Lisochka
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:52 pm
Location: USA- Illinois

Are these weeds? My garden is an amazon- how to pretty it?

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Hello everyone. My yard is a mess- I am a very new gardener. Anyway, We have been living in this house 6 years and when we moved in the entire yard was mulched with wood chips. Those lasted a couple of years. While there (was) tons of dirt patches, the last couple of years, all kind of things have been growing, but my hunny kept it all mowed.

This summer I had some seed so I figured plant it and see what comes up. I did basil, some peppers, some tomatoes, kale, spinach and not sure what else I did. Anyway, told my hunny not to mow, and now I have an amazon forest and no idea what is what. Can you tell me if any of these are weeds - or if you know, what they are? I am so lost and not sure. I definitely saw the kale, (its amazing), and the basil.

Lastly- What is your suggestion of how I proceed for next summer to make this into a garden? It seems everything LOVES to grow- but I want it to be like a normal garden, where there is dirt, and maybe some weeds to pull, and my veggies.

Thank you!

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ElizabethB
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2105
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:53 am
Location: Lafayette, LA

Hi Lisochka,

Warm welcome to the forum.

Please update your profile and include your county and state if you live in the US or the equivalent if you live elsewhere. Help us help you. Forum members can not give you the best advice without a specific local.

Give a little more information about your jungle. How much sun do you have? How much shade? In addition to an area for growing vegetables and herbs what else do you envision for your yard? Do you want landscaping along the house? Do you want an area of lawn? Are there trees? How many, what kind and where are they located in relationship to your house? If you do not have trees do you want trees? Shade tree or ornamental?

For herbs and vegetables you need full sun - at least 6 hours per day. You may want to consider Square Foot Gardening. It is a raised bed, intensive gardening method. You get a lot of produce from a very small space. It is also easier to care for than traditional row gardening. A great system for both the novice and the experienced gardener.

I am not the best at weed identification. In the second picture are those purple flowers or berries? A close up of the flower/berry would help.

Once you decide what your long term plans are for yard I can help you. I had a landscaping business for 10 years. I am also an avid SFG fan. I can give you tips and tricks for that as well.

So more information please then you can look forward to lots of good advice.

:-()

Lisochka
Newly Registered
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:52 pm
Location: USA- Illinois

ElizabethB wrote:Hi Lisochka,

Warm welcome to the forum.

Please update your profile and include your county and state if you live in the US or the equivalent if you live elsewhere. Help us help you. Forum members can not give you the best advice without a specific local.


My bad! I updated that :) USA (Illinois) Also, I live in a townhouse. The backyard is a decent size, though (or at least I think so! hehe)
Give a little more information about your jungle. How much sun do you have? How much shade? In addition to an area for growing vegetables and herbs what else do you envision for your yard? Do you want landscaping along the house? Do you want an area of lawn? Are there trees? How many, what kind and where are they located in relationship to your house? If you do not have trees do you want trees? Shade tree or ornamental?
Half of my yard is sun, and half of it is shade. The shady side does get sun for about 6 hours (maybe more) a day. You are viewing the shaded part where the amazon side is.

No trees bushes etc. I just want lots of veggies :) Not really any landscaping, I think that may be too advanced for me. I think it will be great if I can just grow some veggies and get my thumb wet (maybe one day my thumb will turn a shade of green).
For herbs and vegetables you need full sun - at least 6 hours per day. You may want to consider Square Foot Gardening. It is a raised bed, intensive gardening method. You get a lot of produce from a very small space. It is also easier to care for than traditional row gardening. A great system for both the novice and the experienced gardener.
I did do some reading on raised bed, but with all the organic soil, seemed to expensive! So I figured I would see if anything would grow, and put down a few seed.
I am not the best at weed identification. In the second picture are those purple flowers or berries? A close up of the flower/berry would help.
A berry of all things! I will see if I can get a closeup.
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Once you decide what your long term plans are for yard I can help you. I had a landscaping business for 10 years. I am also an avid SFG fan. I can give you tips and tricks for that as well.

So more information please then you can look forward to lots of good advice.

:-()
Thank you so much!!

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ElizabethB
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2105
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:53 am
Location: Lafayette, LA

Hi Lisochka,

Ok so you live in Illinois. There are multiple growing regions within the state. Knowing your county would help. Don't worry. There are no predators on this site. It is extremely well monitored.

SFG or raised bed gardening does have some initial expense. You will quickly recoup your investment with lots of produce in a small amount of space. Your beds will last for years. Well worth the investment.

Consider composting.

Good luck :()

catgrass
Green Thumb
Posts: 532
Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:56 pm
Location: Southwest Louisiana

That which you are calling a berry, is Mulberry weed. Most of the others look like weeds, too, though I can't recall names.



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