Topic: 675 meters of jungle

[slyfox-mal]

just took  control of this amount of lotti really excited and really dont have a clue lol wot to do with it yet   its much worse condition than i thought its 15 meters by 45 meters of  really high brambles ( out lass has already ripped her legs to bits on the site bless her)
loads of old wood on site not worth  owt half a shed three dead chickens curtasy of the bloke out the back chucking em over into my plot went in today to move some stuff about sorting tin sheeting and wood and stuff  i know i have my work cut out in here but hey its rent free for a yr or so  so cant complain  cant find no where who will hire me a brush cutter around her so hard graft ahead i reacon  guees i just need some encouragement from u lot of old time  lotti holder and ill get there in the end and who  knows i may even be able to grow summit  soon  sorry about spelling im a bit Dyslexic joke time (did u hear about the Dyslexic agnostic with insomnia he stayed awake all night wondering if there really is a dog ) sorry  lol
any how guys and gals come on give me some encouragement and some ideas of wot to do and  wot not to do id much rather learn from wisdom than expierence thanks from a 40 yr old gran dad with nothing better to do than sit here typing :)
 mal

[ACE]

If you cannot get a brush cutter, get a slasher then prepare to do battle. A bit at a time, 2 hours max, plenty of beer on hand and promise yourself a bottle every time you cut across the plot. After about 5 rows you will be seeing double. But you will be cutting it twice as fast. good luck, and no cheating, carpet belongs in the lounge not on the soil.

[slyfox-mal]

ok no  carpet
 got a full roll of visqueen coming tomorrow
hope it snows soon so my garden looks as good as everyone elses
ill get there eventualy and be able to say i made that mess :)
 mal

[Columbus]

Hi,

My plot was like yours just over a year ago. I started by cutting back head high brambles, dock and nettles. It was like this from one end to the other. I used hedge shears. As I went I collected piles of wood, glass, plastic and metal of all kinds.
Then I got a gas weed flamer and burnt the stubble.
Then I started digging and planting. I covered part of the plot and left it for a year. I only just dug that part.

In my first year I built a shed from pieces of an old one and put up a permanent bean fence. I attatched a lean-to plastic greenhouse to the shed on its sunny side. I put guttering and water barrels on the shady side. I planted a pear tree and an apple tree. I pruned blackberries twice. I fixed a cold frame and grew melons in it.

I got a harvest and hope to get more next year. I fed pigeons on brassicas but now I know about netting. Now I`m planning ahead and learning about composting and improving my soil.

That was my first gardening year. I had a good time.  ;D

[Wicker]

Code: [Select]

That was my first gardening year. I had a good time.    
 
 

Now that is the result to go for!!  Good luck Sly and Congratulations Columbus! ;)

[Columbus]

Thank you   :) I am also very proud of myself. the plot had been neglected for twenty years. And had become a dumping ground. No lottie neighbours wanted to take on the challenge. I didn`t know better.  :)

Col.

[ina]

Good luck Fox and hats off to all who have faced this challenge before and succeeded.

I have a lot of respect for so many of you who worked very hard to get a neglected plot into shape and made a wonderful allotment out of it.
Letting a plot become a wilderness is one thing but there is no excuse for dumping junk. It's anti social.

[Moggle]

Well done Slyfox! Getting it in plantable condition can be done! Your plot makes mine sound like an dream in comparison  :)

I was lucky enough to have the site secretary do most of the hard work - strimming and then I think he used a flame gun.

I can't really offer advice, just empathy. And also suggest what I have seen others advise - clear a bit then plant a bit. At this time of year, you won't be able to plant, you'll have to wait till March probably, but get something planted then, if you've cleared some space. Knowing you've got something growing is a great inspiration.

Best of luck  :)

[Sarah-b]

Good luck Slyfox!
You will need it.
You will also need lots of energy and motivation!
If you run out of motivation - put a post on here and I know we'll all egg you on a bit. Sorry - can't help with the energy, but do it bit by bit. When you've done a bit, stand back and congratulate yourself on your hard work. Then come here and tell us about it.
If you can get it all down to ground level, if you have some bits un-dug in March/April, cover them. Then they won't get any worse and you can worry about them next winter. Then concentrate on the bits you have recovered.
When you dig messy land, you uncover all sorts of weed seeds that have sat there dormant for yonks. These will all think "yipee-doo - clear ground" and germinate in Spring. Don't be downheartened. Just dig and hoe and they will slow down after a while.

SB

[slyfox-mal]

thanks to all who  read this and more so to those who did reply igot today a roll of black plastic in the post 25 meters by 4 meters 100 sq meters  that should cover some of my ground after i get it cleared a bit first im going in tomorrow i think for another  bit of tidying up  may light a bit of a fire to get rid of some of the wasted wood on site then im going to mark it all out and start to make my plans as to wot to and wot noy  to do going to concentrate on one half of the plot first i never saw one slug the other day when i was lifting all the old wood sheeting  a few snails and plenty of mice and rat  activity do slugs hibernate and if so where lol
 no i dont mean spain there is no  mad grasses on my site just normal grass gone to seed as far as i can tell but i know  nowt the soil looks really nice from wot i can tell not to clay and not to sand so isnt to heavy and sumone said brambles like rich soil so i guess mines  a bit on the rich side lol  thats it for now keep up with any advice i love to read other ppls stuff thanks mal  

[Fingle....]

One of my plots was like that, and the only way i could deal with it was getting a long broom handle or a rake handle, and using it like a sword beating down on the brambles till they snap (great fun)

A week later its all brown and easily burns...then just dig up the (bloody ugly) roots