How to start?!

[marcelacorreagf]

Hi guys, I just moved and I don't have any idea of how to take care of a garden and what to do to make it beautiful. There are lots of weed growing. I can see a black plastic on the soil (weedmat, I think...), but looks like damaged as well. I've never had a garden and don't understand anything about it. I just started to make some research, but actually I don't know how to start. I tried to find some pictures as inspiration, but I think I need some advice on how to make it. I really appreciate if you could help me with this. Thanks

  

    

 

[kieransmith86]

Depends, looking at the pic though I’d say this is on a southern or at least shaded part of your property? So in that case I’d recommend ripping it all out and starting from scratch (even the plastic weed mat). Your tree growing through the edging, up to you if you want to keep it but it could become a pain later to your gutters. Chat to your local retailer on plants but I’d recommend low lying plants that love shade (ferns etc) and you’d only need to dig out where you’d plant them and put in quality garden mix to get them going. Couple that with thick mulch (50mm deep) and it’s look after itself, plants would start getting canopy closure in 2-3 years depending on spacing and climate and help keep weeds down. In the mean time it would be simple hand weeding or spot spraying to suppress them. The concrete block edging is up to you also, some nice timber there would smarten it right up and complement that stone wall. Just a few thoughts from me, but again your retailer would love to help 

[Jason]

Hi @marcelacorreagf,

Welcome to Workshop. We're pleased you could join us and trust that you'll get plenty of helpful advice and inspiration from our wonderful community. We know that just the thought of starting a big project can be a little intimidating, but I'm sure you can get a great result with a little bit of help and confidence. 

I would recommend you take a look at the backyard makeover recently completed by the @MakeItYours team as a source of inspiration and a reminder that you can achieve a lot in a relatively short amount of time and with a modest budget. The Top 10 most popular garden makeovers from Workshop members is also a great place to start for ideas. 

Next I would recommend you have a think and then come back here and let us know how you want to use this space. Do you plan on creating an outdoor entertaining area? Adding a barbecue or fire pit? A vegetable garden? The options are endless....

Hope that helps get the discussion started.

Jason

[Kermit]

Take your time, you don't have to do everything at once. And planting in summer is not going to be a great idea, especially if you're in a really hot area. 

Starting from scratch is probably going to be easier, but it looks as though you've got a retaining wall there and replacing that could be expensive. 

Is it your driveway or carport on the right of the photos? A wider shot would be helpful to see the whole area. 

[MikeM84]

HI, 

I would recommend starting from scratch, however plan it out, and create a budget plan, and slowly start with say weed mat, weed, ripping out, then I would condition the soil, more compost, more manure:)

plan: 

1. what would you like to grow?

2. create a plan, budget plan as well.

3. rip out weeds, mats and all that you want to remove.

4. condition the soil (manure, compost, organic matters such as home made compost, worm castings)

5. keep checking the soil, as depending on what you want to grow requires different PH level (Native, cacti, fruits, veggies)

6. enjoy rebuilding bit by bit