How do I clear a very, very overgrown garden?
Question:My garden is approx 40' x 70'. It has 2 old apple tress planted in the 50's, one is a smaller 'eating apple' and the other a very large 'cooking apple' tree. I would like to loose both trees.
The garden has not been tendered for about 8 to 10 years and is extremely overgrown, mainly with very thick brambles. There is access to the side of the property, the width is about 6'. (Is that wide enough for; ie. machinery??)
Can anyone advise me as to the best/cheapest/quickest way to clear it ready to start again?
Ideally, I would like to have it landscaped with patios and a shed erected etc. But I have VERY limited funds, and no time or physical ability to do it myself!
It all sounds a bit hopeless but any advice would be welcome
Answers:
Sorry - no easy solution - HARD WORK.
Hire a brush cutter (like a strimmer but with metal blades) to cut overgrown brambles and the like down to ground level.
Cut down the branches from the cooking apple tree and then cut the trunk down - the tree with eating apples (personally) I would keep - they provide good shade and a great habitat for birds.
Only hard work will win the day I'm afraid
Try having a Garden Clearing BBQ Party. Invite all of your friends, tell them to dress in old clothes and then get stuck in. The only way to clear it really is by hand.
Employ a gardener for one day..or two.. harder than it looks..and to take the debris away...Good Luck.
If you can buy/borrow a pig or two your problem is over. They will rotovate the soil, eat everything down to the roots and manure the ground. Hens do the same thing if you put them in a moveable coop and move them around. They're rubbish at brambles, however!
The trees will ome down with a chainsaw. To remove the stump you will need seperate machinery. Or some good diggers! You might just get a stump remover through the 6'.
Brambles are relatively easy to clear. They have reasonable shallow roots and runners so can be traced.
Chop off the top layer so as to make the soil accessible. You could use a brushcutter for this part. Brambles roots are easiest removed by forking them loose. Spades tend to chop off bits of root. Make sure the soil is moist, it helps the roots to dislodge. Water the soil if needed for a few days in a row ...
After you cleared it I would suggest blacking it out for 2 growing seasons. You can use old carpets or buy pondliner for the job. That will stop anything from germinating and give you a weed-free surface to work after that
I got an allotment in September last year it was overgrown with weeds, left over plants, and rubbish I tackled the weeds and grass with weed killer a realy good one, that I sprayed 2 or 3 times this takes 3 weeks to take effect I when pulled up what I could and strimmed the rest, we then hired a rotorvater to cultivate the land making sure alon the way to get all the weed roots try not to leave any roots not even the smallest bit or they will come back. Its a long slow process you will need lots of patience good luck
I had the same problem!
I bought an old house and the lady that lived there was 102 yrs. old. The whole backyard was a mess. I managed with little effort by pulling things out by hand.
Spring is the best time of year. OR water the area for an extended period of time to re-create the damp soil conditions of spring. Get some good garden gloves and pull out anything that looks like a weed, making sure to get the root.
Sounds like you'll have to do this a bit at a time, as you get some free-time on a Sunday here and there.
When you get an area cleared, put down a heavy layer of mulch to inhibit weeds from sprouting of any remaining roots from regrowth.
You'll find that the damp soil allows roots to come out easily. It's much lighter work than turning everything over with a spade or rototilling and starting over. Plus, you won't have to replace all the existing plantings.
You can often get the mulch or wood chippings from your town highway department for FREE! many will dump a load at your home and you won't have to go to their site.
End result = may take a few afternoons work, but cost no more than the price of garden gloves and watering. : )
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Hire an Allen Scythe from your local hire shop. This will tackle most of the plants.
A landscape contractor will charge about £1200 to clear this site and remove all the waste, Look in your yellow pages for a BALI registered company.
The first answer by Tony worked well for us back in the 60's
We called it a "Garden (ing) Party". Again invited all the friends we could muster with a promise of free food and beer; as they arrived, ones who had brought no gardening implements chose from ones we had begged & borrowed and they worked out their own work plans.
We did a cold buffet based mostly on Ploughman's fare.
It was a lovely warm day and people voted it was one of the best parties they had ever been to.
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