Hey everyone! I just moved into a new house with a pretty big garden. It had been neglected for a while, and now I'm dealing with bindweed, couch grass, and brambles. I'm dividing the space into a lawn, some vegetable beds, and a wildlife garden. This year, I want to focus on getting the wildlife garden and the area near the house set up, while the middle section is currently lawn but overrun with couch grass and bindweed. I'm looking for suggestions on the best material to cover this section (which is about 68m²) to suppress the weeds until I have time to properly dig it over. I tried using cardboard at my old allotment, but it didn't work because the couch grass just grew under it. I'm okay with investing in a thick weed-proof membrane, but many of them are designed to be left down permanently. Any thoughts on what I should use?
4 Answers
You might want to consider applying a weed killer before covering the area. Water it, then put down something like damp proof membrane over it afterward. Just make sure you choose the right weed killer so your garden can bounce back in a year!
A solid approach could be to lift the turf and turn it over, then cover it with cardboard or some type of weed membrane. Anything that blocks light will help keep those pesky airborne weeds from sprouting. Honestly, it might be a good idea to keep mowing the area over the summer to weaken the couch grass and bindweed a bit, then properly cover and restack it come fall. Next spring, you’ll be ready to tackle it!
Honestly, you can't go wrong with cardboard! Just lay it down, and it works as a barrier to smother weeds. If you want to beef it up, try adding some wood chips on top for extra coverage.
Using weed membrane can work well, and you can definitely remove it when you're ready to plant again. Just make sure it's a thick one—maybe even double layer? Keep an eye on the edges, as couch grass and bindweed are sneaky and can escape from there!