Fire Pit Idea Needed

[MillWeld]

I put in a simple fire pit last fall consisting of a 12' x 12' array of pavers with 4' x 4' hole in the middle for the fire. It has been great to have the neighbors over for an evening around the pit. The land is flat, sufficiently far from trees and I put landscape fabric (used) down before l laid down the pavers. I wanted to keep it simple - no excavating, no gravel, no concrete. The result was a disaster - this spring grass and trees are growing between the pavers. Was the problem caused by using used fabric? Would new fabric prevent growth? I have considered thicker material - shower pan liner, roll asphalt roofing, pond liner - but I am running these alternatives on TBN to get your ideas because I do not want to experiment and have to do it again. Your ideas are welcome.

 

[herm0016]

it must have grown through the fabric. never use anything non-permeable on the soil.

i would roundup it and call it a day i think. if you want to redo it, i would use new fabric, but whatever heavy duty stuff you find, i get mine from a landscape supply place and its way tougher than the big box stuff. or 2 layers of the big box stuff. really, the right way is to get rid of the organics under the pavers, build up with road base, compact.

 

[CalG]

There is an obvious lack of fire in that location.

Build one, and see how well a fire will take care of those weeds.

 

[MillWeld]

"never use anything non-permeable on the soil."
Why is this? Many fire pits have tiles set in mortar on concrete. Then there's patios, etc., I could go on...

I will check out fabric from a landscaper and compare it with what I now have. Thanks.

 

[Thomas]

We dug down 8" remove soil than fill it full of hard pack for our small area.

 

[JPRambo]

Lift a few pavers. Is the grass growing through the weed fabric? Or between fabric and pavers. The ashes are like fertilizer. How do you mow the surrounding grass?

 

[EddieWalker]

I grew up Scouting and camping with my parents quite a bit. When I bought my land and built my house, I wanted a fire pit. It was basically a campfire type area with rocks around it and nothing else. Then we went on vacation and they had a raised fire pit. It was made of brick and about 2 feet up from the ground. You could put your feet on the edge of it, or just sit close to it and really feel the heat of the fire. That totally changed my mind on fire pits and having a fire.

I now have a metal fire bowl that's about 2 feet up. It's super easy to clean, I just scoop up the ashes and dump them in a metal bucket that ends up in a ditch after they have cooled off. We thought about building one out of rock, or bricks, but the cost of the metal one was less then the materials to build it, and it was ready to use the day I bought it. We've even taken it down to the lake when we have parties down there, then bring it back the next day.

 

[herm0016]

"never use anything non-permeable on the soil."
Why is this? Many fire pits have tiles set in mortar on concrete. Then there's patios, etc., I could go on...

I will check out fabric from a landscaper and compare it with what I now have. Thanks.

pool liner and plastic sheeting is what i mean, never use it under something like pavers or rock or mulch. its terrible for the soil and can create problems with the stuff above depending on how much rain you get.

 

[Doughknob]

I think 12'x12' is way too big - too much maintenance; not enough fire. I just scraped a shallow divot about 3' diameter in the ground. No nothing else. Just burn in the divot and clean out the ashes periodically. Works great all the time.......

 

[arto98607]

Here is an easy to maintain "fire pit" - no weeds, no worries!

 

[MillWeld]

Weeds, grass, elms are growing thru the fabric and under the pavers until they find light between the joints of the pavers. The fabric was used and I think that has made the problem worse but I also question if new fabric is better. We have to have pavers for chairs or they will sink in the ground after winter rains. (Ask some of my neighbors how I know) The surrounding grass is mown with a finishing bush hog and trimmed with a weed eater.

I'm considering biting the bullet and using hardpack.... I googled hardpack and it said "dirt, gravel or snow" What???. that was no help.

 

[Egon]

Use lots of straight nitrogen fertilizer on the bricks. It will not make the bricks grow but will discourage any vegetation. Follow up by converting the soil under the bricks to a ph that is not conducive to growth.

 

[nyone]

Weed fabric never really works in the long run as dirt will eventually fall in between the cracks in the pavers or what ever is over the weed fabric then seeds will grow. Keeping any area weed/plant free is going to be maintence unless its paved or has concrete over it.

They do make organic weed killers. One is called "burn out".

 

[thebmrust]

If your want to kill everything growing between pavers, look up a DIY salt solution and pour it on the weeds/paver section.

 

[CoyPatton]

Grass will grow just about any place it finds a moist base that will support roots.
An effective means of killing the roots is heat. Build a fire and get your blocks/pavers warmed up and keep them that way. But a propane torch and burn the weeds and grass.
Use chemicals to kill the weeds and grass growing. Keeping them out of any area requires constant attention (otherwise know as maintenance). Pick your desired maintenance process and keep after it.

 

[Gee Ray]

Buy one of these: https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200584784_200584784

Use it to start a fire instead of oil or gas dumped on the wood. Then heat the weeds between the pavers. You do not need to burn the weeds but heat them enough to kill them. Works well along my chain link fence. Much easier then a weed whacker.

 

[fishdrivel]

I put in a simple fire pit last fall consisting of a 12' x 12' array of pavers with 4' x 4' hole in the middle for the fire. It has been great to have the neighbors over for an evening around the pit. The land is flat, sufficiently far from trees and I put landscape fabric (used) down before l laid down the pavers. I wanted to keep it simple - no excavating, no gravel, no concrete. The result was a disaster - this spring grass and trees are growing between the pavers. Was the problem caused by using used fabric? Would new fabric prevent growth? I have considered thicker material - shower pan liner, roll asphalt roofing, pond liner - but I am running these alternatives on TBN to get your ideas because I do not want to experiment and have to do it again. Your ideas are welcome.

I used a large tractor rim surrounded by gravel. You can roundup any weeds that break through. If you are going to build wood fires, you need a pretty good circle of gravel to prevent fire. You'll have an easire time with chaires if you use crush and run.

 

[greenerdreams]

I have laid a lot of paver patios, never had a weed problem. you need a base. We compact 4" of 5/8minus gravel then scree 1" of coarse sand using 1" pipes and a 2x4. Do not compact the sand or walk on it after screed. lay the pavers then compact over top of the pavers with a plate compactor. Use plastic paver edging(easiest) or concrete around the outside of the perimeter to keep things in place. Lastly use polymeric sand in the cracks, sweep it in as much as possible and compact a few times to shake the sand into the joints and fully fill. It will set up almost like concrete but is still flexible, seeds can't get in and you will never get a weed problem. No underlayment is necessary, it really never works anyways. I know it sounds like a lot of work but really goes quick and will last as long or longer than a poured concrete pad, pavers will never crack like slabs.
a lot of the time the stuff coming through the cracks in poorly built patios is not from underneath, it is actually seeds that have blown in and started growing in the cracks.

 

[Kschwennsen]

only use plastic. fabric just makes it harder to pull the weeds out.

 

[Richard001]

Buy one of these: https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200584784_200584784

Use it to start a fire instead of oil or gas dumped on the wood. Then heat the weeds between the pavers. You do not need to burn the weeds but heat them enough to kill them. Works well along my chain link fence. Much easier then a weed whacker.

Bet that baby will melt snow off of my driveway in the winter.