Weed control fabric over a large area

[JumpJockey]

We've got a long fairly narrow garden and are planning to get the far end levelled out - it's currently full of nettles, old stumps, hardcore etc and is shaped like a curving letter m where the old path is sunken down the centre...). Current plan is to level it, then turf one half this year, the other half next - we can't afford it all at once, and also it's about 25mx10m so not sure how we'd be able to water it properly! Would it look really awful to put a large area of weed control fabric on a space like that - probably the rear half which is shady anyway for much of the day - and if so, is it safe to walk on? There's a lovely apple tree that is at the far end so would be good to be able to access the apples in the autumn :)

Have you costed it out? I doubt there's much difference once you've added in buying pegs as you'll need to buy decent standard fabric.

Yes, it would look awful. Trust me, I had that stuff on my garden for 2 YEARS before taking the plunge. It looks like you are some kind of mad goth who hates plants, and you need to weigh it or peg it down or it blows everywhere. On the upside, it does a great job of suppressing weeds and it gets the worms and minibeasts going underneath, breaking it down and making it easier to work once you do get there.

How desperate are you for the whole thing to be turfed? What about taking all of the turf up, redoing half, and creating a wildflower meadow at the end on a more permanent basis? You can mow paths through to get to the apple tree.

Thanks for your frank replies

I did wonder about doing a wildflower area, again though my thought is that it's too late in the year to be putting down seed for that? I know the dds would love it and I've always thought they make a lovely wildlife area.
Presumably once it's all been levelled off, we have to leave several weeks for any extant weeds to grow through so we can get them out, by then wouldn't it be into the risky part of summer for things drying out? Are wildflower seeds less concerned about drought than grass seeds?

One other question - once you've mown down your wild flowers in the autumn, what's left on the ground - is there greenery or does everything die back?

I am no expert on this, but I think it depends a bit on the state of the existing lawn. You might be able to work with what you have. Here's some info:

Here's some very basic info: www.plantlife.org.uk/things_to_do/grow_wild/wildmeadow/

I've just noticed that you say your site is shaded, however (sorry, I was posting while cooking before ). If it's very dark, you may struggle with establishing a meadow. You could think about a woodland wildlife garden instead? You can then blend it into the more formal/neat part of the garden. This is what I have done at home, though when I say 'woodland garden' it is more like 'woodland patch'.

Thanks again - it's not really dark, just out of full sun in the afternoons. Given that the girls are going to want to play a lot in the summer, I think we'll prob leave it til the autumn and make sure the ground is properly prepared - much better than rushing and ending up with bald patches.