I hear you on the weeds sneaking in at the edges. I did gravel out front about two years back, and honestly, I’m not convinced the landscape fabric is worth the hassle. I just went with one decent layer, but even then, those stubborn weeds find a way—especially after a windy day or if you get a lot of rain. The seams are always the weak spot.
Pre-emergent helps, but it’s not magic. I’ve had better luck just being ruthless with a torch every couple months (careful around anything flammable, obviously). And yeah, sealing up the perimeter is key—if there’s even a tiny gap, stuff will creep in.
Still beats mowing, though. My neighbor’s out there sweating every Saturday and I’m just sipping coffee watching him. Not sure it’s “maintenance free,” but it’s definitely less work overall. If I ever redo it, I’d probably skip the fabric and just go thicker on the gravel... less stuff for roots to get tangled in that way.
If I ever redo it, I’d probably skip the fabric and just go thicker on the gravel... less stuff for roots to get tangled in that way.
That’s pretty much where I landed too. I did two layers of fabric the first time—total overkill, and honestly, it just made it harder to pull out the weeds that *did* make it through. Thicker gravel seems to smother most things, and anything that pops up is easier to yank. Still have to patrol the edges, but like you said, way better than mowing every week.
Thicker gravel seems to smother most things, and anything that pops up is easier to yank.
That’s reassuring to hear. I’ve been debating the fabric vs. no-fabric thing for weeks. Did you notice any issues with drainage after skipping the fabric? I keep worrying about water pooling, but maybe that’s just me overthinking it.
Title: Swapping grass for gravel: who’s actually done it?
I’ve wondered about the drainage thing too, honestly. In a couple of my projects, we skipped the fabric and just went with a thicker layer of gravel—no major pooling issues so far. The key seems to be making sure the base is graded right before you dump the gravel. If there are low spots, water will find them, fabric or not.
One spot I did years ago had some clay underneath, and that’s where things got a bit dicey after heavy rain. The gravel helped, but it wasn’t a miracle fix. I guess fabric might help keep the layers separate, but I’ve seen it just get torn up by roots or critters anyway.
If you’re on decent soil and you slope it away from the house, you’re probably fine without fabric. But yeah, I get the overthinking part—sometimes I stare at a patch of dirt and imagine all sorts of disasters that never actually happen...
