Newbie needing help

elly2

Hi all i have been reading the board with intrest and have already started to plant some seeds (in pots)with the hope of having a few raised beds in my garden for some veg. But I have found i have a problem with a huge blackberry bush at the top of my garden and the roots have now traveled to the whole of the garden , i have managed to dig a few up and they are huge(about the size of large parsnips), is there a way i can make raised beds in my garden ? or will it be easier to grow the veg in containers?(i have read that blackberry bushes are difficult to get rid of) and if containers are the best way to go for growing veg is there anything i can grow in my garden? , i was thinking of putting some thick black plastic down then some soil and compost and making the beds so the roots would not grow but will this work or would it cause a problem with drainage ? the soil is fine at the top when i get past the rubble but then when i dig deeper i get clumps of clay.

Lotus-eater

I'm not sure what you are asking? Do you want to get rid of the blackberry bushes or not? You can't put a raised bed on top of a blackberry, weed control fabric or not.
If you want to do it properly, take your time and dig up and burn the brambles, keep digging them up and you will get rid of them, it's that simple.
Then do what you want with the garden, raised beds, slabbed and containers..... anything.

Rummer

I would make the raised beds and use them to grow things that go up the way and tubs for things that grow down the way. That could be a short term solution but if you have clay soil that is good growing medium and you could work on improving small areas of the garden.

elly2

Thank you for the replies, the blackberry bushes are inbetween a wooden fence and a wire fence so getting to the main bushes will be difficult, so they can stay where they are. I have done two hours of digging and weeding to shovel depth today but am still finding roots deeper down in places and am not quite sure how deep the soil goes, i only potted my seeds on monday so if i do a couple of hours a day digging and weeding i may have a patch clear enough of weeds and brambles by the time the seedlings are ready :rolleyes:. my ex husband used to just prune the brambles back and leave them where they fell so i have 10 yrs worth of clearing :mad: to do as quickly as possible, here's hoping for some nice weather.

annie123

you have my sympathy,

My son moved a few years ago into a studio flat with its own 60' x 40' bramble patch otherwise known as a garden, its bigger than his flat!

We spent many a day last year working our way through brambles and bindweed, it hadn't been touched for over 30 years according to neighbours.
We did get to the back fence (which is still falling down:rolleyes:) and the edges, and left some blackberries for the birds and us.

He has dug a 15' long pond lined with 3 carpets in an attempt to divert anything to grow up around the pond, we also discovered shrubs, but already this year he has noticed bits coming back up through the soil, brambles and bindweed, so he will be growing veggies in pots, digging and chemical spraying again, and next year hopes to get a lawn.

You may need to do the same.
if you build raised beds now it will all grow back through them;)

Rummer

We put a layer of thick cardboard at the base of our raised beds to suppress growth this year but it will break down over the course of the year when the beds are established.

Lotus-eater

This might be of help to you.
http://allotmenteer.co.uk/category/weeds/

Best of luck with that, sounds like you need it.

Rummer

This is the hideous evil weed that grows all through my garden and I seem to spend most of my life pulling it out of various places. I have my fingers crossed that it doesn't get into my raised beds.
http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/crbutcup.htm

annie123

rummer, if you ever find a way to get rid of it please let me know.
I garden organically so dont spray it, I just keep digging it up, but it gets everywhere. And I understand spreads by runners/seeds/roots, on par with bindweed in my book!

Rummer

I have only ever tried digging it out because it insists on growing on my veggie beds and I don't want to cover them with chemicals. It is horrible and everywhere!! I am often heard ranting at it in my garden much to my OHs amusement!

tomsolomon

It's taken three years of constant digging to get the brambles in our garden under controll.......
We still get the odd shoot coming up but they have been weakend now and will be treated this year with weed killer to finish them off...
Grow your veg in pots this year, and work on a small patch at a time to clear the junk away...
I have filled half a dozen wheel barrows full of bricks, old metal bits and bobs broken glass etc. etc. Thats not including the half a green house and concrete steps burried under the patio.
It does take time, and it is hard work, but doing it a bit at a time you will soon get some decent land to work on and grow your veg in.