What to do with messy gravel, between now and when I replace it

Hi everyone - a bit new to all this so this might be a basic question.

I have an area I’m renovating at the back of our garden - it’s about 8x4m. I’ve built a pergola at one end which looks great. The rest is going to be open with some planters around the side, and a small shed which I’ve now built, plus some other bits and pieces.

Currently that open area is covered in gravel which is quite messy. It is uneven, there’s quite a bit of soil mixed in and it has bits of weed fabric poking out in parts

I’m not very keen to make it neat with new gravel this year as I’m still trying to figure out the layout of the area, I have some more to build and so on. I want to know what I’m working with first.

So my plan was for this year, just to leave the gravel there, level the ground out a bit (not worrying how much the soil and gravel get mixed) and cut out any of the visible weed fabric.

Even if this didn’t look perfect, I thought this would leave me in a good position for next year just to lay some more weed fabric on top and another layer of gravel as it will then be flat.

Does this sound like an ok plan or are there any other quick solutions I could do this year just to make the area more usable and less tatty?

The other option I guess is to try to get rid of all the gravel to someone who wants it, but that sounds like a lot of work!

You can “wash” gravel and get rid of the soil. It needn’t be a difficult job if you make a sieve like frame and gradually clean it.
It’s daft to remove gravel just because it”s dirty and then replace it.

I have done some cleaning but it’s a hell of a lot of gravel and just takes so much time. It looks like I can get new stuff for 50 quid or so , so I was going to save myself a job.

If I do go down this route - do you mean something like this?

Tigercubrider said:

You can “wash” gravel and get rid of the soil. It needn’t be a difficult job if you make a sieve like frame and gradually clean it.
It’s daft to remove gravel just because it”s dirty and then replace it.

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I have done it and its a big and heavy job but good exercise. I did it over a trug bucket with a big round sieve that sat on the top i kept emptying it via watering the garden plants with it so I didn't waste water

Actually I guess you mean some kind of lattice with a frame. Any idea what size of lattice I’d need for pea gravel that’s I guess about 5-10mm?

Last year I cleaned an area of about 10 x 3 metres as suggested above. It took all day but cleaned up very well

louisbean said:

Actually I guess you mean some kind of lattice with a frame. Any idea what size of lattice I’d need for pea gravel that’s I guess about 5-10mm?

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4mm

Amazing - thanks all for the advice.

Can I just check the method?

I will make a frame say about 1mx1m with 4mm lattice

This will have a drop underneath it and something to collect the soil.

I just put a load of gravel on the lattice then spread it out, move it around a bit and then put a hose on it?

Any more to it than that?

Pretty much that.
I’d buy a wheelbarrow and use something like a large planter or tub as a collector. You could use a hosepipe to wash.
Either work from one end to the other, dumping clean material back where it came from, but leaving a defined working strip for access.
Use a tarp to collect the clean gravel.
It can be heavy, but if you do say, a barrow load or two a day after work, it’s manageable without being knackering.

Your plan sounds perfectly fine for a temporary setup.

For this year, I’d just focus on making it level and usable rather than trying to make it look perfect. Clear the bits of exposed weed fabric, spread things out a bit, and don’t worry too much about mixing soil and gravel at this stage.

Think of it as a “rough draft” of the space. You’re just getting the shape and flow right first.

Once everything is settled and you’re happy with the layout next year, that’s the time to properly tidy it up with fresh membrane and a clean gravel layer.

No need to overwork it twice