[Fleecewife]

Ha! It's taken us 17 years to get him to this stage to help us  .  In fact we are trying a new system too - a bit late for you for this year but worth considering next year - Help Exchange www.helpx.net . This is for people who want to travel the world but to stay in family homes instead of hostels - in return for food and a bed they will work about 30 or 35 hours a week, with the rest of the time to themselves to explore.  We have our second helpxer here at the moment, a very pleasant lad from Bulgaria who will be starting on the seedling thistles the grandson missed tomorrow. There's wwoofs too.
Meanwhile OH and I have been tackling the giant thistles which have appeared as if from nowhere in the veg patch while we were away at the Highland Show  All creeping thistles so you think you have pulled the whole root but about a foot down there is a vast horizontal network of permanent roots which will continue putting up shoots until winter.  Ah well, it's worth it for the delicious food we grow 
Good luck with your clearing.

[Muc]

I'm going to try sheep when my two heifers vacate the premises. My French neighbour says they (the French that is) like to eat mature mutton and not just the spring lamb we locals prefer. I'll let him have the land in exchange for a couple of mutton chops and hope they enjoy the thistles.

[pasture eyes]

Muc
If u have time and patience u could use a "jungle knife" to accompany u on your walks around the estate.   You can swing it back and forth as it is double edged and it will cut 'em off close to ground if you're a good shot.   It'll take years to clear if you've lots, don't let 'em flower either.   If it were me I would spray with Grazon-90 or similar, that'll thin em out, then go organic!    Good Luck.       

[Muc]

I've been working slowly down the field with heavy duty gloves, pulling the ragworth and thistles and stuffing them in a sack. It's nice work for half an hour or so and the cows like the company - or I like theirs. They stare at me as if I'm mad.
I mark out a patch with my eye and totally clear it, and then I give up to another day. When I look at the field I can see the areas I've done and I have to say it's not bad at all.
I'll keep going like this - off and on - and see what I have by the autumn.
 I think I've seen those jungle knives advertised but can't remember where. Also, as regards spraying, can the cattle stay in the field when you spray and is it possible to spot spray just the thistles and ragworth?
Thanks for your reply.
M

[Muc]

Just spotted the two adjoining threads that answer all my questions regarding Grazon spraying. I'll definitely stick with the manual labour for the time being anyway.

[bigchicken]

The only problem with trying to graze animals on thistles is that some of the seed passes though and just make a bad field worse. I have tried pulling them out, digging them out, topping with machine and hand and the best way I have found is to is to kill them of will roundup as soon as they start to grow.   

[bazzais]

It didnt take longer than a day for me to shoot around my fields with a trailer and a quad pulling them out by hand.

My neighbour has sharpened a golf club and as she walks round checking the sheep she punts them into next year with it - or course its not a tool you want to be caught carrying around the centre of london in your boot as it look a pretty vicious piece of kit.

Ta

Baz