Say Goodbye To The Eyesore Of Weedy Patches In Your Yard With An Easy DIY Solution

If you have a yard, you've probably dealt with weeds. Some of these pesky yard invaders aren't easy to tame — you mow them down, sprinkle some weed killer, and give your yard a little fresh seed or fertilizer, and suddenly those buggers have popped up again. They could be super seeders, have a talent for crowding out the competition with their growing abilities, and not care about poor growing conditions that affect other plants. There are some great strategies for removing weeds, but sometimes it's just not worth the effort. While you may feel like you're forever locked in a battle with these uncontrollable weeds, there is one last-ditch and super-easy effort you can take to win the war against them — cover them with gravel!

You'll just need to grab a few things and take a few simple preparatory steps before you toss gravel over this outdoor eyesore. Pick up your choice of stone or gravel, some high-quality landscaping fabric to keep weeds at bay, and any other decorative or functional additions you want, such as potted plants, statues, lawn furniture, or rock-loving succulents. Then, you will need to prepare the space by cutting down tall growth, uprooting or killing the weeds, and leveling the area — this will help ensure a smooth start to your landscaping project.

You can cut and lay landscaping fabric as a weed barrier after you've prepped the area, overlapping the edges if you're using multiple sections next to each other. Once that's done, cover the fabric with 2 to 3 inches of your chosen rock or stone, and smooth it out with a metal garden rake. After this quick and easy installation, maintaining a weed-free area gets a lot simpler. The fabric blocks weed growth and helps keep the gravel in place. Your primary maintenance will be to smooth the gravel, pull any random weeds that sneak in, and hose off built-up dust or dirt on occasion. If the rocks shift and you're raking them back into place, be aware that the landscaping fabric could tear over time, leaving you vulnerable to weeds re-establishing themselves. You may have to replace the fabric every few years. Weeds will also eventually build up on the surface of the gravel from dirt, organic material, and seeds that get blown into it, so frequent weed growth should be cause for cleaning or changing the fabric.

Depending on the size of your new gravel or stone patch, there are all sorts of things you can do to liven up the area, like various stone landscaping ideas that require minimal maintenance and add charm to outdoor spaces. Use rocks, stones, and gravel together to create a textural display, or turn the gravel pad into a relaxing area with lawn furniture, a birdbath, or a fire pit. You could also add edging for a more defined and streamlined look and to help keep your rocks from shifting in the rain or wind.