I hope you don't use Roundup if possible. I know thyme has a short variety that can be used on a walkway or between cracks.

I have converted my entire front yard from mostly grass to lots of herbs plus some flowers and succulents and one area where I do some vegetables. I did keep the two trees. It took me a few years but I really wasn't in a hurry and to a certain degree it's still a work in progress. At one point at the end of September I was looking at my lawnmower and was grateful that I didn't use it at all last year.

I'm not really sure how many herbs are going to stand up to foot traffic. You might want to consider getting some flagstone or otherwise making some pathways. Putting your plan to paper will be helpful.

I've used creeping thyme, various other thymes, sage, tarragon, summer savory, winter savory, parsley which I'll be letting go to seed this year, oregano, strawberries, chicks and hens, feverfew, chives...

Unless you have nasty infestation of bindweed or quack grass I would pass on the herbicides.

For an indoor grow system really all you basicly need is plastic shelving and one or more T8 4 foot shop lights. Of course you could buy fancier/pricier if you want.

This is how it looked late spring of 2012.

{{gwi:71706}}

Look up herbal lawns for info on doing this. Herbs that tolerate a wide range of conditions, are vigorous, are and hard to kill would probably be the ones to look for. No way on Roundup and other poisons if you intend on using any of the herbs. As a general rule skip the poisons in your gardens. :)

FataMorgana

Thanks to all for the posts. I know that Roundup and other poisons are bad. I asked the question because I have a lot of weeds and due to a disability cannot pull them by hand on a patch this large. Vinegar hasn't worked over time. Will I kill the weeds simply by covering with newspaper and new garden soil?

A related question - how much time should there be between applying the fresh soil over the newspaper and planting the herb seedlings? I'm thinking about trying to prevent opportunistic weeds/plants taking hold in the new soil. Perhaps I should lay down the newspaper first, wait a period of time for the weeds/grass to die, then lay on the soil and plant immediately?

I'm developing a list of herbs that supposedly will thrive in my conditions, based on taking notes on various message boards.

Gjcore, thanks for your beautiful and inspiring photo! I'll definitely put down some pavers, as I have to walk over this patch to get to my primary water source.

Deleted double post. Sorry.

This post was edited by pasdetrois on Mon, Jan 6, 14 at 10:45

I would wait a minimum of 3 months and preferably longer to smother the weeds/grass. Those 3 months should also be during the time when the grass/weeds are actively trying to grow.

I never tried the newspaper trick. My friend is using cardboard to smother her weeds. Buy some clear plastic and secure it to the ground on top of the weeds during the hottest months. The sun should kill the weeds from what I have read.

Thanks for the suggestion zackey. My challenge is to get rid of the weeds early enough to be able to get the herb seedlings out of the grow area in my crowded house and into the ground early summer. I think I'll have to do the newspaper/cardboard/plastic thing from about March 15 - June 15, when weeds are beginning to grow, followed by getting the new topsoil into place and seedling planting. I'm getting excited to try this project!