Are these weeds

[APretender]

So I started building a few more raised beds and my in-laws decided to backfill them with soil from the yard. It had weeds and grass seeds in it. So I'm trying to identify these plants. I'm fairly certain they're weeds I would just like to know what kinds.

[rainbowgardener]

Well, it depends on how you define "weed" (which is sort of like beauty - in the eye of the beholder). I'm not sure about the first picture, but the second is lamb's quarter's, aka wild spinach. It is a tasty and extremely nutritious edible "weed," with more Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, and protein than spinach:

https://skipthepie.org/vegetables-and-ve ... h-raw/#nut

[MarcP2]

That first one sure reminds me of some kind of Persicaria but I can't find a match.

[applestar]

I was going to say it reminds me of Lady's Thumbprint, a Polygonum... But I see now that its Latin name is Polygonum persicaria, so I guess I have the same idea as MarkP2
https://courses.missouristate.edu/pbtrew ... sthumb.htm

[ElizabethB]

DITTO RBG _ "Eye of the beholder" It really does not matter what it is - if it is growing where you do not want it to grow or you do not like it then it is a weed.

Good luck

[GardeningCook]

Another vote for the top plant to be some variety of Persicaria. While not exactly toxic, some people have adverse reactions to them when/if ingested.

The bottom one - "Lamb's Quarters", a Chenopodium - is considered a forager's delight & the young leaves & plant tips are frequently used as a spinach substitute. It's popular enough that some seed vendors sell seed for it to be purposely planted in the veg or herb garden. Definitely a prime example of how fuzzy/blurred the definitions of weed vs. useful plant can be.

[purpleinopp]

Most of the definitions are proliferated by folks who sell garden chemicals and grass seed, coincidentally the same folks who also aim to profit from every bite everyone takes.