[Mickyork]

Hi. One of the garden's I have taken on has not been touched for about 7 years & the brambles have taken over. The weeds are about 6ft high       Anyone got some good tips on the best way to clear them?    The first garden took weeks of hard graft & it's the smallest.
There must be an easier way   

[gavo]

bring in the goats they love that sort of stuff

[doganjo]

or a flame gun

[little blue]

goats, followed by oigs, then chickens.  Save you alot of hard of work!

[Mickyork]

Thanks for the advice     Would be nice to have it sorted for me but it's looking like the shovel's out again      Will be worth the work in the end

[Wizard]

Mick DO NOT use any form of (Agrovator)There are loads of them but all will chop up the roots and multiply them whole sale When you have got rid of the debris brambles and twitch (cooch grass) all love rototillers.Fine machines but not for a start.

[sagehen]

When we were first here, I took a machete to the brambles. I was ripped to shreds, but it felt strangely therapeutic to clear it all out. The hardest was digging out the rootballs, because they are barstewards to get out. Good luck though, whichever way you decide on.

[Mickyork]

Thanks for the advice.  Been warned about roto tools by a local farmer     Gonna use a brush cutter to cut tops off then it's a fork & shovel job. Is a huge area so got my work cut out.  Will have to section it & do it in stages.  Will get there eventually   

[Wizard]

Mick Can you get a plough in?Get rid of the top as near to the ground as you can and plough it .Turning it over really upsets the roots and will kill a lot.It ought to have been done last Sept/Oct.Can you can hire a sinle furrow plough from the hire shop Its work but not as much as digging with a spade and when you have ploughed a furrow you can go along and pull out a lot of the roots and put them in a barrow.Burn them dont compost them

[Mickyork]

I am limited to what I can get onto the space because 3 sides are walled & the other has a hedge along it. I think it must have been part of the field next to it at sometime. Looks like it was walled when the barns were built. Will find a way to make it easier. Might look at making something that can be pulled behind a quad. Will go to some of the farm machinery suppliers & see what there is available. I'm on a limited budget at the moment so have to cost things carefully. If I can't get it all sorted this year it's not a problem.

[northfifeduckling]

mine is similar, even after 15 years of digging...A few things I wish OH had never planted, as they are Hydras with 1000 new shoots once you cut one off --Brambles and  Sloe. I've been having fire after fire in the oil drum and it does not look much better yet.

[Mickyork]

I have cut a small area to ground level so far & it looks different already. Have covered it with a sheet. Will split it into blocks & do it in bits. Will take a while but hopefully will be done right

[langdon]

i agree with gavo goat do the job,
but also so does a pig or two, so you got a choice her to make:
some pigs, weeds the lot gone pork or bacon, back in return!
goats, same job this time milk in return!

as for us we got the both

good luck let me know how you get on    

 

[Mickyork]

The area I'm clearing now is hopefully gonna be set up for pigs. On a mission to have it sorted by summer. Will be looking for advice on pigs soon. Got a couple of books but not anywhere near first hand experience

[Wizard]

Mick If you are going to put pigs in the plot dont do any thing Fence it put an ark in and the pigs they will plough it for free they love it Make the fence so you can move three sides and let them start again.No back breaking work at all only post driving