Topic: WEEDS, BRAMBLES, AND OTHER SUCH TANGLES!!!

[springfields]

Dearest 'Happy gardeners'..

Recommendations for the above would be gratefully received let me tell you!!.

New site, with broken glass and a 3ft jungle...i have been offered the user of an industrial strimmer as well as a rotavator but am not sure how to tackle things!!.

I had an allotment years ago but am feeling a bit daunted!!.

Cheers to all you all

[kenkew]

Very carfully I would say SpringF. An industrial strimmer and glass don't mix. You ever see the effects of a shrapnel grenade? (I was in your position 18 months ago.) A lot depends on the size of your plot, but, if it's going to take you many weeks just to clear your plot, I would decide on a piece of it that you can get working ASAP. Decide how big you want this first bit, (spuds?) Then pick-up by hand every bit of rubbish you can see. If the size is too big to hand scyth (which is how I did it) then by all means get your HD strimmer going. Just make sure you have all the right gear on for that job and that there is no one anywhere near (50metres-ish) and take it down to ground level. Don't, whatever you do, rotivate at this stage. I'm afraid it's going to be spade and fork work to spot and dispose of the perennial weeds. After that, rotivate if you think it will help. At least this will give you a working plot while you set about another section. People make the mistake of doing the whole thing from the word go; It's not only darn hard work, it's very soul destroying when there's only hard work without anything to show for it. Just try to get the whole thing finished before the weeds start seeding again. Good luck.

[kenkew]

The pic above is a 'Before' shot.

This is a 'tweeny'.

[aquilegia]

I've nothing to add, other than to say welcome to the site and good luck with your plot!  :D

[kenkew]

And this is 'getting somewhere'.

[Fingle....]

Mine was far worse than that, and if you take it bit my bit and just keep your head down it will be clear in no time.

It helps morale to burn the brambles clippings, but dont breathe the smoke in i had a cough for 3 weeks !

[Hels_Bels]

I'd agree with all that - I'm still clearing mine a year from getting it. But I managed to get toms, beans, courgettes and pumpkins last year. Remembering that has given me th 'oomph' to get started again with the digging! ;D

Soemthing that i was advised to do and didn't was to find the edges to your plot and mark it out. I have done that belatedly and it's good to give yourself a fixed point to work towards.

If I can work out how, I'm going to put a piccie of my plot about a month ago on, which has moved on since then.

GOOD LUCK!

[campanula]

if you have any spare timber, bricks or such, raised beds are a good way togo - you can lay out a reasonable bed size area, say 3m x 1.2m, get your head down and do a bit at a time - sometimes, i only manage to clear about 2 square metres but it is massively satisfying pulling weeds by hand and you will only have to do it so comprehensively once as long as you can manage to stay on top of a weekly hoe. good luck, never look further than each bed.
suzy

[springfields]

Thankyou to all my replies!!..

I spent an enjoyable if not backbreaking couple of hours just picking up litter and odd bits of glass.. what a difference it makes just chopping down some brambles.. I have made up a wigwam of odd bits of wood etc and am looking forward to my 'mini valhalla' on the first dry day.

I woke up the next morning not feeling not to bad at all...prehaps a couple of hours is my limit...(if only it was the same for other physical exercise)!!!.

Keep those notes coming they really spurred me on last week!!  

[kenkew]

Good on yer, Springy. Pleased to hear you've made a start. Dig a bit over and get some spuds in, not too late for a couple of rows of shallots, either. While you're sweating with the heavy bit you have the consolation of knowing you're growing! When it gets hard going, just think we're thinking of you and waiting to hear what's going on down on your garden to be.

[Les_Woof]

Just to reiterate...little and often is the way forward.

We have had our plot a couple of months now and can see where we are heading now.

We cleared brambles, car bumpers, rusty fold up beds, rusty prams (x5), a collapsed tin bath, rotten window frames, glass,  and much more.

Not to mention 3 FIRES of epic proportion.  And all we have so far managed to dig is a plot 2mx3m.

Fingers crossed for a dry weekend....got some patches to dig :)

Take care and enjoy it.

Les