New to both the forum and gardening!!

 
Hi, I've moved into a new house which is riddled with brambles :@ I know
they are hard to get rid of and I'm after a quick and easy solution to
have the garden ready for my kids top play in this summer.

I have a few ideas on what to do but I would really like a pro's
feedback to these ideas, some may seem stupid but I'm new to this so
take it easy on my outlandish ideas please :D

Our garden is covered in loads of little stones (probably a whack idea
from the previous tenant to rid them of brambles) but it makes it hard
to dig the whole of the 22sqm area I want to work on.

My ideas are to cover the area with plastic and maybe some chip wood on
top of that but I hear brambles can also grow through things like that
and chip wood isn't exactly ideal for my clumsy 4 yr old boy as he'd be
in an out every 5 minutes with a new cut I'd imagine but I may be wrong.


My other idea was to lay some plastics down in 2 or 3 layers to make a
little harder for it to come through maybe get some top soil on top of
that and turf it.

I'm at a dead end with the garden as digging seems to be impossible due
to the stones, is there anything I can do and will the above work?

P.S I'm not keen on the idea of using weed killer either as these
brambles are coming all the way through next doors garden and I am
worried if I use a strong enough weed killer it will effect her garden
too.

Help please!! CluessWilson




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CluelessWilson

 On 4/26/2011 7:29 AM, CluelessWilson wrote:

How serious are you? Serious enough to part with a bit of money? If so,
equipment exists which will neatly remove brush and brambles and and
heather and gorse and almost anything else up to the size of small trees.
There also exist 'power rakes' which specialize in breaking up soil and
plucking out stones. Both of these items are usually seen as attachments to
skid-steer loaders (we would generically call these Bobcat loaders in the
US since that is the most prevalent maker). I know that the loaders are
popular in the UK since I've seen them at various construction sites and
farms in the northern counties and I suspect that a bit of searching will
turn up a contractor who either owns or can temporarily rent the proper
attachments to clear your problem.

Of course, what you will end up with after the machine is done is tilled
soil and this will need to be graded and rolled a bit and then seeded with
grass and then tended to make sure that the grass germinates and grows well
before weeds can take over the bare soil.

 

Not a pro, but if these are just brambles, a lawn mower will do the job.
It will at least let you get into the area.

I've done it many times.

Then if you want a garden or lawn there, you will have to dig.

If you just want the kids to play there, just mow it.
Obviously, before the bramble shoots die off, wear shoes.

 CluelessWilson wrote:

The whole 22sqm !!!  I thought you had a problem, this is a handkerchief.


Why cover up your problem, this is like sweeping dirt under the rug, those
thorns and stones will come back to get you.


Cut down the brambles and rake up the stones, if there is a lot hire a skip
to take it away.  You don't mention being disabled so you can do it in a
weekend or two.  I fail to see how this is such a problem.

You don't mention what the soil is like if there is no real topsoil it would
be worth importing some to spread after you clean up.  You also don't
mention what plans you have for this postage stamp, I mean garden.  Before
you start work decide what you are going to grow.

You cannot leave bare earth or it will revert to weeds.   One alternative is
durable mulches such as wood chips.  With a small child I am guessing grass
will be on the list.  Does the area get any sunlight?  What is your climate?

David

 On 4/26/2011 6:01 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:

Good catch. My quick read of the post told me that it was 220sqm. For that
my mechanized solution might be practical but for one-tenth that something
simpler is called for. I did a garden patch of about that size in Alaska
and it was full of the seriously knotted heavy roots of a long-established
bramble/berry patch. My solution involved the inexpensive half-day rental
of a power tiller which, with some indignities to my body, managed to rip
up the roots quite effectively. After that a simple raking took care of
what roots hadn't tangled themselves around the tiller's tines and been
removed as needed. A final pass with the tiller to stir in the required
limestone and organic fertilizer left everything perfect.