Turning uneven nettle-covered ground into usable toddler-friendly garden asap

[OhRosalind]

We’ve just moved to a house with a smallish garden. It was abandoned for a couple of years and massively overgrown, then the sellers cut everything down just before we moved in. It’s absolutely covered in stinging nettles and weeds with thick stalks. DH is cutting these once a week to keep them as short as possible but they are very vigorous growers. The ground is also uneven, sort of potholed and dips at side. It needs pressing flat or holes filling with soil or sand or something.

I know gardening is a long-term thing and most of my (overly ambitious) plans can wait. But I’d like it to be safe enough to use with DS (2) this summer, even if it’s mostly just soil rather than a lawn for now. DS has also been waiting excitedly for a garden so solutions that involve not going in it for ages are not ideal!

July and August are extremely hot and dry and nothing grows so sowing grass seed etc is pointless before September. Anyone have any advice on the best ways to solve these issues? I’d rather avoid toxic weedkillers and I don’t want to wreck the soil, but does vinegar actually work?

Very good point @Purplewithred and @LBOCS2 plain old grass it is.

That’s interesting @candycane222 this is DH’s preferred approach but the nettles grow so fast I’m sceptical that other stuff can compete. The garden was formerly an allotment so not sure if it would be grass, daisies etc or other stuff popping up.

The trouble with the mow mow mow approach is that even tiny nettle leaves trying to grow back will sting and they are quite persistent. Covering with cardboard and then another layer is better for avoidance of discomfort:

Thanks @BewareTheBeardedDragon. Yes, that’s what worries me, the nettles are growing so fast we would need to mow two or three times a week for DS to play there safely. I think it will have to be digging up the roots / cardboard.