Will grass grow in this bit or is it not worth bothering?

Have you got a rake, Charlie, to first get rid of the thatch [dead bits] in the grass. If you've got patience I would buy some weedkiller in gel form and paint the dandelions etc with a small brush [one for painting pictures from, say, Asda or the like. The moss is due to poor drainage so if you've got a garden fork you need to plunge the fork into the ground where the moss and waggle it to open up the soil. Or you could buy some "Weed and Feed" weed killer and sprinkle that in the recommended doses and see it that works, as it should kill the moss as well as weeds. Just make sure you follow the instructions on the packet if you want to do the latter.
The trouble is with "Weed and Feed" is that it won't get rid of the real problem of poor drainage so I would still use a fork to open up the soil. You can buy grass seed that will tolerate shade and that would help if you sowed it and follow the instructions again. I wouldn't be in a great hurry to do it all as it's not a quick fix problem although getting rid of the weeds and moss will take you a long way. A Lawn feed, if you spot weed and paint the offending weeds and get rid of them that way, may improve the look of your grass for a while.

 

So true!! I started off in the 80's planting 64 young Lawsonia along the bottom fence when new to gardening. In a short time I realised that they suck every bit of water and nutrient out of the ground and nothing will grow within feet of them. I spent a week digging them out, by which time they were 10' tall

 

You'll probably find in a few years that you'll have more tools than you need!!

The forking won't get rid of the moss, Charlie, but it will help to stop it coming back. Kill off the weeds and moss, improve the drainage. choose a shade tolerant grass seed, give the lawn a feed every now and then, and don't rush it as it will still be there every time you get up in the mornings!!

You're learning!!

 

Yep, it a marketing ploy for the "modern" Gardener who thinks they have a busy work and social life and just, like adding sugar to cereals, it will make things sweeter and so much easier in the garden. Nature has it's own designs, will, and plans and just emptying a packet of seeds on a border or the like ain't going to deter it. If you want a garden that you want to smile about then it takes a little planning and work but not so much that it becomes a chore. Gardening is something to really enjoy, grin about when a plant you like has succeeded and you catch the scent of a flowering shrub.
My garden is composed mainly of herbaceous perennial with a "framework"of shrubs and, because nearly all the planting is done, it basically runs itself through out the year. I just let things sprout up from the soil, grow, flower, and die back down again and then clear the borders to keep them reasonably neat, the garden does the main work.

 

Every body thinks their garden is the perfect one!! Just don't rush it and enjoy bringing the garden to how YOU want it. It takes time and a lot of mistakes to get there but if you enjoy it that's half the battle. Some of the members garden in a balcony, concrete yard, or in the other extreme in a couple of acres of land. It doesn't matter as we all get the same amount of satisfaction, pride and joy out of our own gardens. My garden started 30 years ago but I changed it in the last 11 years into the style it is now and it truly does run itself with the minimum of work.
This is part of my garden and you can just see the central path in the middle. It's organised chaos and most herbaceous perennial plants and not to every ones taste but I enjoy the scents, the brushing of leaves as you attempt to walk down the paths.







There are so many different styles and tastes out there, Charlie, and "pinching" ideas from other gardens and gardeners is what Gardeners Corner is all about. Your garden will develop it's own style and make you smile and sigh with satisfaction [when no one is looking] and that's something good to look forward to.