably worth trying to rescue what you already have. 
    2022. 2% MF challenge. £730/3000
  • Naomim
    Naomim Posts: 3,117 Forumite
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    Thank you @Sky_ I'll try that as there is some grass! 👍
    Credit Cards NOV 2019 £33,220.42 Sept 2023 £19,951.00 Tilly Tidy 20223/COLOR] Sept £43.71 Here's my diary: A Ditherer's Diary Again
  • twopenny
    twopenny Posts: 6,858 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    I'm wondering what sort of weeds you have got. Nettles, brambles, dandelion? Or just the smaller annual weeds?
    You can get a big piece of black fleece type membrane from Poundland. Buy some 'tent hooks' from the outdoor/exercise section to secure it to the ground. They come in useful for all sorts of things when you've finished.
    Don't buy their plants though or the £2 in a box from the cheapie shops. They will grow but are the runt runts from the growers and unless you are prepared to pot them on for a year and nurture them you'll be waiting forever. The supermarket ones are variable and ok but to get a good plant quickly bite the bullet and pay for a nursery grown one.

    I can rise and shine - just not at the same time!

    viral kindness .....kindness is contageous pass it on

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  • Naomim
    Naomim Posts: 3,117 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    @twopenny I have thistles, dandelions and some type of clover looking stuff. 

    I never thought of poundland but will have a look. 
    Credit Cards NOV 2019 £33,220.42 Sept 2023 £19,951.00 Tilly Tidy 20223/COLOR] Sept £43.71 Here's my diary: A Ditherer's Diary Again
  • twopenny
    twopenny Posts: 6,858 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Oh heck! Thistles are difficult. Thick gloves and dig the roots out first? I'd be inclined to do that a bit at a time as mentioned.
    I think you'll need something heavier than the fleece stuff but it's worth bearing in mind for maintenance once you've cleared it. You get loads for the £1, certainly enough for your beds and it's water permeable.
    I used on old green carpet on my veg beds. It looked quite smart during the winter and stopped everything growing. Didn't blow off in the wind either.
    But killing the weeds by covering is going to take a long time. Could you perhaps spray as suggested above on a non windy day and then cover to be doubly sure nothing touches it? I used to use Glysophate as recommended in Weedol and keep the dog and animals off until it was dry using garden netting. Once dry and working nothing came to any harm.
    That would be quick and with a bit of late planting you could have your garden this year.

    I can rise and shine - just not at the same time!

    viral kindness .....kindness is contageous pass it on

    The only normal people you know are the ones you don’t know very well


  • -taff
    -taff Posts: 15,072 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Thistles and dandelions can be dug out but because they have very smal light seeds that blow everywhere you're likely to have them keep returning. Personally, I'd dig a bit at a time but nature abhors a vacuum so plant something immediately or sow your grass seed if a lawn is really important.
    If not, and you just want something nice to look at, make a raised bed in the middle and plant it up [ you willstill have to dig out the dandelions and thistles] and cover and pebble the rest of the area.
    Non me fac calcitrare tuum culi
  • My granny used to say, "One years weeds leaves seven years seeds"

    I think she was right. We need to keep on top of them. As has been said cover the cleared area with something, plants or covering. Then buy a hoe and hoe between the plants when the tiny weeds appear. If very small you can leave them on the surface to wilt and die thus returning the nutrients to the soil. No need to bend down and very quick. As your new plants grow there will be less and less to hoe

    A hoe is the garden tool I would take to my desert island. 

    Good for you for thinking of the neighbours. Look for inspiration at what does well in their gardens to start with. 
    Love living in a village in the country side
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