You're definitely on the right track with the fabric—trust me, weeds are sneaky little devils. I once skipped fabric on a small gravel patch thinking, "Eh, how bad could it be?" Fast forward a year, and I was basically running a weed sanctuary. As for edging, it's not overly cautious at all. Gravel has a mysterious way of migrating everywhere you don't want it to be, especially after heavy rain. Better to contain it now than chase it down later... speaking from experience here. Good luck with the project!
- Learned this the hard way myself—thought edging was just decorative til my gravel started showing up halfway across my lawn.
- Fabric's a must, but honestly, don't cheap out on the edging either. I skipped it at first thinking I'd save some cash... ended up spending twice as much time raking gravel back into place after every storm.
- Good call getting ahead of it now, saves you from headaches later.
- Curious what kind of edging you ended up going with—metal, plastic, or something else? I've been debating whether metal edging is worth the extra cost or if heavy-duty plastic would hold up fine. Also, did you install the fabric yourself or hire someone? I'm considering DIYing it, but not sure if it's straightforward enough or if I'll regret not getting a pro involved...
"I've been debating whether metal edging is worth the extra cost or if heavy-duty plastic would hold up fine."
I went through the same dilemma last spring when redoing our driveway. Ended up going with metal edging, and honestly, no regrets. The plastic stuff can hold up okay, but if you're dealing with any kind of heavy traffic or freeze-thaw cycles, metal just gives you that extra durability. Plus, it looks a bit cleaner, IMO.
As for the fabric, I DIYed it—it's definitely doable if you prep properly. Just make sure you level the ground thoroughly, overlap your fabric edges by at least 6 inches, and pin it down every couple feet. Took me most of a weekend, but saved a good chunk of change. If you're comfortable with basic yard tools and have patience, you'll be fine. Worst case, you learn something new and get some exercise in the process...
I went with heavy-duty plastic edging about two years ago, and it's held up pretty well so far. Granted, we don't get super harsh winters here, but it handles regular driveway traffic just fine. Metal probably is tougher long-term, but if budget's tight, good-quality plastic can do the job. Agree 100% on DIY fabric though—tedious but totally doable if you're patient and prep right.
