Help with weeds taking over

Exodi

FreeBear

Please think twice about weed proof membranes. Weeds will start to grow in the bark chippings and send roots down. These roots will embed themselves in the membrane.

This is why I suggested re-covering with gravel instead of 'small grade bark chipping' which will decompose into soil in only a couple of years, forming a new layer of topsoil above the membrane and leading to the issues you mention (I appreciate you were not responding to me). That's not to say you won't still have the occasional weed take root in gravel, but it's a longer term solution than mulch.

The reason I suggest low maintenance longer term solutions is because I'm only slightly older than the OP and I also have a young child so can emphasise. I think oftentimes on this forum due to demographics skewing much older, people often imply it's not a big deal to spend hours every week cultivating a garden. In reality, with a young child you barely have time to go to the toilet. Spending a few hours de-weeding in the garden on the weekend is a luxury that has to be carefully planned.

I appreciate that it is possible to have a varied array of plants in a garden that also requires low maintenance.

XzavierWalnut

Maybe I did something wrong, my drive was full of moss and small weeds, and last year I spent hours and hours using a Ryobi patio cleaner to clean all the gaps on my drive, which is big enough for 4 cars, and then laid down the weed inhibiting sand.
Made no difference at all. In fact the moss actually seems worse.

I don't know what to say, I pulled out a lot of weeds from my driveway last year and filled the cracks and none of them have returned. I didn't use a weed inhibiting paving sand, but the logic is weeds generally want to grow in soil, and soil is formed by decomposing organic matter, which often gets caught in cracks in a driveway. If you fill every crack with sand, and level it off, there is nowhere for soil to form and little opportunity for weeds to grow.

That said, moss is a totally different issue - I didn't suggest paving sand would prevent moss growth, just they should scrape it off while there.

I've made peace with there always being some moss but I understand you can get long-lasting biocides to limit it (no experience with that).

Dustyevsky

In my opinion, Teasel May's advice is best. None of this is rocket science. No one needs an RHS Certificate in Horticulture to pull up weeds The area's weedy because you've neglected it, but none of us knows what else is going on in your life, so no judgement there. I've got more than the average amount of ground to maintain, and I struggle too, so there's a hierarchy of input. Places in direct view of the house get most attention.

There's no such thing as a maintenance free garden. 100m2 of concrete might be, but that's not a garden. While membranes and gravel can buy time, nature will do what it does, so having evergreen/tough ground-cover plants is the best way to go for areas not needed for walking-on. They won't entirely stop weeds, but they'll mostly out-compete them.

As for that lovely, soft bark that won't harm your little one, don't rely on it if there are numerous cats living nearby, who'll reward you handsomely for building such an inviting litter tray! Frankly, little ones (and bigger ones) rather like the messier, less organised bits of gardens, where they can make dens, mud pies, and blow-up their fantasy villains. The top of that wall is an ideal height for that, but I expect it's in view. So…I would plant it with more tough stuff. I can just imagine Spider-Man hanging from some Vinca there or Germans hiding among the Geranium Rozanne…..oh, hang-on, that was the 1960s…better make it the SAS on a….um…..'mission.' 😇

As for the poster disappointed after using weed inhibiting sand, think about that for a moment. It would have to be incredibly toxic to still work after months of rain. Those of us with access to professional chemicals can purchase a product which inhibits germination, but it costs about £90 a pop, and the effectiveness is still only claimed in months.

Right, that's my grumbling out of the way for today! 😆

twopenny

Feeling sorry for Stardew with so many choices.

Grass quick to pull up. You've got a lot of buttercups there. It's a spot where you could let them grow around that circle. A maintenance free plant.

Instead of gravel look at pea shingle. Isn't so hard on tiny knees.

Sapindus

There is a tool you can get which is like an elbow-shaped knife with the sharp edge on the outside. That's not nice gravel to weed and looks pretty compacted, but the elbow-knife will help. The more you use it the sharper it gets!

Pretty weeds in there which I can spot include selfheal (middle bottom, has blue flowers nice for insects) and a little fern (just left of middle bottom). Plantain (long narrow leaves with stringy veins) won't do much harm either, it doesn't get very big. I think there's a seedling buddleia top middle (narrow silvery leaves, a bit taller) you want to get that out. If it was me and I was short of energy I might concentrate on getting the paving clear and then just take the grass out of the gravel and leave the small non-grass weeds. No point breaking your nails on tiny bits. Keep the big stuff down and then in a couple of years when your boy is older and you've got a bit more spare cash you can do a proper renovation job on it.

Slinky

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82069504#Comment_82069504

The finer the gravel, the more likely it is to become cat litter. I know from experience. Had to get our garden designer to put down a larger grade of stones.

twopenny

The op has a one year old and wants to put a swing there I gathered from the original post.

Large stones or gravel can injure delicate skin over the next year.

CapricornLass

Is a swing on paving the best thing for a child? Surely they could have some serious injuries if they fell off?

Dustyevsky

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82073890#Comment_82073890

We have a 14-month-old grandson. He has a large patio to explore, and an area of coarse stone chippings. I've a sneaky feeling he'll soon work out what's best for his knees and feet.

OTOH, when our two children were around the ages of 8 and 3, I was forced to create a lawn. I wouldn't put a swing or any climbing apparatus anywhere near concrete, tarmac, or chippings. That was what we boomers got in the 50s, along with roundabouts that broke ankles, and 'maypoles' with heavy rings on chains that did wonders for your consciousness if a lapse of attention occurred! 😄

FreeBear

That was what we boomers got in the 50s, along with roundabouts that broke ankles, and 'maypoles' with heavy rings on chains that did wonders for your consciousness if a lapse of attention occurred! 😄

Wasn't always a lapse of attention. Often, it was an exploration of the rules of physics and the law of gravity. Then there were the see-saw swings and stuff mounted on heavy duty springs - All good "fun" when there wasn't a responsible adult around to supervise 😆

Tommaso46

Don't use weedkillers- use kettles of boiling water. Your weeds will shrivel and die in a couple of days. Then you can get on with reconstructing your outside terrace. If the weeds come back just repeat the boiling water treatment.