Clearing a bramble filled garden

centaurandrew

Hi all,

I have volunteered to help out a family member with their garden which is heavily overgrown.

It is full of brambles (to shoulder height), nettles, docs, and some bindweed.

Really I just need to flatten the whole thing, and then maybe put some liners and gravel down or throw some flags down.

There's no possibility of getting a mini digger into the garden, even by creative methods.

Could the more knowledgeable amongst you help me out?

• What's the best way to clear the brambles? I was thinking brushcutter to whiz the tops off, then a fork to dig them out?
• Any better suggestions such as specific weedkiller brands?
• If I put flags down onto soil, or soil with a load of sand, will this be a very bad idea? Can flags usually be laid yourself with a bit of ability?

mrbadexample

I'd add some leather gauntlets and good secateurs to your list. It's hard to drag out because it snags on everything, but you can trim it to manageable lengths with the secateurs.

tilly_willow

Had a friend who used a flamethrower once but I'm not sure about that being the best way. Given the height of the weeds you have to deal with I think good protective clothing is a must.

annie123

been there seen it done it with my sons garden 60' x30' of solid brambles not touched for over 20 years.
We used a machete to start a way in, not that I'm suggesting you do, both my son and I have used them for years.

First thing I would say is not to expect to get it all cleared and done in one summer or you will have them poking up through your nice expensive liner and gravel next year. View it as a 2 year project.

A good pair of gloves, steel sole and toe cap boots and a pruning saw is a good start.
You will also have to remove all of the brambles too, depending on how much there is, an incinerator may be a good idea.

Once you have cleared the brambles, [STRIKE]and done your back in[/STRIKE] exercised those back muscles digging out the roots, the bindweed will have grown up around you whilst you weren't looking!
If you just pull it up you will leave roots there that will regrow again.
If you can, you are better waiting till june when its really big and spraying it with a systemic weed killer.

You will then be able to see if there are any shrubs or plants hiding.
We covered the worst 50% with freecycle old carpets to stop new weeds making a home and to weaken the growth for next year.
You'd be surprised how much comes back even when you think you've got it all out.

In the time being get gardening in pots. My son started fruit trees to plant the following year, and all sorts of flowers and veg can be grown in them.

he also took the opportunity to dig a pond, a very big pond, as it didn't matter where the soil went.
The following spring we attacked bits of bramble coming back and bindweed too, defined where beds would be, and planted some small trees, edged the pond, added a log pile and at the end of the second year when he was sure he had got everything under control a lawn and some paving down.

The people in the other flat who had a garden smaller but in the same condition did it al in one year.
10 years later they still have bindweed and brambles coming up all over the place and its constant maintenance for them.

Make it easier in the long run for yourself by not rushing it.

Just my opinion of course;)

ukmaggie45

A right angled fork is great for getting out brambles. We're into our second year in new garden (still not into the house as renovation not finished) and we had shoulder high brambles, nettles and buddleia. We completed house purchase early December, and OH spent a lot of time digging out stuff over winter (until the snow came). Cleared enough to grow some potatoes and onions and a few peas and beans last summer. Had an amazing amount of nigella (love in a mist) come up - seeds must have been too choked by the brambles I guess. It was beautiful.

This year there's not so many of them. Now clearing more stuff from the bed we didn't do much in last year. Brambles still coming in both veg beds, and have had some fine nettle beds too! All the better to make nettle tea for the plants with. We've had some carpet (from the house) down over some parts, and weighted down cardboard over others. I reckon it'll be 4/5 years from when we first began gardening there until we begin to be mostly bramble free. We don't want to use weedkiller as I'm sensitive to herbicides and insecticides, so I don't think we'll ever be able to clear them altogether. But digging over and removing all the root you can find seems to be moderately effective.

splodger_seedswapper

bramble roots are not the easiest blighters to remove and they don't weed kill that easily either - brush cutting will weaken them - and putting old carpets down as a membrane - is a good trick (just best not to use that foam backed stuff)

if you covered the area in carpet (or something similar) - then lay sand onto - then put your flag stones down - that should stop most of the bramble from shooting back up - although it is determined little blighter - so it might sneak back here and there - if you don't manage to cover all of the ground

Andy_Davies

Cut down and burn as much of the brambles as possible...

...then find some friendly pigs to clear the rest.

Andy

centaurandrew

Carpet seems like a great idea thanks.

Maybe I could just lay green carpet, then I wouldn't need a lawn?

Many thanks all.

DaftyDuck

Chemicals! Didn't used to love using them, but as I get older and wiser (well, more feeble-bodied), I find I use glyphosate more & more. It'll kill the roots as well, so you'd probably get the garden bramble- and bindweed-free for the late summer, if you were efficient. Spraying works well, but with traily things like bramble and bindweed, you can't beat the pleasure of dunking the growing bits in a jamjar of glyphosate for an hour or so, then sit back and enjoy yourself while it whithers and dies.

I'd clear the majority that I could by hand, then let the chemicals get to work whilst I was planting seeds and begging cuttings from friends and neighbours.

valk_scot

Stump killer works on bramble stumps. You cut the top growth off with secateurs and loppers (good gloves and long thick jacket sleeves are a must, as is some eye protection) and then paint the stump killer on the stumps as you go by. Burn everything you dig up, or take it to the tip. Then go back after a couple of months (you should have reached the end of the garden by then) and dig out what you can of the stumps.

hostie

Apparently hens are very good at getting rid of the roots once you get to that stage.