Everything before 'cover with plastic and leave until next summer' would be unnecessary except to reduce the bulk by mowing or weed-wacking, so the plastic lays flat. Cardboard also works and does not need to be removed later, a plan I prefer since you never know what seeds are going to sprout after you remove a smother barrier. This also allows the weed material to decompose and help improve the soil with very little effort on your part. You can cover the cardboard with mulch so it's not ugly and stays in place. When you get a gardening urge next year, install some plants. Shrubs are the easiest to deal with when one doesn't have much time to spend. As long as they're not eventually too big for the spot, most can be a "plant it and forget it" plant that only needs occasional trimming for structure and dead twigs or branches. They will shade the ground around them so weeds are less likely to sprout, and it's easy to add new mulch around them as the old become thin enough to allow weeds to grow, and/or to add a new smother layer if something does creep into the area. Low maintenance and rock garden are not necessarily married. Do you mean a rock mulch? Whatever seeds find their way to that are just as likely to sprout, but harder to pull out, especially tree sprouts. Whatever you don't like, you're right to say it should go. You don't have to know what you want to eventually do to get started wiping the slate clean.

That sounds great. I leave in SE Tennessee outside of Chattanooga and nearer to GA actually. Right now I have 4 different mints I could share: spearmint, peppermint, mint julep, and lemon mint, cutting of English Ivy, Yellow Iris, Genovese Basil, Thai Basil, Cherry Tomatoes, Roma Tomatoes, VictoriaBlue Salvia, Veronica Blue Speedwell, lanceleaf Coreopsis, etc. What do you have to trade? This could be fun! Of course your daughter-in-law is more than welcome to come as well. Tomorrow ai have an iron infusion that will take at least 2 hours plus travel time. Maybe next week? Ladyreneer

I built lasagna beds on top of old weedy lawn the summer before I wanted to start my garden. The paths between the beds are wide enough for my riding lawn mower which pulls a cart that holds tools, buckets of compost, etc. The main route from the driveway is big enough for a pickup truck to bring in aged manure. Winter squash bed is the farthest away so vines can sprawl. It's also ok from them to sprawl into the truck access late in the season. I have perennial herb garden next to the kitchen porch. In addition I usually plant some basil, peppers and tomatoes nearby. I put the vegetable garden a bit further from the house than I should have because I wanted to have lawn, play area and flower beds between the house and veggies. Our driveway runs next to the house so that meant very long garden hoses for water. Fortunately, my husband knew all about yard hydrants and there was one left behind by some who had lived there. He dug a trench and installed an underground water line with the pump convenient to my high tunnel and veggie beds. Since we live in snow country the other poor placement was the compost bins are at the farthest point from the house. They are convenient to the veggie beds but in winter, I don't want to shovel a path. Kitchen scraps are in a 5 gallon pail that is now frozen but out of sight until I can get out to the compost bins again. Filling second pail right now. We have a shade tree that is wonderful but it also puts roots out further than expected. I may have to abandon a bed that has those fine tangled tree roots. Location is beyond the drip line of the tree so be aware of nearby trees.

I have a new home and i am unsure how to care for some of the bushes that are on the grounds. i'm attaching pictures. the hydrangea looks like it might have a blight on it. also...the japanese maple looks funny as well..but maybe that's because of the weather change with fall coming? (i live in New Jersey). I'm unsure what the bushy plant is and how to prune it. Also...my grass has creeping charlie...which is spreading all over my grass plot. yikes! ANY help would be greatly appreciated.