Another newbie question

[Habdasher322]

I, like what seems like a lot of others, also have a new home with a lawn that is all weeds. I think from reading other threads it might be a case of starting new. My question... I have no idea on the timing of this stuff? Is it to late, to early, should I have done this in the fall?

Luckily it's a small space. Approximately 14 feet x 6 feet but as you can it is basically all weeds. The lawn is in Washington DC and receives direct sunlight basically all day. And that brown spot is from my dog who likes that spot.

I'm willing to go to do whatever it takes to feel like an adequate home owner who can reclaim a small piece of land.
Was wondering if you fine folks had some suggestions? Thanks!

[Habdasher322]

With a space that small, do you really want to have to mow it? How about a nice ground cover, and perhaps a couple of shrubs to screen the view of the street?
If that sounds viable to you, I'm sure many of our members will have great suggestions for you. I'll even throw in a couple of ideas myself.
Can your dog be trained to use just one area, off to the side, perhaps covered with gravel?

Appreciate the response and the offer of help. We have an electric trimmer that I can "mow" with in about 5 minutes, and I like the idea of some grass. That said I'm really open to anything. And I love the idea of shrubs as a fence/ screen but don't know where to even start with that.

[imafan26]

I agree with Marlin gardener except for a few more steps.
The easiest way to remove the weeds if they are persistant is to use roundup. You may have to use it more than once and it may take a few days before you see anything happening.

If you choose to remove the weeds by hand that is possible in a small space. After you weed it all, water and fertilize the soil to bring up more weed seeds and keep pulling and watering until you have gotten most of the weeds out.

Amend the soil with compost about 4-6 inches, you can also add manure. One or two bags will do for 84 square ft and some starter lawn fertilizer. You can use seed or sod or stolons. It all depends on the kind of grass you want. For the dog area. I suggest you put in a doggie dooley. It is a composter for dog poop and a fire hydrant, especially if you have a male dog. Males like to pee on vertical things and it is a better training aid if you have something that the dog can associate with.
https://www.doggiedooley.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Hydrant-Garden-In ... B00R49BXG0