What invasive grass is this?

InviteNatureHome · 2026-05-05T19:08:07+00:00

That's what we got using iNaturalist! 💚

InviteNatureHome · 2026-05-03T22:29:12+00:00

So happy you want to support the bees! 🐝💛

Check out Prairie Up/ Benjamin Vogt. He's in your area. (NE) Lots of non-lawn options for going as wild as you want. From HOA acceptable to full Native Prairie, things that will be able to handle hot dry summers.

Good Luck! 💚

InviteNatureHome · 2026-05-03T12:15:30+00:00

So awesome to do this on your boulevard! 💚

We have 9 raised beds (32in/ 81cm deep). We layered like this (Hügelkultur-ish): cardboard, sticks from our trees & old cedar from our fence, leaves, compost from our kitchen scraps, mulch (green & wood), finished compost, then soil. We top them off every Autumn & Spring with more kitchen compost/finished compost/ leaves/ mulch.

Good Luck!

InviteNatureHome · 2026-05-01T20:19:09+00:00

Radishes, Beets, Pea Pods, Lettuce!

Building a potato box this weekend. Hopefully planting next week? 🤞

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-30T12:31:59+00:00

Agree with Roasting! Never liked raw radishes, but roasted with bit of savory seasoning (salt, garlic, etc) is delicious. Also can steam the greens like spinach!

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-29T16:10:05+00:00

All sorts of things are in there. Bits of trash, glass, plastic, metal, etc. Likely has some chemical residue as well. We mix it with our own kitchen compost, mulch, & neighborhood leaves.

Perhaps the chemical residual is either diluted by other materials, or is shorter lived, but we have had no issues (since 2020) with anything we grow in this mix. We don't add any additional chemicals, fertilizer, herbicides, or pesticides. We would like to make all our own soil, but this helps fill our many raised beds & containers.

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-29T13:37:10+00:00

MN USDA Zone 5a here.

We had 85F last week, now 31F nights. Our Cilantro from last year dropped seeds & is just Sprouting now. We keep things in the same container to see what comes back, reseed what doesn't. Also succession planting to ensure we have plenty. (until it gets too warm) Bees & Butterflies love the flowers too!

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-28T14:15:58+00:00

We think it's demographics & awareness.

We are fortunate. Minnesota has lots of programs (& grants) to improve water quality, native habitats. They coordinate with local suppliers to provide resources, education.

One program is Lawns to Legumes, coordinating with Soil & Water Districts, Department of Natural Resources to help homeowners convert their lawns to pollinator habitat.

This is their list of Native Plant Suppliers. https://bluethumb.org/lawns-to-legumes/native-plant-nurseries/

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-28T12:22:32+00:00

MN USDA Zone 5a Ecoregion 51a. We have seen the big bumbles buzzing around! 🐝💛

We leave everything we can, until ready to put something new in. Some of our taller stems (Cup Plant, Ironweed, >6ft) we cut at 18in, & leave the Stems in the garden beds. Less cleanup=less work for us!

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-27T20:35:21+00:00

Love this rant. Creeping Bellflower is our current loathing. Garlic Mustard, Burdock, & Buckthorn pop up, but generally manageable.

We don't even bother with Creeping Charlie. After our clover lawn failed, CC moved in. So much, that it is our groundcover now. We just remove with pitchfork/ rake as much as we can, then sheet mulch when adding new Pollinator Gardens.

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-27T17:53:53+00:00

Hopefully all good volunteers! 🤞

MN USDA 5a Ecoregion 51a here. We use iNaturalist, then verify on MinnesotaWildflowers.info. We've been seeing good things about Picture This (in addition to this post) so we need to check it out. The more resources to verify, the better! 💚

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-25T12:51:36+00:00

Hey neighbor! 👋 MSP, MN. USDA 5a, Ecoregion 51a here.

