Grow Annual after Killing Grass on Beds

5 years ago

After a few years of neglect, my flower beds were filled with grass and weeds. This year I decided to kill the grass/weeds using Roundup this year. This is what one of them looks like now.

Now I want to plant annuals on them. For this year, I have decided to go with zinnia, marigold and nasturtium from seeds because they are fast to flower.

My question is, what should I do to the bed before I plant the seeds? Should I turn over the grass? Or can I just make some holes and plant the seeds in? My worry is if I turn the soil, I might turn up some weed seeds and they will start to germinate.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (4)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
little late to be thinking seed..any budget to just go buy some small plants??

if so .. dig a hole ... loosen the soil in said hole ... insert plant .. and cover the whole bed with a good mulch ... if need me.. excavate at the walkway edge.. so the mulch stays in the bed ...

btw.. whats you native soil type??? ... any bad clay???

by next year.. the grass will have rotted down and you should have some nice soil to plant in ...

seedlings should have been started over a month or so ago .. and be ready to take off ..

if you want to try some seed.. no reason you couldnt buy a few plants.. and try some seed .. best way to learn.. but you are going to have to do a lot of soil prep to grow seeds ...

in our MI ... the heat of summer... starts building in july.. and you have to have your plants well established.. to survive.. it will be very hard to germinate and get a seedling big enough to handle mid summer heat ..

all that said.. i learned more experimenting than i ever did reading about it.. so try both ...

ken
davemichigan
Original Author
5 years ago
Hi Ken, just want to leave a note to say thanks for your comment.

I have decided to not bother with annuals this year. Will till the bed a little in July and grow some perennials in late July (from purchased plants). Then maybe experiment with some perennial seeds in August to give them some head start.
Related Professionals
Annapolis Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Aiken Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Winona Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Las Vegas Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Quincy Landscape Contractors · Cambridge Landscape Contractors · Poplar Bluff Landscape Contractors · Philadelphia Landscape Contractors · Lynchburg Landscape Contractors · Middletown Landscape Contractors · Saint Marys Landscape Contractors · Oshkosh Landscape Contractors · Greenville Architects & Building Designers · Elgin Architects & Building Designers · Brainerd Architects & Building Designers
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
in MI ... you should not plant in july/august ....

buy your pots of plants in the bargain rack now ... but plan on planting them in sept ... the key is cooler nights .. for a recovery period after whatever the day may bring ...

anything is possible.. in just talking about making it easier.. on you and the plants ....

but if you insist.. plant in august ... what the heck.. live and learn ... and then let us know what you learned ...

ken
Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
5 years ago
If this was my area, I would cover it with cardboard under 4-6" of mulch and wait until spring to do anything else. Once you have a "clean slate" like that, you could put potted plants there, a shepherd's hook with a hanging pot, whatever you find interesting while the dead grass and cardboard decompose under the mulch.

Is there a baby tree growing out of the middle of your Hydrangea?