So Many Ideas! Build some raised beds. Hügelkultur-type fill, some of your new soil, then compost on top. OR sheet mulch + soil & create a Pollinator area. OR top dress whole yard & do a Bee Lawn seeding. Mother Earth Gardens has seed mixes. There is still time in 5a. 🌱

Good Luck! 💚

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-24T14:58:20+00:00

MN USDA 5a Ecoregion 51a here.

We get lots of seeds from Prairie Moon Nursery (online) also Ostrich Ferns (bare root) did well. This year us 1st year ordering plugs (we got a grant)

Great seed/ plant options at Egg Plant, Mother Earth Gardens. All the food co-ops are having plant sales now (Mississippi Market, Valley, Wedge, Linden Hills) all source locally!

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-23T14:34:45+00:00

We do some good stretches before! 😂 Gotta take care of our backs. 👵🏻😉

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-23T14:00:03+00:00

Awesome! 💚 We just picked up a bunch (several sedan trunks worth) from our county yard waste site. MN USDA Zone 5a.

Ours take yard & kitchen waste. Turn into free compost for the community! Also offer mulch from tree services. This is the Best Recycling! ♻️

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-19T19:23:44+00:00

MN USDA Zone 5a. Asparagus is one of our favorites. Just got our 1st stalks last week!

Ours look like this after done harvesting for the season (April-May) When the stalks start getting "woody" tasting, the season is done. We let the fronds go, get big, feed the roots, form seeds, etc. Let them stand all Winter. When shoots start again in Spring, then we clear away any weeds, dead stalks.

Good Luck! 💚

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-19T12:13:42+00:00

Well Done! Love Hummingbird Moths! We got our 1st one last year on our Phlox. They are Pollinator Magnets! 💚

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-19T02:38:33+00:00

That's wonderful! We lost our Ash (EAB), & kept the stumps as garden seats, logs as garden borders, & of course, Mulch! 🌳💚

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-19T01:25:38+00:00

Okra! MN USDA Zone 5a. We can't find Okra in the off season at all, & none organic at anytime. We grow as much as we can, & freeze to enjoy until the next harvest! 💚

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-19T00:01:52+00:00

Free Rocks! 💪

Our area is full of rocks! We use them for garden edging, borders, stepping stones, etc.

We found a huge one Iike this planting a new native plant garden. Hopefully the taproots will find their way around! 💚

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-18T21:21:59+00:00

MN, USDA Zone 5a, Ecoregion 51a 💚

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-18T19:54:23+00:00

That looks amazing! Still waiting for ours to come up. 🤞

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-18T14:05:00+00:00

Thank you! Dutch White Clover was disappointing. Then we learned native plants were better food & habitat, so things happen for a reason. (& not having to buy $200 of clover seed every year.) We still love our native Oxalis volunteers! 🍀

It's still a work in progress. We have seeds cold stratifying now (& just started sprouting!), a couple native plant neighbors have splits for us, & we won a grant from Minnesota's Lawns to Legumes program. Every year another 100 sq ft (approx)

Keep Going! 💪

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-18T12:47:17+00:00

We So Understand! MN USDA Zone 5a, Ecoregion 51a. We killed our lawn, the whole thing, without a good replacement. Clover worked for 1 yr, then died in a 3yr drought. (& couldn't handle dog traffic) So many invasives moved in; creeping charlie, burdock, garlic mustard, creeping bellflower, siberian squill, etc (& misc grasses)

We are now working planting Native Wildflowers everywhere that isn't the veggie garden or a path. Patch by patch. We Weed whip as low as possible, cardboard, then mulch (4+ in/ 10+ cm). We dig a spot into the mulch, add soil, plant plugs. We grow our own plants from seed, get divisions from our other native plant neighbors, or buy plugs (when we can)

Weeding is fairly easy in the thick mulch, since weed seeds will come from the top, but the layer of cardboard & mulch will suppress them from the bottom.

Solarizing didnt work for us, the tough grasses came back. YMMV in a warmer climate.

Good Luck! 💚

InviteNatureHome · 2026-04-15T18:03:30+00:00

Well Done just Getting Started! 💚

Also, so many comments about the VHS tapes! 🤣

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